Eye-tracking study reveals which facial features truly matter in attraction

When people evaluate the attractiveness of a face, where they focus their gaze can reveal what features they find most appealing. A new study published in The Laryngoscope used eye-tracking technology to uncover which facial areas draw the most attention during judgments of attractiveness—and how these patterns differ by gender. The researchers found that men tend to fixate on women’s mouths when rating their attractiveness, while women focus more on men’s eyes and hair.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine conducted the study to explore how people visually assess facial attractiveness and whether specific facial regions consistently predict higher attractiveness ratings. Although attractiveness plays a role in many areas of life—from dating and hiring decisions to assumptions about personality—scientists still have limited understanding of the exact facial features that people find appealing.

Prior studies have often used altered images or focused on isolated parts of the face, making their findings less applicable to real-world scenarios. The current study aimed to take a more naturalistic approach by showing unaltered, neutral-expression faces and observing how people naturally direct their gaze.

To investigate these questions, the researchers used eye-tracking technology to monitor where people looked while viewing a set of 40 photographs of diverse male and female faces. The photos were selected from established facial image databases and included individuals of various racial and ethnic backgrounds between the ages of 20 and 60. Each face was shown in high resolution, facing forward with a neutral expression, and free from makeup or visible cosmetic procedures.

The study included 154 adult participants, who were randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group was asked to rate each face’s attractiveness on a scale from 0 to 100. A second group was told to look for signs of plastic surgery, while a third group viewed the images with no specific task—this “free-gazing” group served as a baseline for comparison. Eye-tracking software recorded the duration of each participant’s gaze on predefined areas of interest, such as the eyes, nose, mouth, hair, and jawline. Each face was displayed for 10 seconds, and the observers only saw each face once to avoid repetition effects.

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Across all groups, participants spent the majority of their time looking at the central triangle of the face, which includes the eyes, nose, and mouth. This pattern was consistent with previous research. However, people who were explicitly judging attractiveness looked differently at specific facial regions compared to those who were free-gazing or searching for signs of cosmetic surgery. Compared to free-gazing observers, attractiveness raters spent significantly more time looking at the mouth, nose, and cheeks.

The researchers then analyzed whether more time spent looking at certain facial features was associated with higher attractiveness ratings. For faces rated as more attractive, participants tended to spend more time looking at the central triangle overall, as well as the hair and mouth. In contrast, increased attention to the forehead and neck was associated with lower attractiveness ratings. This may suggest that when these areas draw more attention, it could reflect perceived flaws or distractions.

Interestingly, the specific regions linked to higher attractiveness ratings varied depending on the gender of both the observer and the person in the image. When male participants rated female faces, the strongest predictor of a high attractiveness rating was prolonged gaze at the mouth. Female participants, on the other hand, were more influenced by the eyes and hair when judging the attractiveness of male faces. These results suggest that men and women may prioritize different facial features when evaluating potential romantic or social partners.

This gender difference in gaze behavior is consistent with prior research suggesting that men often focus more on features linked to fertility or youth, such as lips and skin smoothness, while women may emphasize indicators of trustworthiness or status, such as eye contact and grooming. However, this study adds a new layer by objectively measuring these preferences using eye-tracking data, rather than relying on self-report or manipulated images.

The researchers also highlight the potential relevance of their findings for aesthetic medicine and facial plastic surgery. Patients often seek cosmetic procedures with the goal of looking more attractive, but may not always know which features matter most to observers. Understanding which facial areas people unconsciously focus on—and how these regions contribute to perceived attractiveness—could help guide treatment plans toward changes that have the biggest visual impact.

While the study advances understanding of how people judge attractiveness, it also has several limitations. The images used were static, two-dimensional photos shown from a single front-facing angle. Real-life impressions of attractiveness often involve dynamic expressions, movement, and multiple viewing angles.

The researchers also did not analyze which specific characteristics within each facial area—such as eye shape or lip fullness—contributed to the attention patterns. Additionally, although the study included a racially and age-diverse set of faces and participants, individual cultural preferences or past experiences could still influence how people perceive beauty.

Despite these caveats, the study stands out for its use of unaltered images, diverse demographics, and inclusion of control groups to isolate the specific effects of attractiveness judgments on visual attention. The eye-tracking data offer a rare glimpse into how people subconsciously process facial features when making split-second judgments about appearance.

The researchers suggest that future studies should examine more dynamic and realistic presentations of faces, such as videos or 3D renderings. They also recommend investigating what specific features within high-value areas—like lip shape, hair texture, or eye symmetry—contribute to perceptions of attractiveness. Additionally, exploring how social factors such as personality traits or voice might interact with visual cues could help build a fuller picture of what makes someone seem attractive to others.

The study, “Gaze Patterns During Evaluation of Facial Attractiveness: An Eye-Tracking Investigation,” was authored by Forrest W. Fearington, Andrew D. Pumford, Andrew S. Awadallah, and Jacob K. Dey.