Professors conduct research on a biological constant of beauty.
In 1998, the pursuit of beauty resulted in over one million Americans undergoing cosmetic surgeries. There have been studies to show that good-looking people receive more attention from their parents, teachers, and friends, and may even get more promotions and better earnings on the job. Societies throughout history have been preoccupied with beauty, but the prevailing wisdom has been that physical beauty itself is arbitrary. That is, like the full-figured women of Rubens' paintings, what is considered beautiful in one culture at one moment of time would not be deemed attractive in another. However, the pioneering research of Randy Thornhill, UNM Regents' professor of biology, and Steven Gangestad, professor of psychology, has shown that beauty may not be entirely skin deep.