Rimless Eyewear, Beauty and Aesthetics in the Eyes of Science

LINZ, Austria, Oct. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Univ.-Prof. Dr. Helmut Leder, renowned expert in the field of face and aesthetics research in the psychology of perception, conducted the study entitled "The impact of eyewear characteristics on the impression made by faces and perception of faces" with his team at the University of Vienna. His study is the first in the field that sheds light on differences between framed and rimless eyewear.

When we look at a face we immediately analyse several kinds of information. Who is this person? How old? How healthy? Man or woman? Is she similar to me? Different? Is the person attractive – can I trust her? For these processes, the eye region is especially important.

Previous studies have already discovered that harmonious, average features are perceived as beautiful and attractive. Glasses, as a deviation from the norm, lead to expectations of higher intelligence, trustworthiness, diligence and reliability.

The findings of the experiments suggest that rimless glasses subtly combine both perceptions. They imperceptibly draw attention to the important eye area and in a positive way combine aspects of success and intelligence with attractiveness. As a fascinating result of Leder's experiments it was found that rimless eyewear made faces less distinctive – a component of beauty - and particularly increased perceived trustworthiness.

SOURCE Silhouette International Schmied AG