Using studies and a little bit of research, New York Magazine’s Science of Us attempted to unravel the mysteries of why sunglasses make people look so damn attractive. What did it find? According to Nottingham Trent University senior lecturer Vanessa Brown, who wrote a book about the difference a good pair of frames make, there are three main factors to consider here.
First, shades add structure to our faces. Unless your mug is chiseled like a Greek sculpture, sunglasses give some symmetry to your softer features. And if your bone structure is perfectly symmetrical, your attractiveness might as well just reach god levels with shades on.
Sunglasses also give us an air of mystery. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and when you hide them there isn't much a person could tell about you. “The eyes are such a tremendous source of information — and vulnerability — for the human being,” said Brown. So hiding them makes you more like a puzzle that needs to be solved. And for the wearer, shades make us feel somewhat invisible that we can get away with much more with them than without.
Last but not least, we always associate someone wearing glasses with edginess and, more recently, Hollywood glamour. Prior to a majority of celebrities wearing frames to hide their identities and shield themselves from paparazzi in the 1950s and 1960s, shades were often used during dangerous sports.
In short: never leave your house without a pair of sunglasses.
[via NY Mag]
