About the Author
Dr. Steven Dayan, a native Chicagoan, is an internationally renowned board-certified facial plastic surgeon, frequent lecturer, physician educator, and active researcher in emerging cosmetic medicine technologies and techniques. He has published more than eighty articles in medical journals and authored four books. As a clinical assistant professor at the University of Illinois he has trained thousands of physicians worldwide. Over the years, Dr. Dayan has racked up a long list of professional accolades, including the American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation’s Leadership Award and the Chicago Medical Society’s Public Service Award. He has also been recognized as a “Top Doc” by numerous organizations including Castle Connolly, U.S News & World Report, and Consumers’ CHECKBOOK guides.
But it is in his role as an adjunct professor at DePaul University—where he teaches a wildly popular undergraduate course: The Science of Beauty and Attraction and Its Impact on Culture and Business – that this book is based. A big thinker with an insatiable appetite for deeper knowledge and understanding of human behavior, Dr. Dayan is known for his ability to challenge the status quo of his students and the conventional wisdoms of modern medicine.
It’s all part and parcel of his overall mission to empower individuals, businesses, and societies to better understand the how and why behind their thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"Picture this: After a long day at work, you and your friends decide to meet up for a drink. You are a just about to finish your cocktail when you see him walk into the room. He’s tall and handsome with a chiseled jaw, deep-set eyes and a full head of hair. He confidently settles in at the bar, purposely unfastens the top button of his form-fitting designer suit and takes a sip of his martini. That’s when he notices you and shoots you a playful smile. Your heart flutters as you play coy, avert your eyes and resume conversation with your friends. Knowing that he is watching, you get up and seductively make your way across the bar for another drink. As you sashay across the floor, you feel his eyes scanning your hips and moving up to your lips and eyes. As you sit down and fluidly cross your legs, you casually flip your head, allowing your hair to be tossed through the air. You gently turn your chin downward and direct your gaze towards his eyes. He gets the message and rises from his seat to move toward you.
While you were imagining that scene, real encounters very similar to it were happening all over the world, from a trendy club in Chicago to a dive bar in Berlin. Eyes met, hearts raced and potential mates were found. Using beauty to communicate a message matters! We may not like to admit it, but we all know and depend on it. The language of beauty is innate, consistent across all species and perhaps the rawest of all energies fueling evolution. It is evident in the above scenario that describes finding a partner, but an equally important parade of similar events occurs when interviewing for a job or encountering the in-laws for the first time. Regardless of the situation, the impression we make is lasting and consequential. Nature is big on efficiency, especially when it comes to sizing each other up.
It seems obvious that impressions would be based on physical traits, but it actually goes deeper than that, much deeper."
