Why we use the 1-10 scale and why its flawed
Humans use the 1–10 scale because the brain instinctively ranks faces, not because it’s accurate. Our visual system compares faces relatively and throws them into rough mental buckets: average, above average, high tier, etc. The numbers are just labels for vague impressions.
That’s exactly the problem.
There is no fixed definition of a “7,” “8,” or “10.” One person’s 8 is another person’s 6. Some people never give 9s or 10s at all. The scale feels intuitive, but it’s structurally inconsistent and useless for analysis.—> its flawed
Why Percentages Are Better for facial analyses
A percentage-based system forces clarity.
Instead of saying “7/10,” you’re implicitly answering:
Where does this person realistically fall in the population?
How close are they to top-tier looks?
How large is the gap between two ratings?
The difference between 72% and 78% is concrete.
The difference between 7 and 8 is arbitrary.
Percentages also make it easier to:
Track progress over time
Compare faces more consistently
Think in terms of population percentiles, which is what actually matters in dating and social outcomes
Yes, rating in percentages feels less natural — but that’s because it requires thinking instead of intuition. But thats not a bad thing .
Conclusion (Point of This Thread)
If looksmax wants to be more analytical and less subjective, we should start rating in percentages instead of 1–10 scores.
The 1–10 scale is fine for casual impressions.
Percentages are better for:
accuracy
consistency
population-based reasoning
We should move past lazy scales and start using percentage ratings
Humans use the 1–10 scale because the brain instinctively ranks faces, not because it’s accurate. Our visual system compares faces relatively and throws them into rough mental buckets: average, above average, high tier, etc. The numbers are just labels for vague impressions.
That’s exactly the problem.
There is no fixed definition of a “7,” “8,” or “10.” One person’s 8 is another person’s 6. Some people never give 9s or 10s at all. The scale feels intuitive, but it’s structurally inconsistent and useless for analysis.—> its flawed
Why Percentages Are Better for facial analyses
A percentage-based system forces clarity.
Instead of saying “7/10,” you’re implicitly answering:
Where does this person realistically fall in the population?
How close are they to top-tier looks?
How large is the gap between two ratings?
The difference between 72% and 78% is concrete.
The difference between 7 and 8 is arbitrary.
Percentages also make it easier to:
Track progress over time
Compare faces more consistently
Think in terms of population percentiles, which is what actually matters in dating and social outcomes
Yes, rating in percentages feels less natural — but that’s because it requires thinking instead of intuition. But thats not a bad thing .
Conclusion (Point of This Thread)
If looksmax wants to be more analytical and less subjective, we should start rating in percentages instead of 1–10 scores.
The 1–10 scale is fine for casual impressions.
Percentages are better for:
accuracy
consistency
population-based reasoning
We should move past lazy scales and start using percentage ratings
