“Shall I compare thee to a standard normal distribution?

 Thou art more symmetric and more bell-shaped…”

 —Melvin Shakespeare (William’s lesser-known statistician brother)

The Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that symmetry was one of the primary elements of the universal ideal of beauty. More than 2,000 years later, emerging research seems to bear him out.

Studies suggest we tend to be more attracted to people with symmetrical bodies. Using motion-capture technology to record the movements of people dancing to a popular song, one recent study concluded that we even prefer those who dance symmetrically. (Note to Seinfeld fans: This may explain why Elaine’s dancing really stinks.)

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