A New Study Says… Maybe Not.
Prof. Sebastian Cotofana and his co-authors have just published a thought-provoking study exploring how subtle changes in eyebrow and eye shape influence how others perceive us.
Using digitally altered images, 2,081 participants rated faces based on traits like attractiveness, dominance, and emotional expression—after the tail of the eyebrow, the lateral canthus (the outer corner of the eye where the upper and lower eyelids meet), or both were adjusted.
Here’s what they found:
1. Any change actually decreased attractiveness—for both male and female faces.
2. All changes increased perceptions of dominance, threat, and even disgust.
3. Lifting the eyebrow tail made male faces appear more masculine—but only to female viewers.
4. Raising the lateral canthus made female faces seem more feminine—but only to male observers.
🦊So while trends like the “foxy eye” or surgically lifted brows might seem appealing, this study suggests the opposite: our natural, unmodified features may be perceived as more attractive than we think.
Once again, less is more. This research reminds us that thoughtful, conservative aesthetic work honours both beauty and biology.
Thank you to Prof. Cotofana and his co-authors for continuing to bring evidence-based insight to aesthetic medicine.