Ever been told to tilt your head for a better-looking picture of yourself?
According to a new paper published in the journal Evolutionary Psychology, men and women can make themselves more attractive to others by tilting their head a certain way.
An msnbc.com article reported on the findings earlier this month. It quoted Dr Darren Burke, senior psychology lecturer at the University of Newcastle in Ourimbah, New South Wales, Australia, as saying: "Our research investigated if looking at the face from different perspectives as a result of the height differential between men and women influenced perceived masculinity or femininity." He conducted the research with his wife, Dr Danielle Sulikowski.
“The research found the way we angle our faces affects our attractiveness to the opposite sex.”
The best angle for women is a slight downward tilt of the head which simulates the view from above. This is considered feminine and most attractive. For men, a slight backward tilt of the head is judged as most masculine.
The late Princess Diana was always seen in pictures with her head tilted at an angle which made her look demure.
As for the sideways head tilt, Dr Burke speculated that it could be a flirtatious signal. The study did not look into this.
But the researcher says he is looking into whether men and women are using the head tilt to their advantage in their dealings with other people.
He said: “Our next step is to gather data about whether people exploit this height-driven difference to manipulate their attractiveness,” he says. “Maybe by adjusting their head tilt when interacting with someone they are attracted to. Or by choosing pictures of themselves on social networking or dating sites that have been taken from above or below.”
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