Would You Buy a Computer That Judges Your Looks?

In a very 2001: A Space Odyssey turn, a Canadian graduate student has figured out a way to program a computer to evaluate human attractiveness and rate it on a scale from one to 10. The original input came from student volunteers who judged the hotness of photos of both men and women. When the computer program was asked to rate new photos, it had "learned" enough about what features add up to good-looking that its rankings were eerily close to what the human panel would have said. Hearing "you're hot" by software-better or worse than by a human?

Afraid of what your computer might say? Check out our insider's guide on how to touch up your makeup.


More from Allure:

• 10 Hairstyles That Make You Look 10 Years Younger

• The 10 Beauty Mistakes That Add 10 Years

• The 10 Sexiest Hairstyles Ever

• The 15 Sexiest Makeup Looks of All Time

• Eating More of These Foods Will Help You Shed Pounds