What do Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong’o and Halle Berry all have in common, besides being exceptionally beautiful?
They all have a heart-shaped face – wide at the cheekbones and tapering to a point at the chin – which is most attractive to men, according to new research.
The smooth and curved facial features this creates are perceived as more feminine, experts say, while high cheekbones can keep the face looking youthful for longer.
The study by researchers from Turkey found that the second most sought-after face was an oval-shaped face – among many beautiful celebrities such as Cameron Diaz and Rihanna.
It is believed that Scarlett Johansson has a heart-shaped face, which men find most attractive. She is pictured above at the 2021 premiere of Sing 2
Lupita Nyong’o and Halle Berry are also believed to have heart-shaped faces, which are considered the most attractive to men. Lupita screened at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this month and Halle Berry screened in Saudi Arabia last December
Dr. Nicholas Jones, a plastic surgeon from Atlanta, Georgia, who was not involved in the study, told DailyMail.com: ‘This research supports the idea that men find the heart-shaped face most attractive.
‘I think having prominent cheekbones helps plump the skin of the face, keeping you looking youthful for longer.
‘The heart shape with very soft corners also makes the face look much more feminine.’
Men may view women with softer facial angles as more fertile because this suggests they have low testosterone levels, he added.
High levels of testosterone in women are known to disrupt the menstrual cycle and affect egg quality.
For the latest study, researchers showed 172 straight men a digitized photo of the same woman, but with five different facial shapes.
The men were asked to rate each face on a scale of one to ten, with one being ‘very unattractive’ and ten being ‘very attractive’.
Researchers then calculated the average score for each face to determine which face was the most attractive.
Men scored the heart-shaped face an average of 5.3, the highest score in the group.
The oval face received a score of 4.5, putting it in second place, while the round face received a score of 4.26 out of 10, putting it in third place.
At the other end of the scale was the square face which received a score of 4.06 out of 10, putting it at the bottom of the pile.
And second to last was the rectangular face, which had a score of 4.14 out of 10.
Cameron Diaz and Rihanna are both believed to have more oval-shaped faces
Angelina Jolie has a more square face, although she is still known as a great beauty
The research was published last June in The New York Times magazine American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.
Men were sent to the images via WhatsApp or email and asked to view them for at least five seconds before being given a score out of ten.
The images were created using 3D software by Afyonkarahisar Health Science University in central Turkey.
Limitations of the study include that participants were only shown the altered face of one woman.
Dr. Jones pointed out that the woman used in the study did not look very feminine because she had a large forehead with more angular features.
The researchers found that the heart-shaped face was the most popular, followed by the oval face (right)
Previous studies, such as a paper from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which made the same findings, have linked this to women looking younger.
The researchers said: ‘A heart-shaped midface is the ultimate symbol of youth and remains the overarching goal of midface rejuvenation.’