What one person finds beautiful or attractive, another may not; aesthetic preferences are subjective and personal.
The concept dates to ancient Greece, but the exact phrase emerged in the 18th century. Margaret Wolfe Hungerford popularized the modern wording in her 1878 novel "Molly Bawn." Earlier versions included "beauty lies in lover's eyes" and similar variations, all expressing the relativity of aesthetic judgment.
This phrase anticipated modern neuroscience by centuries! Research now shows that beauty perception involves highly individual neural pathways shaped by personal experiences, culture, and even genetics. What's fascinating is that while we have this saying, humans still argue about aesthetics as if beauty were objective!
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