Limbal rings (dark rimmed eye irises) and beauty. May 2011

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? We cast a glance at the pupil, iris and white of the eye, and discover that love is far from blind. Plus we find out how a roving eye can be good for your relationship.

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Provine et al. confirmed that a reddened sclera is less attractive than whiter-than-white whites of the eye, whilst Peshek and colleagues showed that a dark limbal ring (the narrow circle at the edge of the iris) also boosts your beauty. Modified from Joanna Malinowska/freestocks.org

The articles covered in the show:

Provine, R. R., Cabrera, M., Brocato, N. W., & Krosnowski, K. A. (in press). When the whites of the eyes are red: A uniquely human cue. Ethology. Read summary

Peshek, D., Semmeknejad, N., Hoffman, D., & Foley, P. (2011). Preliminary evidence that the limbal ring influences facial attractiveness. Evolutionary Psychology, 9(2), 137-146. Read paper

DeWall, C. N., Maner, J. K., Deckman, T., & Rouby, D. A. (2011). Forbidden fruit: inattention to attractive alternatives provokes implicit relationship reactance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100(4), 621-629. Read summary