...IS A JOY FOREVER

There was once an article I read in a National Geographic magazine, a very old one; which I brought for Rs 10 from the busy Dariyaganj street in Delhi , famous for second hand books and magazines. The article tried to explain things like - why we love every thing beautiful, what is the definition of beauty? Does it just lie in the eye of the beholder or do we have a more complex and unexplainable science behind it.

The article concluded by asserting that the definition come pre programmed in our genes when we were born. So, no matter how many stories you hear in your lifetime that defines a beautiful girl, a handsome boy, a beautiful house or magnificent scenery; Deep inside, you get attracted to them because you were programmed before you were born to like them. To prove this they put forward a survey where it was seen that even 1 year olds got more attracted to things , which we, as adults perceive as beautiful…a beautiful painting , a beautiful doll and even a beautiful baby sitter.

But what is it, that makes people love certain things over others - shoes, bags, cars, girls, boys, house , landscapes , kitchens… we always have a dilemma choosing the right one.Would you go for a thing which is durable and not beautiful? lets say a car which is very fuel efficient , very powerful but is not upto your expected…lets give it a name…beauty index. Whats amazingly true is that’s the most important thing in the mind of most of us when we choose something. The beauty Index reign supreme when we get a choice.

But what makes a thing beautiful?

Well I would defer from the saying “it lies in the eye of the beholder” this would mean that some of us would not find the Taj Mahal beautiful. How about Cindy Crawford or the iPOD? Do you think they are ugly?
Ok lets try this one, all of you…think of something which you conceive to be beautiful ( leave you girlfiend/boyfriend/husband/wife alone for once, will you? )
Done? So how many people you know also find them ugly … Lets be pessimistic and conclude a minority does think that the thing you considered beautiful is actually ugly.
But we have a majority here to support us that beauty doesn’t lie in the eye of the beholder…Don’t we?

So we (well, atleast I) think now that beauty doesn’t lie in the eye of the beholder… it rather lies in the object itself.

So, what is it that makes us believe that the thing is beautiful? May be that’s the color?
I beg to defer again, I still love that black and white photo of Madhubala or Marilyn Monroe or the Eiffel tower.

There is a much simpler explanation to beauty than Color.
Its Symmetry

As indivisuals of this planet we seek to be in equilibrium , or as physics puts it the state where we need to spend the least energy. Right from the electron in an atom to the whole of Solar system , science has observed that everything want to be in equilibrium.
This is a potent force within us that’s so powerful that all we seek every minute of our everyday is equilibrium…or as we put it Stability. Sounds familiar?
There is no denying that we all need a stable job, a stable family, a stable economy, a stable currency and what not.

So, what do all these have to do with beauty?

Everything in this world is related. If we extrapolate our definition of Symmetry to a more philosophical way what we can conclude is Symmetry resembles stability.
Why? Symmetry defines balance, an equal distribution and equibrillium.

As humans and living species in this world we have learnt to seek stability right from the moment we are conceived in the womb.

What makes the pirate so ugly and sinister ( think of his eyes ) ; what makes you feel uncomfortable when you see the leaning tower of pisa or just think of any odd thing you thought was ugly. Why is even even (divisible by 2 ) and odd odd .
You have found your answers … They lacked symmetry.


symmetry (plural symmetries) Latin symmetria, originally from Ancient Greek (symmetria) < (sym), “‘like’”) + (metria), “‘measure’”); i.e. like measure or similar measurement Noun
symmetry (plural symmetries)
Exact correspondence on either side of a dividing line, plane, center or axis.
(uncountable) The satisfying arrangement of a balanced distribution of the elements of a whole.


Ever wondered why we always look for sharp features.
What makes the person with a sharp nose attractive? The answer again lies in symmetry. A sharp nose will accentuate the Symmetry and hence, the beauty.

The more the symmetry the more attractive or beautiful we find the thing. Why? Because they don’t disturb the balance, the equilibrium of the system. Their symmetry makes them cancel their overall energy and brings about harmony in the system.
When we see an ugly ( as perceived by us) thing… we are threatened by the powerful energy it radiates due to the lack of cancellation of energy and hence we develop the dislike. Without our knowledge. So the more the asymmetry the more is the disturbing energy , and the more tend to avoid such objects. An asymmetric object can never attract us what most it does is they shock us.

So the next time you appreciate a thing of beauty just think again, what you might be appreciating is the actually the symmetry!