In many ways, it’s not surprising Esquire picked Clarke, who plays the fearless dragon rider and rightful heir to the Iron Throne on "Game of Thrones." From her jaw-dropping symmetry to her dewy skin, she has many of the traits that humans have been hardwired to find sexy, scientists say.
Youth is beauty
It’s probably no surprise that youth is beautiful. Data from the dating website OkCupid reveals that men up to the age of 50 rate women between the ages of 20 and 24 the most beautiful.
"From the time you’re 22, you’ll be less hot than a 20-year-old, based on this data," Christian Rudder, one of the founders of OkCupid, told fivethirtyeight.
While 28-year-old Clarke is past "peak hotness" by that measure, her "baby face" and porcelain-clear skin may give her an edge. Clear and even skin tone makes people look more youthful, while a red, rosy hue — a sign of hemoglobin in the blood — is a sign of health that increases attractiveness, according to a 2011 study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.
Bone structure
Like many other beautiful people, Clarke also has incredibly symmetric features.
It’s a common trait amongst sex symbols and beauty icons. In the past, scientists thought people were drawn to symmetric faces because symmetry was a marker for good genes. However, a 2014 study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B found no correlation between the two traits.
Clarke, with her pouty lips and high cheekbones, combines traits that men from across the spectrum likely find attractive.
But for those who don’t have Clarke’s pouty lips or sultry eyes, don’t despair. It turns out that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, and personal tastes vary wildly. A study published Oct. 1 in the journal Current Biology found that identical twins have dramatically different tastes — a sign that life experience, not genetics, plays the biggest role in attraction.
via CBS