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Studies have shown that people who are deemed attractive are more likely to get better jobs, perform better academically, and make more money. One older study has even suggested that attractive babies are more likely to receive more care and nurturing from their mothers than unattractive ones.
While it seems like the genetic dice are unfairly cast in favor of these people, scientifically, very little is known about the genes that underpin facial beauty. Newly published research explores the genetic variations that are associated with facial attractiveness and finds that they vary by sex.
Lu and colleagues used genetic data from 4,383 people to carry out a genome-wide association study. The researchers asked volunteers to rate people’s attractiveness based on their yearbook photos and compared the attractiveness scores with the genetic makeup of each individual.
The analysis revealed some genes that correlated with facial attractiveness. However, the roles of these genes varied according to sex. In women, the genetic variations associated with beauty were also related to genes that regulate body mass and lipids.
In males, the “beauty” genetic variants were connected to genes that affect cholesterol levels. Previous studies have shown, note the researchers, that blood cholesterol levels play a role “in the synthesis of testosterone and other steroid hormones.”
“These results,” conclude the authors, “not only provided fundamental new insights into the genetic basis of facial attractiveness, but also revealed the complex relationship between attractiveness and a variety of human traits.”
The lead author comments on the findings, saying, “Similar to many other human traits, there is not a ‘master gene’ that determines a person’s attractiveness.”