Simply put, Attractiveness Bias is the tendency to find people who are physically attractive to be more intelligent, trustworthy, and competent than unattractive people. In the real world, for those who are considered attractive, attractiveness bias can lead to preference in hiring, more leniency during sentencing, and more being paid more for the same work. It is thought that the roots of attractiveness bias lie in biology and evolution, where a healthy and fertile person is seen as attractive because they will be able to provide stronger offspring to continue the species. There are certain aspects that make a person “attractive”, including symmetrical facial features and a desirable waist-to-hip ratio, which is .70 for women and .90 for men.
One example given in Universal Principles of Design is the presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy, pictured below. Nixon appeared ill, pale, and tired during the debate while Kennedy was tan, well-rested, and believed to be better prepared. Those who watched the debate thought Kennedy had won whereas those who only heard the debate believed Nixon to have won.
Another example, the image below shows a man’s face that is symmetrical (a) and has been manipulated to be more asymmetrical (b). Image B is found to be less attractive because of the lack of symmetry that humans normally attribute to being attractive or beautiful.
Finally, an example from the “real world”. Below is a package of Mr Clean Magic Erasers. Note the symmetry displayed for Mr Clean’s face and the muscles clearly visible that display strength and good health. While perhaps not what you would immediately think of as “beautiful”, Mr Clean certainly applies the principles of Attractiveness Bias in order to entice customers.
References
Lidwell, William, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler. 2010. Universal Principles of Design. Rockport.
Talamas, Sean N, Kenneth I Mayor, and David I Perrett. 2016. “Blinded by Beauty: Attractiveness Bias and Accurate Perceptions of Academic Performance.” PLOS.
I wonder if you think “Attractiveness Bias” is the appropriate principle or rather, we should design towards “symmetry”? Very nice examples of facial asymmetry though, have you heard about the Thatcher effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thatcher_effect)? Once you reverse the faces, they look horrible!!