Whether blue, brown, or green, eye color has long been a source of fascination. Some believe that your eye color can reveal things about your personality, while others think different colors are more or less attractive. So what eye color is the most desirable? In this article, we’ll examine common perceptions about eye color attractiveness and see if science backs up these beliefs.
What Are the Most Common Eye Colors?
Before looking at which shades are seen as most attractive, let’s review the most common eye colors found around the world:
| Eye Color | Global Percentage |
|---|---|
| Brown | 55% |
| Blue | 27% |
| Hazel | 5-10% |
| Grey | 3-5% |
| Green | 2% |
As you can see, brown eyes are by far the most prevalent, found in more than half the global population. Blue eyes are a distant second, possessed by around 27% of people. The remaining eye colors occur in the single digit percentages.
So are the rarest eye colors seen as the most desirable, or are more common shades like brown and blue favored? Let’s look at perceptions of attractiveness.
Blue Eyes and Perceived Attractiveness
Of all eye shades, blue eyes tend to be perceived as the most attractive. Why is this? For starters, some research indicates that blue eyes are seen as a youthful trait. Since large, blue eyes tend to fade to hazel or brown over the first 3 years of life, their presence conveys youthfulness and innocence. Blue eyes are also associated with sensitivity and honesty.
Some psychologists believe the preference for blue eyes stems from an instinctive desire for women to want to mate with men that will pass down this rare trait to their children. Although the science is unclear, it may suggest an evolutionary advantage to blue eyes at some point in the past. This could contribute to the desirability of the trait today.
Whatever the source, it’s clear that blue eyes tend to be seen as highly attractive, especially for women. When asked in one survey to rank eye colors from most to least pretty, respondents overwhelmingly selected blue as the most attractive shade. Over 50% said blue was the prettiest eye color, followed distantly by green at 15%.
Do Men Find Certain Eye Colors More Attractive?
Some research has looked specifically at whether men find certain eye colors more desirable in women. In one study, men were shown 25 images of women’s faces. The only difference between the images was that researchers digitally changed the eye color.
When asked which images were most attractive, the majority of men selected those with blue eyes. The researchers concluded that blue eyes have a significant positive impact on men’s perceptions of female facial attractiveness.
Other studies using eye tracking technology have found that men tend to spend more time gazing at blue eyes compared to brown, further indicating a preference. So while tastes are subjective, the evidence seems to point to heterosexual men favoring blue eyes when rating women’s attractiveness.
Do Women Have an Eye Color Preference in Men?
What about women’s preferences? Some early research in the area found that women tend to favor brown eyes in men. However, more recent studies indicate it’s not so simple.
One experiment showed women a series of male faces that were identical except for the eye color. When asked to rate attractiveness, the results showed they had no particular preference for brown eyes compared to blue or green.
The researchers concluded that eye color alone does not appear to significantly influence women’s assessments of male facial attractiveness. Other factors like face shape and complexion play a larger role. So unlike the strong male preference for blue eyes, women’s tastes don’t seem to hone in on any one eye color.
The Impact of Eye Color on Perceptions of Personality
Aside from influencing perceived attractiveness, eye color is also associated with certain personality traits. For example:
| Eye Color | Associated Personality Traits |
|---|---|
| Blue | Friendly, kind, attractive |
| Green | Intelligent, creative, mysterious |
| Brown | Strong-willed, serious, natural leader |
| Hazel | Confident, self-assured, attractive |
Of course, many other factors shape personality besides eye color. But some studies show people perceive differences based on eye shade. One experiment found that participants tend to assign more positive personality traits to blue-eyed male and female faces compared to brown-eyed ones. This aligns with the attractiveness bias toward blue eyes.
How Rare Eye Colors Fare
Eye colors like grey and green occur less frequently in the population. Does their rarity make them more sought after? According to some studies, possibly.
One experiment showed participants a series of faces with rare grey eyes. Both men and women ranked the grey-eyed faces as more attractive compared to faces with no eye color digitally enhanced. Other studies have yielded similar results favoring rare green eyes in terms of perceived attractiveness.
It seems when an eye color is uncommon, it can become more novel and desirable. This doesn’t override the general preference toward blue eyes, but it does suggest eye rarity plays a role in attractiveness judgements.
The Impact of Eye Color on First Impressions
Eye color may also shape the impressions we form of others when meeting for the first time. One study found that people tend to ascribe more positive personality traits to blue-eyed individuals compared to brown-eyed ones even when no other physical differences are present.
The researchers suggest this could influence social outcomes. In occupations where first impressions matter, like sales and politics, having blue eyes may be subtly advantageous and brown eyes a liability, though of course personality and qualifications matter more.
Other research concludes we perceive blue eyes as being more trustworthy. Participants in one experiment consistently rated blue-eyed faces as belonging to more honest people compared to the same faces digitally altered to have brown eyes. This underscores how subtle color differences can skew initial trust perceptions.
Does Eye Color Actually Reveal Personality?
So far we’ve looked mainly at perceptions and biases around different eye colors. But do differences in eye shade correlate with actual personality differences? In other words, does eye color say anything meaningful about who a person actually is?
Overall, most psychologists argue that eye color reveals nothing substantive about personality. No links have been found between eye color and traits like intelligence, honesty, or trustworthiness.
While some studies suggest those with lighter eyes tend to be a bit more extroverted, these differences are usually only slight. Handedness and alcohol dependency show similarly small links to eye color genetics.
But on the whole, eye color seems to convey very little real information about who someone is inside. The associations we make are based more on social conditioning and ingrained bias rather than empirical correlations between eye shade and personality.
How Culture and Era Impact Eye Color Preference
Ideals and perceptions around eye color vary by culture, era, and country. For example, in parts of Asia and Africa, darker brown eyes are often preferred over lighter shades. In India, lighter eyes are sometimes seen as commanding and powerful.
Preferences have also changed over time. In Elizabethan England, darker features including eyes were favored as representing a more passionate nature. During the Victorian era, blue eyes became more prized as conveying virtue and purity.
And across many eras and regions, rare or unique eye colors garner fascination and interest. So while some patterns emerge, perceptions often depend on what a culture values and finds novel or exciting.
Can You Permanently Change Your Eye Color?
Because eye color is mostly determined by genetics, there’s no way to naturally or permanently alter your eye shade. But some temporary methods claim to shift eyes to a different hue:
| Method | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Contacts | Colored contacts change the appearance of eyes when worn |
| Laser | Lasers can lighten brown eyes by removing melanin |
| Medications | Certain drugs like Latisse may lighten iris pigment over time |
The effectiveness and safety of these procedures varies. None will deliver drastic or permanent shifts. And any major change in eye color can raise suspicions.
So for the foreseeable future, we’re generally stuck with the eye color nature assigned us at birth. The best approach is to learn to appreciate your own eye shade. With the right attitude, contacts, or makeup, any eye color can look beautiful!
Conclusion
When it comes to attractiveness, blue eyes tend to have an edge, especially for women and in the perceptions of men. But the preference isn’t universal, and many other factors like skin tone and facial proportions impact appearance.
For the most part, eye color reveals little about who we are inside. While some shades are falsely ascribed more positive traits, eye color doesn’t intrinsically signal anything about personality. Beauty and character come from within, not the outside appearance of our eyes.
