It is said that “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. But what researchers and recent studies have found – mathematically – you may change that adage to beauty is in the “phi” of the beholder.

Not all expressions of beauty can be expressed in mathematical formula, but one can still assert beauty, or attractiveness for that matter, in absolute terms through basic mathematical concepts.

Physical attraction largely depends on ratios and symmetry.

The root of evidence for this espial, however, creeps back to Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings of the human body. Da Vinci observed the golden ratio in well-proportioned human bodies and faces which are showcased in many of his paintings including Salvator Mundi, Vitruvian Man and Mona Lisa.

The golden ratio is a special relationship which has a value of 1.618 (approximately) denoted by ‘phi’, the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet.

In Western culture and some other civilisations, the golden-section ratio in a well-proportioned human body resides between the upper part (above the naval) and the lower part (below the naval).

It’s a bewildering concept but its applications are encapsulated in almost everything around us, from the arrangement of flower petals to the logo of Google.

Similarly, our perception of physical beauty is hard wired into our being and based on how closely the features of one’s face reflect “phi” in their proportions. Even while using make-up and other cosmetics, the attempt is “to achieve” the golden ratio.

For instance, golden ratio focal points are attempted to be reached by slimming the face using bronzer. Furthermore, sometimes an attractive person looks unattractive or vice versa after a haircut.

This is because hairdos change the ratio contributing to our perception of facial attractiveness.

Cosmetologists use mathematical calculations for the process of hair cutting too. Geometry and trigonometry play essential functions when determining how a hair-cut will work with the hair length, hair’s growth pattern and its density and elasticity.

Nevertheless, a beautiful face doesn’t mean anything without a beautiful soul. It is the inner self that actually illuminates one’s self- worth; one’s real beauty.

That said, mathematics, we know very well, is embedded in every aspect of life.