Although I agree that cognitive dissonance is just one of many possible explanations for this, cognitive dissonance does play an influential role in our everyday behaviours. One study revealed that participants who were paid to do a long, boring experiment (pulling levers etc...) were far less likely to say that they enjoyed it than those who weren't paid. Researchers argue that this is because while those people who were paid could justify their behaviour that conflicted with something they usually wouldn't do using external influences (money), those who weren't paid justified it internally (i.e. it was somewhat enjoyable). There have been many variations of this study that reliably reproduce the effect of cognitive dissonance. Psychologists are currently studying cognitive dissonance and the power it has to change peoples' opinions (e.g., quitting smoking, dissolving stereotypes etc...).
To emphasise how bad this poetry is, here is a great poem for contrast. It's Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Tithonus": http://charon.sfsu.edu/TENNYSON/TITHONUS.HTML
It is a story based in an Ancient Greek myth. Tithonus was the mortal lover of Eos, the immortal goddess of the dawn, who every morning, rides her chariot across the sky, bringing the sun with her. Tithonus asks her to make him immortal so that they can be together forever, but he forgets to ask for eternal youth. So as time goes by, he ages, until he is so decrepit that he begs for the death that he can never have, and looks down from the clouds on the mortal men who will one day die with jealousy.
Emerald-cut diamonds, not emeralds. It's my favourite cut of diamond actually(if I could afford diamonds). What is the point of the yellow diamond in the middle?
That's right. Humans as a rule find average faces attractive (that is, many different faces morphed into one face to create an average of where the nose/eyes etc should be). This probably explains why the ratings seem a bit low for some very attractive girls.
And like ToddZ said, the symmetry also makes the faces more attractive. Symmetry is an indication of health and proper development, so from an evolutionary perspective it makes sense that we should be attracted to symmetry so that we can produce healthier offspring!
I also agree that miss “6.0-6.4″ is super cute. Miss “9.5-10″ is stunning though.
One study revealed that participants who were paid to do a long, boring experiment (pulling levers etc...) were far less likely to say that they enjoyed it than those who weren't paid. Researchers argue that this is because while those people who were paid could justify their behaviour that conflicted with something they usually wouldn't do using external influences (money), those who weren't paid justified it internally (i.e. it was somewhat enjoyable).
There have been many variations of this study that reliably reproduce the effect of cognitive dissonance.
Psychologists are currently studying cognitive dissonance and the power it has to change peoples' opinions (e.g., quitting smoking, dissolving stereotypes etc...).
http://charon.sfsu.edu/TENNYSON/TITHONUS.HTML
It is a story based in an Ancient Greek myth. Tithonus was the mortal lover of Eos, the immortal goddess of the dawn, who every morning, rides her chariot across the sky, bringing the sun with her. Tithonus asks her to make him immortal so that they can be together forever, but he forgets to ask for eternal youth. So as time goes by, he ages, until he is so decrepit that he begs for the death that he can never have, and looks down from the clouds on the mortal men who will one day die with jealousy.
What is the point of the yellow diamond in the middle?
And like ToddZ said, the symmetry also makes the faces more attractive. Symmetry is an indication of health and proper development, so from an evolutionary perspective it makes sense that we should be attracted to symmetry so that we can produce healthier offspring!
I also agree that miss “6.0-6.4″ is super cute. Miss “9.5-10″ is stunning though.