JourneywomanAttractive people have easier lives
August 15th 2008 01:25
Even though good-looking people are known for bitching and moaning about being attractive - e.g. "My looks intimidate men!" and "other women hate me because I'm beautiful"- research has repeatedly shown that the more aesthetically pleasing you are, the easier your life will be. And not just because you can make easy money modelling!
Australian psychologist Bill von Hippel, from the University of Queensland, says that the majority of people prefer to deal with attractive humans, of both sexes, in every facet of their lives. "There's a huge amount of research now showing people have a preference for attractive people from birth to death," Dr von Hippel said. "Babies prefer attractive faces and adults treat attractive babies better."
Studies have shown that attractive people earn more, get more promotions, and have either richer or more attractive partners. They've also shown that attractive students get more attention and higher evaluations from their teachers, good-looking patients get more personalised care from their doctors, and handsome criminals receive lighter sentences than less attractive convicts.
This is not a societal thing: according to Dr Gordon Patzer, who has spent over three decades studying and writing about physical attractiveness, human beings are naturally hard-wired to respond more favorably to attractive people.
"Good-looking men and women are generally judged to be more talented, kind, honest and intelligent than their less attractive counterparts," says Patzer. "Controlled studies show people go out of their way to help attractive people - of the same and opposite sex - because they want to be liked and accepted by good-looking people."
But if you're on the ugly side, don't fret: being attractive may make a person's life easier, but it doesn't necessarily make them happier. "Our happiness levels seem to be pre-set in life," Dr von Hippel said. "Good relationships can improve happiness but attractive people aren't any better at them than others."
In addition, there are countless ways of improving your looks without going to drastic measures like plastic surgery: going to the gym, dressing well, wearing makeup (if you're a woman), having good posture, and smiling often, among many others. Do these things and you'll probably notice an increase in the amount of respect and warmth you get from other people. And don't get bitter about hot people having it easier - you can't change nature, and besides, bitterness is just not attractive!
Australian psychologist Bill von Hippel, from the University of Queensland, says that the majority of people prefer to deal with attractive humans, of both sexes, in every facet of their lives. "There's a huge amount of research now showing people have a preference for attractive people from birth to death," Dr von Hippel said. "Babies prefer attractive faces and adults treat attractive babies better."
Studies have shown that attractive people earn more, get more promotions, and have either richer or more attractive partners. They've also shown that attractive students get more attention and higher evaluations from their teachers, good-looking patients get more personalised care from their doctors, and handsome criminals receive lighter sentences than less attractive convicts.
This is not a societal thing: according to Dr Gordon Patzer, who has spent over three decades studying and writing about physical attractiveness, human beings are naturally hard-wired to respond more favorably to attractive people.
"Good-looking men and women are generally judged to be more talented, kind, honest and intelligent than their less attractive counterparts," says Patzer. "Controlled studies show people go out of their way to help attractive people - of the same and opposite sex - because they want to be liked and accepted by good-looking people."
But if you're on the ugly side, don't fret: being attractive may make a person's life easier, but it doesn't necessarily make them happier. "Our happiness levels seem to be pre-set in life," Dr von Hippel said. "Good relationships can improve happiness but attractive people aren't any better at them than others."
In addition, there are countless ways of improving your looks without going to drastic measures like plastic surgery: going to the gym, dressing well, wearing makeup (if you're a woman), having good posture, and smiling often, among many others. Do these things and you'll probably notice an increase in the amount of respect and warmth you get from other people. And don't get bitter about hot people having it easier - you can't change nature, and besides, bitterness is just not attractive!
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Comment by MMMM
I guess what we tend to find attractive changes from time to time; yet, maybe there are some generic features that we human beings tend to favor, such as smiley faces and happy expressions.
I agree with you about having good posture. If I had to judge people based only on one trait of their appearance, I'd definitely do so by looking at their posture
Comment by Journeywoman
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You're right about the happy expressions being a common attractive feature in both sexes, they've done studies where people rank the attractiveness of others in photos who are smiling, then not smiling, and the smiley ones far outrank the sour expressions.
If you're a Japanese guy, then having a happy face is even more important, as Aussie chicks tend to think of Japanese dudes as being serious, bordering on cold, and very intelligent. Smiling at them will let them know you're not all seriousness.
Nothing wrong with being intelligent - and I can tell that you are, because your writing is perfect, even as a second language - though it may intimidate dumber girls. But then, you wouldn't want them anyway. Cheers for the comment
Comment by MMMM
I used to believe that smiling too much is not a good thing. I still was a smiley guy even when I had this belief, though. I guess I associated 'smiling too much' with people who fake smiles, and I didn't want others to think I'm one of those fakers. But that's too quick. People who fake smiles may be smiling always; yet, there are people who are always smiling in a genuine way without faking, I realized. I think the latter people are confident and happy with what they are doing, while the former people smile in order to impress others for their own benefits (but not in order to make others happy).
Having thrown away this belief, I feel easier with smiling. I'm confident with what I am, and enjoy being myself. And I know that genuine smiles can make others happy - I do get happy when people smile at me! I mean, who wouldn't?