Advertisement

Ugly faces more memorable than pretty ones, study claims

Attractive people tend to get the upper-hand in, well, just about everything, but new research proves that might not be 100 per cent true.

A recent German study reveals that unattractive people are more likely to be remembered than attractive people.

Researchers claim a pretty face can actually prevent someone from recognizing you, unless you have a particular standout feature (think Cindy Crawford's signature mole).

Also see: Man tries to sell girlfriend on eBay as a joke, surprised by real bids

“Until now we assumed that it was generally easier to memorize faces, which are being perceived as attractive – just because we prefer looking at beautiful faces,“ says study author Holger Wiese, who discovered the exact opposite in his study.

Researchers from the University of Jena asked 20 participants to observe 200 faces on a computer screen. Half the faces were attractive and the other half unattractive, but all of them were considered equally distinctive. Subjects were later asked to identify the photos as new or previously viewed.

The results? Participants remembered the unattractive faces most accurately.

Also see: 'Cancer envy' campaign draws criticism

"Our study suggests that attractive faces are remembered less accurately than unattractive faces if both face types are similarly distinctive," Wiese explains to Wired.

Participants also incorrectly said they recognized a face without ever having seen it before.

“We obviously tend to believe that we recognize a face just because we find it attractive," Wiese says.

Also see: 'Eiffel Tower' nose surgery booming in China

The study, published in the journal Neuropsychologia, found that among attractive folks, features like big eyes or huge lips (think Angelina Jolie) ensure a high recognition value.

Past research shows mixed results on the topic, with some studies suggesting a link between attractiveness and memory and some finding no link between the two factors, reports Pacific Standard.

The researchers suggest the reason for this variance is because past studies haven't taken into account the fact that distinct features, regardless of how attractive they are, are easily remembered. Therefore, they argue it's not accurate to have test subjects compare images of attractive people with distinct features to unattractive people who lack stand-out facial features.

Also see: Weekend binging doesn't sabotage weight loss, says study

This study was the first to compare recognition of attractive people with distinct features against unattractive people that also possessed distinct features.