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Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty Paperback – July 11, 2000

by Nancy Etcoff (Author)

96 customer reviews

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A provocative and thoroughly researched inquiry into what we find beautiful and why, skewering the myth that the pursuit of beauty is a learned behavior.

In Survival of the Prettiest, Nancy Etcoff, a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and a practicing psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, argues that beauty is neither a cultural construction, an invention of the fashion industry, nor a backlash against feminism—it’s in our biology.

Beauty, she explains, is an essential and ineradicable part of human nature that is revered and ferociously pursued in nearly every civilization—and for good reason. Those features to which we are most attracted are often signals of fertility and fecundity. When seen in the context of a Darwinian struggle for survival, our sometimes extreme attempts to attain beauty—both to become beautiful ourselves and to acquire an attractive partner—suddenly become much more understandable. Moreover, if we understand how the desire for beauty is innate, then we can begin to work in our own interests, and not just the interests of our genetic tendencies.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Authoritative and surprisingly entertaining." —Chicago Tribune

"Survival of the Prettiest is the first book to pull all of the science on beauty into one lively yet thoughtful package, showing again that it's not just ax-grinding males who believe that biology continues to play an important role in our lives." —The New York Times Book Review

"Through a series of global scientific studies, Etcoff . . . presents a compelling argument for why so many cultures are influenced by beauty." —The Boston Globe

"Nancy Etcoff . . . writes confidently that today's culture of beauty is not a backlash against feminism. She delves into why we devour fashion magazines, agonize about waist sizes, and gaze longingly at objects of desire." —Houston Chronicle

"[A] sprightly, spunky, well-written treatise on the Darwinian science of looking good." —Entertainment Weekly

From the Inside Flap

ocative, witty, and thoroughly researched inquiry into what we find beautiful and why, Nancy Etcoff skewers one of our culture's most enduring myths, that the pursuit of beauty is a learned behavior. Etcoff, a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and a practicing psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, skewers the enduring myth that the pursuit of beauty is a learned behavior.

Etcoff puts forth that beauty is neither a cultural construction, an invention of the fashion industry, nor a backlash against feminism, but instead is in our biology. It's an essential and ineradicable part of human nature that is revered and ferociously pursued in nearly every civilizatoin--and for good reason. Those features to which we are most attracted are often signals of fertility and fecundity. When seen in the context of a Darwinian struggle for survival, our sometimes extreme attempts to attain beauty--both to become beautiful ourselves and to acquire an attractive partner--become understandab

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Product details

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Anchor; Reprint edition (July 11, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385479425
ISBN-13: 978-0385479424
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 96 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #114 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Aesthetics
- #481 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Beauty, Grooming, & Style
- #1151 in Books > Science & Math > Evolution

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GunShy

Useful, interesting, and fun: worthy of my permanent collection

January 14, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I love this book. I read it when it first came out as a library book, and it helped me with little beauty hacks that doubled my tips as a cocktail waitress. A great starter read for those who want to learn the system. ;)

Beyond that, it boasts some interesting studies and science-backed tricks, though it's NOT an instruction manual. Use it to guide your research further (disclaimer: I'm SUPER into biological anthropology. A very fun read that digests quickly.

I heartily recommend it to any woman (though men would benefit from reading it too).

5 people found this helpful

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Neuron

Well written, enjoyable and well researched account of the science of beauty

November 3, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Contrary to what many people think there are certain features of the human body and face that have always been considered attractive, in all cultures. That is, beauty is not an invention of the media any more than cuteness is an invention of Disney (Bambi, the movie, exploited our instinctive judgements of what is cute). Neither is beauty merely in the eye of the beholder. Yet, having said that, both the media and the perceiver matters, just not as much as people tend to think.

In this book Nancy Etcoff from Harvard University provides a fast paced, thoroughly researched, rich and enjoyable account of attractiveness. She provides answers to all the main questions that usually come up when attractiveness is discussed. Here is a non exhaustive list, which the basic answer

Q: What is attractive?
A: Averageness, symmetry, Big eyes (women), large cheekbones (men)

Q: When did people start to care so much about their appearance?
A: Since the dawn of time

Q: Are we nicer to more attractive individuals
A: Yes

Q: Why are certain traits considered attractive?
A: Because they are indicators of underlying qualities, such as health or fertility

These are rough answers, and there are many important and interesting details which cannot be covered in a short review such as this. Thankfully, Etcoff goes into full detail, and even though I am sort of a minor expert on attractiveness (have published a couple of studies on memory biases associated with attractiveness), I learned many things from this book. Etcoff’s style of writing is reminiscent of Steven Pinker. Both are masters when it comes to referencing a ton of literature from very divergent sources (books, TV-shows, published articles, archeological findings, poetry etc), in a short amount of text, without affecting the flow of that text. In fact Etcoff made such an impression on me that I am almost certain to buy her next book (if she writes one), independent of what that book is about.

9 people found this helpful

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Katherine Roppel

Beauty More Than Skin Deep

August 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

This book let me finally come to terms with beauty as something all humans are attracted to as an evolutionary necessity. That beautiful people have a societal advatage is a given but just means the rest of us must work a bit harder. Having beauty alone is rarely enough though; one has to apply one's talents and intellect to compete in the world and to contribute successfully. This book has been well researched and the author has approached the subject in a friendly manner.

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Natalie Gai

This is definitely a book that gets you thinking. ...

February 18, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This is definitely a book that gets you thinking. I have read it multiple times and finally had to buy a copy to keep.

2 people found this helpful

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Martian Bachelor

A book which will probably survive OK...

October 24, 2000

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is a pretty decent book but not extraordinary. It brings together many of the current observations relating to beauty (especially the female variety) but is not overly scientific -- i.e., it doesn't get bogged down in technicalities or jargon. Similarly, it relies on a Darwinian framework for interpretation but is not overly adamant about ev-psych's ability to explain everything about human behavior. I especially liked the first chapter, which reads more like an essay on beauty past and present than an intro to a science book.
If there was any complaint, it was that the author wasn't daring enough and doesn't introduce any really breathtakingly new ideas. I got the impression she was mainly reporting on others' research, and I think Etcoff missed (in the next-to-last chapter) the interesting fact that in the last decade (or so) fashion seems to have flowed from the lower classes upwards, whereas throughout the rest of history it's been the other way, which is sort of what she presumes to still be the case. This doesn't detract seriously from the earlier material, which showed a touch more originality of approach. An interesting topic pretty well-covered, even if not ground-breaking in any way.

8 people found this helpful

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Alexandra L. Vo

Confusing format but comprehensive, scientific, & helpful

July 16, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Pros: Comprehensive, scientific, and helpful

Cons: The table of contents & the chapters are vague, it is hard to distinguish between headings & paragraphs

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