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Study claims larger irises make people more attractive
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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New research conducted by Zachary Estes, a professor of marketing at the Beiss (formerly Cass) School of Business, and researchers from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and the University of California, Los Angeles, examined how a person's eyes influence their perceived attractiveness.
The article, "Beauty is in the iris: Smaller pupils (larger irises) improve attractiveness," is published online in the journal Cognition.
The researchers conducted six experiments testing the effect of pupil size on attractiveness. The pupil is the dark ring in the center of the eye, and the iris is the colored ring around it. The researchers showed nearly 3,000 participants portraits and images of blue or brown-eyed men and women. The images were edited so that one version showed the eyes with constricted pupils and another with dilated pupils.
Examples of stimuli (attractive women) used in Experiment 1. Source: Cognitive Psychology (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105842
Participants were then asked to rate how attractive the faces were. The study found that faces with smaller pupils that showed larger irises were perceived as more attractive.
The experiments also tested whether participants found faces with larger irises more attractive because the color was brighter or because the eyes appeared brighter. The results were the same when participants rated black-and-white images of people with dilated and constricted pupils, showing that the effect was not related to iris color.
Professor Zachary Estes, from Base (formerly Cass) Business School at City University London, said: "For more than 50 years, researchers have been unable to determine whether people look more attractive with dilated or constricted pupils. Our research shows that constricted pupils increase physical attractiveness by making the eyes appear brighter.
"Of course, looks aren't everything, but sometimes we want to look our best. Our research shows that people look more attractive when their irises are larger, which translates into brighter eyes."
Dr. Maria Trupiah, a postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, added: "Previous research has shown that physical attractiveness influences a wide range of life outcomes, and scientists have been identifying characteristics that influence perceived attractiveness for decades. Our research identifies a new attribute: pupil size."
Dr Martina Cossou from the University of Amsterdam concluded: "During the Renaissance, women used drops of the plant 'belladonna' to enlarge their pupils and make themselves more attractive. Almost 400 years later, our study shows that they missed the fact that bright eyes with constricted pupils are more attractive than those with dilated ones."