Advertising manufacturers of toothpaste tirelessly convinces us that the whiteness of teeth is the key to success in relationships with the opposite sex and in life in general.
Scientists from the University of Leipzig (Germany) Lea Hefel, Matthias Lange and Thomas Jacobsen (Lea Hoffel, Mattias Lange, Thomas Jacobsen) decided to check how the type of teeth affects the general opinion about the attractiveness of people.
They photographed 10 young men and 10 women with a smile that showed their upper teeth, and using computer image processing, they made several versions of each photo, changing only the color of the teeth (more or less white) and their shape (even – uneven). After that, the study participants were asked to rate the attractiveness of the characters from the photographs and explain their choice.
It turned out that neither the color nor the shape of the teeth have the slightest influence on the overall assessment of appearance. That is, brushing your teeth, of course, is necessary, but our attractiveness is determined by something completely different.