听说这裙子能测出男朋友审美

七夕就要到了。

有网友在社交媒体上晒出了男友给自己买的裙子，于是乎这条裙子就火起来了，成了测试男友审美裙。

所以，你觉得怎么样？

🤔️小作业：

1. Which statement best captures the primary tension discussed in the article?

a. Humans universally share the same beauty standards.

b. Evolution solely determines what humans find beautiful.

c. Beauty is a combination of both objective evolutionary factors and subjective personal influences.

d. Art and design have no connection to evolutionary psychology.

b. Symmetry aids in understanding and categorizing the environment.

c. Symmetrical objects are usually more functional than asymmetrical ones.

d. Symmetry directly represents evolutionary fitness.

无注释原文：

Where Do Human Beauty Standards Come From? Evolution Could Be to Blame

From: Discover

Jun 27, 2023

Appreciating beauty is part of most people’s everyday lives. We find it in the natural world, in one another, in art and even in ideas. It feels good when we see something beautiful.

But this appreciation of beauty presents a slight paradox.

Studies on human aesthetic preferences have found that our evaluations of beauty converge on certain features: simplicity, symmetry, juxtapositions of color, and particular shapes, ratios and geometries. And yet, individuals can possess vastly different notions of beauty, particularly when it comes to their taste in music, art, clothing and other domains of human creativity.

It would appear that beauty standards are partially objective — while simultaneously subjective. How does science explain this apparent enigma?

Psychology and Beauty Standards

Evolutionary psychology in the context of mate selection offers an interesting theoretical perspective, and a study published in Scientific Reports earlier this year offers a good reason why our aesthetic preferences converge on certain attributes.

In it, a team of psychologists from the University of Konstanz replicated previous findings that people have an aesthetic preference for a shape known as Hogarth’s Line of Beauty (LoB). The line is a specific S-shaped curve, and participants tasked with choosing an S-shape based on attractiveness consistently picked this same shape.

In his 1753 book The Analysis of Beauty, British artist William Hogarth suggested wavy lines are more visually attractive than straight or curved ones; his LoB has since been a reference in various fields of design, from landscaping to hairdressing.

But while the new study provided empirical evidence of people’s preference for Hogarth’s LoB, it also offered an explanation for why we are attracted to this particular shape.

The researchers tested preferences for Hogarth’s LoB in the context of the natural curve of our bodies, specifically where the S-shaped line corresponded to varying degrees of female lumbar curvature. Participants found the woman whose lumbar curvature closest resembled Hogarth’s LoB the most visually attractive.

The Evolution of Beauty

The authors of the study point out that this particular shape is also close to the optimal degree of lumbar curvature for pregnant people who wish to carry a baby without suffering back injury. People who possess it may therefore be more likely to survive the gestation period and give birth to healthy offspring.

Studies like this one make the argument that humans have evolved to appreciate the features that once offered, or still do offer, some evolutionary fitness benefit to our species. But it's also important to note that other evolutionary forces — beyond those involved with mate selection — can explain why our aesthetic preferences have converged to find things like symmetry and rhythm beautiful.

Humans may be drawn to symmetry and certain ratios, for example, because these things help us identify perceptual regularities in our environment; through them we categorize and form mental models of the world. To successfully interact with our environments, we must be able to distinguish between things like food, shelter, other humans and predators.

But, as stated earlier, our perceptions of beauty also diverge in interesting and nuanced ways — and a different theoretical perspective can help us make sense of this.

What Does 'Attractive' Mean to You?

What we find attractive extends beyond physical appearances. These types of aesthetic judgments fall outside the explanatory framework of certain evolutionary perspectives and, instead, is likely deeply tied to our senses of identity, self-presentation and social signaling.

Humans are deeply social animals that thrive in collectives. We also attach meaning to arbitrary features of reality, so long as they carry some special significance to us.

Someone who identifies as an environmentalist, for example, might say their favorite color is green because of its association with nature. Meanwhile, a French national might be more drawn to blue because it is reminiscent of France’s sports teams.

In both scenarios, the individuals have aesthetic color preferences that speak to their senses of identity while also potentially signaling to others in their social group.

What Causes Attraction?

In a 2020 paper, a research team led by Joerg Fingerhut from the Berlin School of Mind and Brain in Germany found that aesthetic considerations play a central role in how we conceptualize ourselves. The findings point to something called the aesthetic self effect: Changes in our aesthetic preferences can also alter our own ideas of who we are.

“When people imagine a change in what pleases them, of what kind of artworks they like, they think it impacts them at their core — at who they are, their identity,” Fingerhut says. “This holds for imagined music taste changes but also for changes in their preferences for visual art.”

In other words, people make sense of themselves through their own aesthetic preferences, which can be linked to almost any arbitrary quality in their environment.

And so, while evolution might constrain what we find attractive in other people for the sake of mate selection, beauty standards have no limits. Humans can attach meaning and beauty to anything we choose.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Where Do Human Beauty Standards Come From? Evolution Could Be to Blame

From: Discover

Jun 27, 2023

Appreciating beauty is part of most people’s everyday lives. We find it in the natural world, in one another, in art and even in ideas. It feels good when we see something beautiful.

欣赏美是大多数人日常生活中的一部分。我们在自然界、在人与人之间、在艺术甚至在思想中都能发现美。当我们看到美好的事物时，我们会感到愉悦。

But this appreciation of beauty presents a slight paradox.

但是，这种对美的欣赏存在着一个小小的悖论。

paradox /ˈpærəˌdɒks/ 表示“自相矛盾的情况；似非而是的说法，悖论”，英文解释为“a situation or statement that seems impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics”举个🌰：It's a curious paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty. 大量喝水经常会让人感觉口渴，这是看似矛盾而正确的奇怪说法。

Studies on human aesthetic preferences have found that our evaluations of beauty converge on certain features: simplicity, symmetry, juxtapositions of color, and particular shapes, ratios and geometries. And yet, individuals can possess vastly different notions of beauty, particularly when it comes to their taste in music, art, clothing and other domains of human creativity.

关于人类审美偏好的研究发现，我们对美的评价往往聚焦于某些特征：简洁、对称、色彩对比以及特定的形状、比例和几何图形。然而，每个人在音乐、艺术、服装和其他人类创造力领域的审美品味可能大相径庭。

aesthetic /iːsˈθetɪk；esˈθetɪk/ 表示“审美的；有审美观点的；美学的”，英文解释为“concerned with beauty and art and the understanding of beautiful things”，如：an aesthetic appreciation of the landscape 用审美的眼光欣赏风景。

converge /kənˈvɜːdʒ/ 1）表示“（观点等）趋于一致，趋同”，英文解释为“If ideas and opinions converge, they gradually become similar.”

2）表示“汇集；聚集；集中”，英文解释为“to move towards a place from different directions and meet”举个🌰：The paths all converge at the main gate of the park. 这几条小路都在公园正门处交会。

symmetry /ˈsɪm.ə.tri/ 表示“对称（性）；匀称”，英文解释为“the quality of having parts that match each other, especially in a way that is attractive, or similarity of shape or contents”举个🌰：The design of the house had a pleasing symmetry, its oblong shape being picked up in its elongated windows. 房子的设计透着一种赏心悦目的对称美，狭长的窗户使长方形的结构显得更加和谐。

相反：

📍asymmetry /æˈsɪmɪtrɪ/ 表示“不对称”，英文解释为“Asymmetry is the appearance that something has when its two sides or halves are different in shape, size, or style.”

表示“并列”，英文解释为“The juxtaposition of two contrasting objects, images, or ideas is the fact that they are placed together or described together, so that the differences between them are emphasized.”

表示“比率；比例”，英文解释为“the relationship between two groups of people or things that is represented by two numbers showing how much larger one group is than the other”举个🌰：The school has a very high teacher-student ratio. 这所学校的师生比例很高。

geometry /dʒiˈɒm.ə.tri/ 表示“几何学；几何形状；几何结构”，英文解释为“the area of mathematics relating to the study of space and the relationships between points, lines, curves, and surfaces”如：the laws of geometry 几何定律。

表示“拥有；具有”，英文解释为“to have or own something, or to have a particular quality”举个🌰：I don't possess a single DVD (= I don't have even one DVD). 我一张DVD光盘都没有。

It would appear that beauty standards are partially objective — while simultaneously subjective. How does science explain this apparent enigma?

这样看来，审美标准既有客观性，同时也有主观性。科学如何解释这一显而易见的谜团呢？

作名词，objective /əbˈdʒek.tɪv/ 表示“目标；目的”，英文解释为“something that you plan to do or achieve”举个🌰：Can the sales team achieve/meet its financial objectives? 销售人员能否完成财务目标？

作形容词，表示“客观的；就事论事的；不带个人感情的”，英文解释为“not influenced by personal feelings or opinions; considering only facts”如：an objective analysis /assessment 客观的分析/评价。

simultaneously /ˌsɪm.əlˈteɪ.ni.əs.li/ 表示“同时地”，英文解释为“in a way that is simultaneous (= happening or being done at exactly the same time)”举个🌰：Two children answered the teacher's question simultaneously. 两个孩子同时回答了老师的问题。

subjective表示“主观的”，英文解释为“influenced by or based on personal beliefs or feelings, rather than based on facts”；

enigma /ɪˈnɪɡ.mə/ 表示“令人费解的事物，令人困惑的事物”，英文解释为“something that is mysterious and seems impossible to understand completely”举个🌰：She is something of an enigma. 她有点让人捉摸不透。

Psychology and Beauty Standards 心理学与审美标准

Evolutionary psychology in the context of mate selection offers an interesting theoretical perspective, and a study published in Scientific Reports earlier this year offers a good reason why our aesthetic preferences converge on certain attributes.

从择偶的角度看，进化心理学提供了一个有趣的理论视角。今年早些时候，《科学报告》（Scientific Reports）上发表的一项研究为我们的审美偏好为何聚焦于某些特征提供了合理的解释。

1）表示“进化的”，英文解释为“relating to the way in which living things develop over millions of years”

2）表示“演变的；逐步发展的”，英文解释为“involving a gradual process of change and development”

theoretical /θɪəˈret.ɪ.kəl/表示“理论上的；纯理论的”，英文解释为“based on the ideas that relate to a subject, not the practical uses of that subject”如：theoretical physics 理论物理。

表示“（思考问题的）角度，观点，想法”，英文解释为“a particular way of considering something”举个🌰：Her attitude lends a fresh perspective to the subject. 她的态度为这一问题提供了新的视角。

表示“特性，特质，属性”，英文解释为“a quality or feature, especially one that is considered to be good or useful”举个🌰：What attributes should a good manager possess? 一名优秀的经理应该具备哪些素质？

In it, a team of psychologists from the University of Konstanz replicated previous findings that people have an aesthetic preference for a shape known as Hogarth’s Line of Beauty (LoB). The line is a specific S-shaped curve, and participants tasked with choosing an S-shape based on attractiveness consistently picked this same shape.

在这项研究中，来自康斯坦茨大学的心理学家团队复现了之前的发现，即人们对一种称为霍加斯美学线（LoB）的形状有审美偏好。这条线是一条特定的S型曲线，当要求参与者基于吸引力选择一条S型线条时，他们一致选择了这一形状。

表示“使复现；重复；复制”，英文解释为“to make or do something again in exactly the same way”举个🌰：Researchers tried many times to replicate the original experiment. 研究者们作了很多次努力，试图重复这一实验。

curve /kɜːv/ 表示“曲线，弧线；转弯”，英文解释为“a line that bends continuously and has no straight parts”如：a curve in the road 道路转弯处。

In his 1753 book The Analysis of Beauty, British artist William Hogarth suggested wavy lines are more visually attractive than straight or curved ones; his LoB has since been a reference in various fields of design, from landscaping to hairdressing.

在1753年出版的《美的分析》一书中，英国艺术家威廉·霍加斯（William Hogarth）认为，波浪线比直线或曲线更有视觉吸引力；自那以后，他的美学线已成为从园林设计到美发等各设计领域的参考。

表示“卷曲的；波浪式的”，英文解释为“having a series of curves”举个🌰：She has wavy blond hair. 她有着一头金色卷发。

But while the new study provided empirical evidence of people’s preference for Hogarth’s LoB, it also offered an explanation for why we are attracted to this particular shape.

这项新研究为人们对霍加斯美学线的偏好提供了实证证据，同时也解释了为什么我们会被这种特殊形状所吸引。

empirical /ɪmˈpɪr.ɪ.kəl/ 表示“以经验（或实验）为依据的；经验主义的；来自经验（或观察）的”，英文解释为“based on what is experienced or seen rather than on theory”举个🌰：This theory needs to be backed up with solid empirical data/evidence. 这个理论需要翔实的实验数据/实践经验来支持。

The researchers tested preferences for Hogarth’s LoB in the context of the natural curve of our bodies, specifically where the S-shaped line corresponded to varying degrees of female lumbar curvature. Participants found the woman whose lumbar curvature closest resembled Hogarth’s LoB the most visually attractive.

研究人员结合我们身体的自然曲线，特别是S型曲线与女性腰部曲线不同程度间的对应关系，测试了人们对霍加斯美学线的偏好。参与者发现腰部曲线最接近霍加斯美学线的女性最具视觉吸引力。

lumbar /ˈlʌm.bər/ 表示“腰的，腰部的”，英文解释为“relating to the lower part of the back”

curvature /ˈkɜː.və.tʃər/ 表示“弯曲;曲率，曲度”，英文解释为“the state of being curved or bent”如：the curvature of the earth's surface 地球表面的曲率。

表示“看起来像；显得像；像”，英文解释为“to look like or be similar to another person or thing”举个🌰：So many hotels resemble each other. 许多酒店看上去都差不多。

The Evolution of Beauty 美的演化

The authors of the study point out that this particular shape is also close to the optimal degree of lumbar curvature for pregnant people who wish to carry a baby without suffering back injury. People who possess it may therefore be more likely to survive the gestationperiod and give birth to healthy offspring.

研究作者指出，这种特殊的形状也接近于希望怀胎时背部不受伤的孕妇的最佳腰部弯曲程度。因此，拥有这种弯曲程度的人更有可能顺利度过妊娠期，并生下健康的后代。

表示“最优的，最佳的；优化的”，英文解释为“best; most likely to bring success or advantage”举个🌰：A mixture of selected funds is an optimal choice for future security and return on investment. 同时选择几种基金是确保未来投资安全和投资收益的最佳选择。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述量化交易的文章中提到：It requires algorithms that first establish and then fine-tune the optimal period over which to do the sorting. 这需要通过算法来确定并微调出一个最优的筛选期。

gestation /dʒesˈteɪ.ʃən/ 表示“怀孕（期），妊娠（期）”，英文解释为“(the period of) the development of a child or young animal while it is still inside its mother's body”举个🌰：The baby was born prematurely at 28 weeks gestation. 胎儿在怀孕的第28周早产。

表示“（人的）后代，子女，子嗣”，英文解释为“a person's children”举个🌰：His sister came over on Saturday with all her offspring. 他的姐姐星期六带着她的一大群子女过来串门。

Studies like this one make the argument that humans have evolved to appreciate the features that once offered, or still do offer, some evolutionary fitness benefit to our species. But it's also important to note that other evolutionary forces — beyond those involved with mate selection — can explain why our aesthetic preferences have converged to find things like symmetry and rhythm beautiful.

诸如此类的研究表明，人类在进化过程中已经开始欣赏那些曾经或现在仍在为我们这个物种提供某种进化适应性好处的特征。但也值得注意的是，除了与择偶有关的进化力之外，还有其他进化力可以解释为什么我们的审美偏好会趋向于对称和韵律美。

species /ˈspiː.ʃiːz/ 表示“（动植物的）种，物种”，英文解释为“a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other and can breed with each other”举个🌰：Over a hundred species of insect are found in this area. 这一地区有上百种昆虫。

rhythm /ˈrɪðəm/ 1）表示“（尤指自然界中的）规则变化，规律，节律”，英文解释为“a regular pattern of change, especially one that happens in nature”如：the rhythm of the seasons 四季的交替。

2）表示“（音乐、诗歌和舞蹈的）节奏，韵律，节律”，英文解释为“a strong pattern of sounds, words, or musical notes that is used in music, poetry, and dancing”举个🌰：He beat out a jazz rhythm on the drums. 他击出爵士乐节奏的鼓点。

Humans may be drawn to symmetry and certain ratios, for example, because these things help us identify perceptual regularities in our environment; through them we categorize and form mental models of the world. To successfully interact with our environments, we must be able to distinguish between things like food, shelter, other humans and predators.

例如，人类可能会被对称和特定的比例所吸引，因为这些东西有助于我们识别环境中的感知规律；通过它们，我们对世界进行分类并形成心智模型。为了成功地与环境互动，我们必须能够区分食物、住所、其他人类和捕食者。

perceptual /pəˈsep.tʃu.əl/表示“感知的；知觉的”，英文解释为“relating to the ability to notice something or come to an opinion about something using your senses”举个🌰：Perceptual skills are particularly important in sports. 在体育运动中，感知能力尤为重要。

categorize /ˈkæt.ə.ɡər.aɪz/ 表示“对…进行分类，将…归类”，英文解释为“to put people or things into groups with the same features”举个🌰：The books are categorized into beginner and advanced. 这些书分为入门级和高级。

表示“交互，交流，交往；互相作用，互相影响”，英文解释为“to communicate with or react to”举个🌰：Her teacher says that she interacts well with the other children. 她的老师说她与别的孩子相处得很好。

1）表示“尾随伤害他人者，尾随作案者”，英文解释为“someone who follows people in order to harm them or commit a crime against them”，如：a sexual predator 尾随作案的色魔；

2）表示“捕食性动物，食肉动物”，英文解释为“an animal that hunts, kills, and eats other animals”。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述病毒引发大流行病的文章中提到：Humans think of themselves as the world's apex predators. 人类自认为是世界上的顶级捕食者。

But, as stated earlier, our perceptions of beauty also diverge in interesting and nuanced ways — and a different theoretical perspective can help us make sense of this.

但是，如前所述，我们对美的感知也存在着有趣而细微的差异，而另一理论视角可以帮助我们理解这一点。

表示“（道路）分叉；出现差异；发生分歧”，英文解释为“to follow a different direction, or to be or become different”举个🌰：They walked along the road together until they reached the village, but then their paths diverged. 他们一直沿着那条路走到那个村子，然后才分开。

nuanced /ˈnjuː.ɑːnst/ 形容词，是由它的名词nuance /njuːˈɑːns/派生而来，表示“（在外表、意义、感觉、声音等上）有细微差別的”举个🌰：Opinion polls tell a more nuanced story. 民意调查中可以发现更微妙的结果。

What Does 'Attractive' Mean to You? 对你来说，“吸引力”意味着什么？

What we find attractive extends beyond physical appearances. These types of aesthetic judgments fall outside the explanatory framework of certain evolutionary perspectives and, instead, is likely deeply tied to our senses of identity, self-presentation and social signaling.

我们所认为的吸引力不仅仅局限于外表。这类审美判断超出了某些进化观点的解释框架，而更有可能与我们的身份感、自我展示和社会信号密切相关。

Humans are deeply social animals that thrive in collectives. We also attach meaning to arbitrary features of reality, so long as they carry some special significance to us.

人类是在集体中成长的深度社会性动物。我们也会对现实中的任意特征赋予意义，只要这些特征对我们有某种特殊意义。

thrive /θraɪv/ 表示“茁壮成长；兴旺，繁荣”，英文解释为“to grow, develop, or be successful”举个🌰：His business thrived in the years before the war. 战前那些年，他的生意很兴隆。

arbitrary /ˈɑː.bɪ.trər.i/ 表示“任意的；随机的；随心所欲的”，英文解释为“based on chance rather than being planned or based on reason”如：arbitrary decision-making 随意决策。

Someone who identifies as an environmentalist, for example, might say their favorite color is green because of its association with nature. Meanwhile, a French national might be more drawn to blue because it is reminiscent of France’s sports teams.

例如，自称环保主义者的人可能会说他们最喜欢的颜色是绿色，因为它与自然有关。与此同时，法国人可能更喜欢蓝色，因为它让人想起法国体育队伍。

reminiscent /ˌrɛmɪˈnɪsənt/ 表示“令人想起的”，英文解释为“If you say that one thing is reminiscent of another, you mean that it reminds you of it.”举个🌰：The way he laughed was strongly reminiscent of his father. 他笑的样子让人很容易想起他的父亲。

🎬电影《六天》（6 days）中的台词提到：In scenes more reminiscent of north Ireland, 此场景更让人想起北爱尔兰或美国，

In both scenarios, the individuals have aesthetic color preferences that speak to their senses of identity while also potentially signaling to others in their social group.

在这两个例子中，个体都有审美色彩偏好，这既能表达他们的身份认同感，也能潜在地向社会群体中的其他人发出信号。

What Causes Attraction? 什么带来吸引力？

In a 2020 paper, a research team led by Joerg Fingerhut from the Berlin School of Mind and Brain in Germany found that aesthetic considerations play a central role in how we conceptualize ourselves. The findings point to something called the aesthetic self effect: Changes in our aesthetic preferences can also alter our own ideas of who we are.

在2020年的一篇论文中，德国柏林心智与大脑学院的约尔格·芬格赫特（Joerg Fingerhut）带领的研究团队发现，审美因素在我们如何认识自己的过程中起着核心作用。研究结果指出了一种叫做审美自我效应的东西：我们审美偏好的变化也会改变我们对自己的看法。

conceptualize /kənˈsep.tʃu.ə.laɪz/ 表示“构想出;（使）形成概念”，英文解释为“to form an idea or principle in your mind”举个🌰：He argued that morality could be conceptualized (= thought about) as a series of principles based on human reason. 他争辩说道德可以被看成是基于人类理性基础上的一系列准则。

表示“（使）改变，更改，改动”，英文解释为“to become different; to make sb/sth different”举个🌰：We've had to alter some of our plans. 我们不得不对一些计划作了改动。

🎬电影《大侦探福尔摩斯》（Sherlock Holmes）中的台词提到：that will alter the very course of the world. 足以改变世界的力量。

“When people imagine a change in what pleases them, of what kind of artworks they like, they think it impacts them at their core — at who they are, their identity,” Fingerhut says. “This holds for imagined music taste changes but also for changes in their preferences for visual art.”

芬格赫特说：“当人们想象自己喜欢的东西、喜欢的艺术品发生变化时，他们会认为这会影响到他们的核心--他们是谁，他们的身份。这不仅适用于想象中音乐品味的变化，也适用于他们对视觉艺术偏好的变化。”

In other words, people make sense of themselves through their own aesthetic preferences, which can be linked to almost any arbitrary quality in their environment.

换句话说，人们通过自己的审美偏好来认识自己，而这几乎可以与环境中的任何任意特质联系起来。

And so, while evolution might constrain what we find attractive in other people for the sake of mate selection, beauty standards have no limits. Humans can attach meaning and beauty to anything we choose.

因此，虽然进化可能会为了择偶而限制我们认为其他人身上有吸引力的东西，但审美标准是没有限制的。人类可以为我们选择的任何事物赋予意义和美感。

表示“限制；约束；束缚”，英文解释为“to control and limit something”举个🌰：The company's progress was constrained by a leader who refused to look forward. 公司领导缺乏发展眼光限制了公司的进步。

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