Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder? There is No Single Sexy Chin

The results are in-beauty is in the eye of the beholder. At least, that's the conclusion of a new Dartmouth College global study of male and female preferences for facial characteristics of the opposite sex.

According to researchers, various chin shapes among 180 male and female skeletons in nine areas in Australia, Africa, Asia and Europe were studied to test the universal facial attractiveness hypothesis. The hypothesis proposes that some facial features are universally preferred by the opposite sex because they are reliable signals of mate quality.

Yet researchers found significant geographic differences in chin shapes, with results challenging Drawin's theory, at least with regard to that. Sexual selection results in the proliferation of physical characteristics that provide a competitive advantage in the struggle to find mates.

"If preferences for particular chin shapes are universal in the strict sense, and these preferences influence the evolution of the chin, then chin shapes should not differ significantly between geographic regions," the authors wrote, according to a press release. "But our results suggest that chin shape is geographically variable in both sexes, challenging the notion of universal sexual selection on chin shape."

The study was published in the journal PLUS ONE.

However, it's important to note that not all studies (especially when considering other traits) consider this statement to be true. For instance, according to Psychology Today, beauty is not in the eye of the beholder. In fact, two studies conducted in the 80s show the exact opposite, noting the following:

"Cross-culturally, there is considerable agreement in the judgment of beauty among East Asians, Hispanics, and Americans; Brazilians, Americans, Russians, the Aché of Paraguay, and the Hiwi of Venezuela; Cruzans and Americans in Saint Croix; white South Africans and Americans; and the Chinese, Indians, and the English. In none of these studies does the degree of exposure to the western media have any influence on people's perception of beauty."

So, it might be hard to say why you're so attracted to your sweetie. But in the end, does it really matter?