A survey of perception and computation of human beauty

Perception of (facial or bodily) beauty has long been debated amongst philosophers, artists, psychologists and anthropologists. Ancient philosophers claimed that there is a timeless, aesthetic ideal concept of beauty based on proportions, symmetry, harmony, and geometry, that goes well beyond the observer. Modern philosophers, on the other hand, have commonly suggested that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that beauty canons depend on culture. Despite the continuous interest and extensive research in cognitive, evolutionary and social sciences, modeling and analysis of human beauty and aesthetic canons remains open. Therefore, this paper aims to put the beauty trait under the spotlight by investigating various aspects involved in its perception and computation.