From the I Knew That Already Department comes a Wired Science story about the evolutionary roots of our tendency to stare at those with physical disfigurements. The story focuses primarily on staring at people with facial deformities, but the concept almost certainly applies to the rest of the human body. From the article:
To ensure the long-term survival of our species, we’re genetically predisposed to be attracted to symmetrical faces. The idea is that normal, healthy development free of disfiguring diseases or genetic mutations produces a symmetrical face. We unconsciously see symmetry as a marker of genetic quality. Our reaction to a face that is disfigured, however, also has links with short-term survival.
My symmetry ends just below my chin. I twist and curve like a slow river. I certainly don’t begrudge people’s stares. A few million years ago, I would have been that funny-looking ape with the oversized head who kept scribbling nonsense on tree bark.
