To British people with brown, blue, grey, green or hazel eyes, blue is the most attractive eye colour

Blue has become the most common eye colour in Britain, overtaking the traditionally dominant brown eye colour, according to scientists. The researchers suggest that because blue eyes do not improve eyesight, their only evolutionary advantage is to attract more mates; hence becoming more prominent in society. But while attractiveness is a plausible hypothesis for the rise of the blue iris, it has only been conjecture that blue is actually the most appealing eye colour.

Now new YouGov research finds that blue is in fact the most attractive eye colour – not only in general, but to people from the whole eye colour spectrum.

Overall, 34% of British people find blue the most attractive eye colour; scores ahead of brown, on 19%. Green eyes, often thought of as rare or mysterious, are considered most appealing by 14%.

It also turns out that people are not drawn to their own eye to a greater extent than to blue eyes, as blue is found most attractive to people with brown, grey, green, hazel and blue irises.

The only people to rank their own eye colour second are brown and green eyed people, however the latter tie their own colour with brown. Grey and hazel eyed people seem put off by their own, both ranking their colours fourth, behind blue, brown and green

Alistair Moffat of ScotlandsDNA, which carried out the study into the most prominent eye type, said "It may be that blue eyes are like the peacock’s tail. It doesn’t confer any evolutionary advantage … except that it gets him more mates." Blue eyes reflect light more easily than brown, giving then the shine which perhaps makes them more attractive.

Image: PA

See the full poll results