To answer this question, you need to understand the human mind in its most radical form. If a guy in your class went up to the board and drew the number 1 on the board tomorrow, then the next day, then the next day, then the next day, odds are he will probably do it again the next day. Why do you think that is? Think in depth and you will realize that human beings are pattern seekers. Our own intuition is simply a collection of experiences that are categorized (sound familiar to your question?) through similar events one by one.
Now keep in mind that even our own intuition or observations can be biased because what you may see or understand may not be what the person next to you agrees with. Additionally, being a pattern seeking species is powerful, however there are lots of inefficiencies involved - think of racism or stereotypes. Pattern seeking is how we understand the world around us. It's also another way for identification.
How does this apply to your question? Well, the rating scale is derived from identification based upon patterns developed by people. In other words, if your friend came to you and said that this guy she met is a total 10. The first thing that comes to your mind is a guy you've met and/or seen in the past and/or currently seeing that is very attractive. Understand though that each number on that scale is highly subjective based upon personality and intuition due to their own experiences.
From my understanding, the rating scale is simply used to gauge physical attraction and nothing more. Again though, that is my bias and experiences talking. To some people it could be intelligence, looks, wealth, etc. Lastly, our species most predictable trait is curiosity and when you put all the info/data into your head, you will naturally want to make sense of it all or in other words make things simple and behold we have a simple identification scale!
It is flawed, obviously. But the fact that it is flawed doesn't make it meaningless.
When people (myself included) first encounter 10 point scales, its not clear if people are slotting 10% of all people into each category, or if it's more a bell curve.
It's a curve. Technically probably student's T distribution :p
I've seen this image (first time I saw it was on GaG actually). It's all white girls, which sucks, but whatever, it gives an idea. Do I agree with every rating in the table? No of course not. First the obvious: as noted, everyone would rate their 'type' higher, and I recognize that, so I'm not surprised that I personally find most of the brunette 7's hotter than the blonde 8s but I'm aware that's because they are my type. But for the most part, give or take a point, it's about right.
Except for the third '7' from the right. Come on that girl is gorgeous!
https://i.imgur.com/5SU93eX.jpg
Anyway...
Roughly speaking, people can sort of get those who are 'their level'. So if a girl is a 7, she can typically date 7's, easily date 6s who would be eager to commit, but guys who are 8's and 9s would more likely want to hook up and stay 'casual'.
But the magic of the world is there will be guys who are your type who you'd rate high, and vice versa.
So if a guy who is a 7 meets a girl who is a 7, but his type, he sees her as an 8. He feels like she's out of his league. But if he's also her type, she sees him as an 8, and feels like he's out of her league. And if they realize they like each other, a lot, both will be stunned and giddy and happy. Yay!
I will also say that a woman with -average- facial features who stays in shape and has good grooming, nice hair style, dresses well, by her late 20's, is likely to be a 7 relative to most women her age simply by virtue of most of them becoming fat.
Because people are weird and we like having finite numbers to look at. Quantitative data is usually seen as more accurate than qualitative data (which is, in fact, a lie- they're both very accurate, if taken correctly; One just happens to be a number and one is an observation, but they're equally accurate). That way, if someone forgets the exact word to describe someone, they can just pull a number off the top of their head (ie. a guy says "I can't remember what Monica looked like but man, i remember she was a solid 9"). Also, since numbers are such an exact value, people use them to turn their opinion into what they could consider a fact. So basically, people use number scales as a way of putting into super simple terms how they feel about something.
I know, I find it weird too.
I mean I could rate 10 guys 8, but that 8 could mean so many things. One having great smile and eyes, or one having a great body, or one having great hair and body etc.
Beauty is so subjective, with scale or not. What I find attractive some may not and vice versa
Take actors for example. I find one of my fave actors to be a 10 appearance wise , but my mom and a friend of mine don't think he's that great. It is exactly how I see the idea of attractive.
It's always gonna be inaccurate and there will always be someone who finds a person attractive and one who doesn't or just not that attractive.
Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I always wondered about that and it seems just ridiculous to me since really the beauty of an individual can't be measured on a simple scale from 1-10 like the quality of some factory products.
I always refuse to "rate people", I tell them if I find them attractive but not on this ridiculous scale.
True. I just tell them they're pretty. I don't rate with numbers because that.'a just dumb to me.
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Honestly I think it's just a way to ball-park get a spectrum of where a person stands. Technically, ANY scale of attractiveness is going to be inaccurate because attractiveness is completely subjective.
Because girls ask to be rated on a scale from 1 to 10 on this site all the time. I never do anyway and just tell them what I think but they do ask for it themselves so no wonder they get those ratings in return. But yes, I totally agree with your point. It is very subjective.
Yeah. I just avoid those questions though.
It's just a cheap tool, and it's totally approximate and even variable, in my opinion. Sometimes a woman is a 7, other times, that same woman is a 6 or 9. Sometimes it has to do with how long ago I jerked it.
Nobody gets a 0 and nobody gets a 10 -- they are theoretical limits. I put my scale on a curve, so a 10 would be "infinitely beautiful."
But then, there are also different body types I'm attracted to for different reasons, and sometimes to the same degree. I like fit, muscular girls (if they're not roid-stacked), but I also like soft fatty girls (if they're not obese). That's just two examples, just to demonstrate.
Precisely why I don't rate. I just say if they are unnatractive, pretty, gorgeous etc. If you give someone a 10, then see someone a lot prettier, what number are they?
Off the scale?
It's not really accurate but people are just familiar with the 0-10 rate
I agree; it's binary: either he or she looks good or he or she doesn't.
I wouldn't say it was binary.
Yah beauty is subjective and their are too many variables. People who rate others on a scale must not understand the scientific process lol
Lol. There's a scientific process? :D
You're over thinking this. It's a vague scale that varies from person to person. It's more of a joke than anything
It is?
I guess a 10 would be top models... like Adriana Lima and just the very exquisite kind of women out there
Not all women are my type but even so I can see if she's very pretty or not... there is criterias that we can list that would make a person look more attractive... but it's not full proof
I don't know who she is. Mind providing a picture?
thewowstyle.com/.../Adriana-Lima2.jpg
Most of the miss universe girls are quite gorgeous and she top models as well... I think they would fall under 10 rating
Wow pretty
Recently on okcupid. com the men and women were asked how they best rate attractiveness. The majority of the girls said they find over80% of all guys that message thm to be unattractive. The guys were more lenient they found girls to be attractive. But the People running the website said they had no idea how unrealistic about dating women are. Basically if the guy isn't as attractive as brad Pitt, or a fave I've girls talk about anyone of the Italian World Cup soccer team player then the guys are pathetic. Their words not mine. Usually the more attractive the more bitter as far as girls I've met.
I'd say it's just the easiest method. It's how you rate other things, but there is common ground to what people find attractive so i guess that is what you're really rating. Is what this person is, just by looking at them, attractive. That's why the numbers are generally in the same area with a few being higher and lower that the median.
I think they have a mental scale in their mind. I personally think being unique is more important than being hot / attractive. I know girls who aren't necessarily good looking but they are unique looking and considered attractive by a very large number of people because of it.
I guess it's just easier to explain how much you find someone attractive when using a number. For example, if I say someone is cute, for me it means someone who's relatively good-looking, but not beautiful, while for someone else cute may mean the same as beautiful, so there'll be a misunderstanding. Instead I can just say "that person is a 6", and the person I'm talking to will understand what I meant. Although I try not to rate people like that, I find it a little degrading.
Me too, it messes with people's self esteem. I posted a question to have people rate me a while ago, and some anon guys called me fat and stuff. I felt like shit for awhile after that. So yeah, I try not to rate people with a number.
Agreed. I just have a threshold. Either I find someone attractive or I don't. If I find someone attractive it does't matter past that point because it's all personality from there on whether I become more attracted to them or not.
It is a very inaccurate scale. I'm a 10 in my book, although everyone says I'm a 6. To hell with them. . . I'm an f'in' 10.
It's a horrible way to rate.
I've always wondered the same exact thing. So generally when someone says, "Oh they're like a 8", or whatever I usually ask, "OK, but what is a 10 for you?"
I agree... to put a standard measure on ones looks is arbitrary. I typically don't rate someone, I simply let them know whether I think they are attractive in my opinion.
Humans comprehend things better with definitive terms (in this case, numerics on a scale)
I think it's because they can make an average from all of that and that would be more accurate, since if someone rated you as a 10 and the other as a 0, you get 5, which is average. 😶
:P I dunno I just find it inaccurate.
10 is magical as a perfect 10 means the perfect is not only attractive but has an amazing personality to boot. A 0/10 is impossible as you get points for just existing.
I think attractiveness is not a black and white matter, it's a gray one if you know what I mean. You can't really measure attractiveness because attractiveness is a subjective matter.
Agreed!! It's really difficult to put a number on someone's looks like that. I don't like rating people that way.
Me either, I find it degrading as another person said.
Its not perfect, but its a reliable scale. To use for variety of reasons.
just to call someone pretty and then to call another girl pretty... using the scale can help determine who is the most pretty of the 2.
Ehhhh I guess. It may rely on which is more appealing to their eyes.
But I hate comparing people that way. It messes with people's self esteem.
Exactly, I prefer we use balloons and squirrels to rate attractiveness. Scarlett Johansson is 5 squirrels and 3 balloons attractive.
I sense your sarcasm.
Wrong. It's very accurate and it must be due to sexual selection. It's why 90+% of guys have barely any sexual partner (mostly girlfriends who they work for) , while less than 10% of guys have two digit figure of sex partners.
No it's not. While one person may find a girl very beautiful another person may not see her as attractive as the other person thinks she is. That's just my opinion though. I hate rating people on attractiveness or whatever. I find it degrading.
that's true only for unattractive people.
How so?
Exactly why I never do it. lol
And why I never ask anyone what I am. Scares the hell out of me what they'll say. :(
Me too. I posted a question asking people to rate me and some anime said I was fat. It messed with me for a while.
Just easy for people to associate.
Thanks.
you're right everyone has different tastes. i rate them based on each guy individually
You could find the average score. Its also easier for the user to understand too.
Yes everybody has his own preference that is why the rates are different. But no , its an accurate measurement.
Because there are varying degrees of attractiveness and unattractiveness.
There is no universal scale because some people have really weird tastes.
It's not even clear if it's meant to be a linear scale, or perhaps a normal distribution, or something else altogether.
Are there meant to be as many 5's as 10's?
Simple.
It's a rough scale for how attractive people are.
A 1 would be a troll. A 10 would be an gorgeous model.
i totally agree! thats why i never rate people with a number when they ask.
Me either. I just avoid those questions entirely.
it's part fun... and there is broad agreement on who is hot or not... it's politcally correct to say it's not.
How so? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, correct? While someone may not not look good to one guy, they may be beautiful to another.
there is a general agreement i reckon.. dunno it's kind of complex.
Yeah, no scale can tell what's ones attractiveness
It's easier to grasp rather than just the term good. At least if they have a number to it they can better understand it.
A 5 to me will differ completely from another persons opinion of what a 5 may be.
Exactly that's why I never rate using a number.
Same here.
Because it's a pretty good indicator.
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