The 'astonishing number' that may make things beautiful

The Queen’s Gambit actor Anya Taylor-Joy was named the most beautiful female celebrity in 2024, according to a study conducted by cosmetic surgeon Dr Julian De Silva.

Second on Dr De Silva’s list is actor Zendaya, followed by model Bella Hadid, and actor Margot Robbie.

Beyoncé and Taylor Swift were in the top ten according to the list, which claims the key to beauty isn’t stunning eyes, ‘perfect’ eyebrows or lips, but how they are all placed together on the face.

But does having features — eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, chin, and jaw — that are consonant with the ancient Greek idea of perfection actually count, or does maths not matter?

The Golden Ratio: proportional perfection

Proportions determine perfection — well, at least, according to the theory of the Golden Ratio.

The Golden Ratio — also referred to as the Golden Selection or Divine Proportion — is a mathematical equation developed by ancient Greek thinkers to calculate how perfect something is.

The concept is also symbolised by the Greek letter phi (φ), a mathematical constant equal to around 1.618033987, referred to as the World’s Most Astonishing Number in a book by astrophysicist Mario Livio.

A drawing of a man with outstretched arms and legs inside a circle

Italian polymath and artist Leonardo Da Vinci used the Pythagorean Golden Ration in his drawing The Vitruvian Man, which for him was the embodiment of perfection in the male form. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Golden Ratio determines aesthetic perfection in anything — including art, architecture, design, music, nature, and even financial markets.

It was discovered about 2,400 years ago by the Pythagoreans, a “cult of mathematicians who discovered many mathematical truths,” according to UNSW Sydney senior lecturer and mathematician Thomas Britz.

Why does the Golden Ratio make things beautiful?

Mathematically speaking, the Golden Ratio is a ratio between two quantities in which the ratio between them is equal to the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities.

If that’s lost you, don’t worry. The concept can be more easily explained in visual form.

A pentagram is a visual representation of the Golden Ratio

The Pythagoreans took the equally sided and equally angled pentagram as their symbol. Credit: Thomas Britz

A ratio close to 1.618 gives a shape better balance and symmetry, which seems to evoke a sense of perfection or beauty in observers.

“In the pentagram, the four thick black line segments grow in length by a fixed ratio φ at each step. For instance, the long thick horizontal line is φ longer than the side length of the pentagram. This constant φ is indeed the Golden Ratio,” Britz wrote in his 2022 academic article, The Beauty of the Golden Ratio.

What do experts say?

While many believe the Golden Ratio provides aesthetics that are pleasing to the eye, Britz said it’s an “unfounded urban myth that the Golden Ratio has intuitive appeal to people”.

He also disagrees with using it as a basis for determining who is beautiful, once penning an article titled: The Golden Ratio Test For Beauty Is Completely Bogus. An Expert Explains Why.

In it, he wrote that: “There is no record of ancient Greeks mentioning the Golden Ratio outside of math and numerology, and studies show φ is very rarely observed in ancient Greek art and architecture.”

“I have found no research to suggest that physical beauty is defined by the Golden Ratio or any other number,” he told SBS News.

“Research shows that physical beauty is linked to signs of good health and personal qualities, including average features, symmetry, skin texture, emotions, and uniqueness.”

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