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Historical Importance of Beauty

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Beauty and Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Abstract

We, as a society, have a deeply rooted obsession with beauty. This insurmountable fascination has further been fueled by the mass media and advances in technology, with American men and women spending billions of dollars every year on beauty enhancing measures. Although individuals will always vary to some degree when rating others’ attractiveness, there is a remarkable tendency to generally agree on what constitutes human beauty. The ability to categorize and quantify beauty has allowed researchers to show us that there are clear advantages of being physically attractive. Physically beautiful people are consistently judged to be qualitatively superior, with associated traits of enhanced mental acuity, moral goodness, and interpersonal skills. In addition, there is powerful evidence that attractiveness not only affects opinions of others, but also permeates actions towards others. Humans are clearly hardwired to respond more favorably to attractive people, and many of our patients are driven to our clinics to enhance their looks and improve their quality of life. An understanding of the historical aspects, science, and implications of beauty is quintessential for dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and others who practice aesthetic medicine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Cosmetic and Laser Center, Boston University, 609 Albany Street, J602, 02118, Boston, MA, USA

    Asst. Prof. Neelam A. Vashi MD

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  1. Department of Dermatology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Neelam A. Vashi

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Vashi, N. (2015). Historical Importance of Beauty. In: Vashi, N. (eds) Beauty and Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17867-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17867-7_1

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