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Defining Beauty 5 sex for level of attractiveness. However, Dr. Jo Ellen Meerdink and colleagues from the University of Nebraska found that the gender of the rater does not make a significant difference in the ratings of attractiveness. For example, when asked to rate photographs for facial attractiveness, women and men tended to rely on the same set of features when rating a female face, and they relied on a different set of features when rating a male face. For both genders, face shape, eye and hair color, and hair length are considered when judg- ing attractiveness, regardless of the gender of the rater. For female faces, the smile, eye shape, chin size, and skin texture factor in to the overall level of attractiveness. For male faces, eye spacing and size and nose size in relation to eyebrow shape and placement contribute to attractiveness ratings. Across re- search studies, men and women tend to rate photographs similarly, and their ratings are based on the same features, at least for Caucasian faces. It would be interesting to examine such differences when looking at faces from other races. For example, research could determine whether hair color continues to be a determining feature in Asian or African populations, considering it is more similar across individuals. Research reveals that there are many individual traits that culminate to produce a beautiful individual. These traits include both physical and psy- chological characteristics, and as previously noted, most are directly tied to good physical and mental health. An individual who has strong genes, a healthy developmental environment, good nutrition, and a supportive net- work tends to also have the highest ratings of beauty. Thus, attractiveness is a culmination of genetic and environmental factors. Some of the predomi- nant factors that lead to cross-cultural assessments of attractiveness include body symmetry and averageness, traits that indicate increased femininity or masculinity (sexually dimorphic traits), youth, body size and shape, scent, facial features, vocal quality, and personality traits. These characteristics, and others, are explored throughout this chapter, and the individual components are further examined in Part II. Symmetry and Averageness As illustrated by Michael R. Cunningham from the University of Louis- ville, humans all over the world share a sense of what is attractive, regardless of nationality, race, socioeconomic status, or age. Part of the explanation for this cross-cultural similarity is symmetry. Symmetry, or the degree to which the left side of the body or face matches the right side, catches the attention of the human eye. Adults around the world are more interested in and rate a symmetrical face as more attractive than an asymmetrical face. This is the underlying reason that even babies can identify a beautiful face—they are enamored by the symmetry. Interestingly, even macaque monkeys will give more attention to a symmetrical face than to an asymmetrical face of another macaque.