Having great looks is a major advantage in many social scenes, particularly in dating. Combined with alluring or charming traits, the person can be a powerful force in a crowd. And according to a new study, people who are good-looking tend to believe that life is fair.
Influence of Good Looks in Life's Fairness
"My primary area of research is the attractiveness stereotype, which refers to the human tendency to attribute positive traits to attractive people and negative traits to those deemed unattractive," said R. Shane Westfall, the corresponding author of the study and a PhD. student at the University of Nevada.
Westfall pertains to the Physical Attractiveness Stereotype, used by psychologists to describe the assumption that good-looking people have socially desirable traits. For years, humans have been subjected to the biased thinking caused by physical attractiveness, especially in selecting a partner. According to Rohner and Rasmussen in 2012, individuals who are more attractiveness tend to be treated better, compared to unattractive counterparts.
In the study by Westfall and colleagues, they examined how physical attractiveness influences the belief of fairness in life. Their hypothesis is that individuals who are attractive strongly endorse a just world, while unattractive people tend to believe less that the world is fair. They conducted two different experiments composed of 395 college students to confirm their hypothesis.
The first experiment was comprised of people who rated themselves attractive, while the second experiment was comprised of people who were rated attractive by others. The researchers also measured the satisfaction of life in each participant. They found that participants in both experiments believed that life is fair and the world is just. It suggests in a subjective manner that physical attractiveness can drive world beliefs.
"As humans, we often want to compartmentalize various aspects of our self… Our personal beliefs and values are often simply reflections of the stimuli that we've been exposed to, rather than representations of well thought out positions. In the case of this study, our conceptualization of justice may simply reflect our own privilege," Westfall explained.
The recent study, however, has limitations, including size sample of the participants. The participants were mostly college-aged Americans that limit certain factors, such as cultural differences and perception of younger people. The researchers clarified that the participants were already at an age that can define the importance of good looks. The research team plans to conduct further studies that include the changes in the perception as people age.
How Attractiveness Create an Imbalance
As with physical appearance, people can assume someone's importance and value in different settings, such as in a romantic relationship, social circle, and occupation. Physical attractiveness has a way to make people more amiable or cordial, especially if the good-looking person is their type. With the stereotype, attractive people tend to get more privileges than average-looking or unattractive individuals:
- Physically attractive people tend to be more popular: This is common in most situations like in school and work. Attractive people who also have an athletic body or natural intelligence are more popular, compared to those who are simply attractive.
- People are prone to give more information to good-looking individuals: The alluring wave makes people susceptible to attractive individuals. This is particularly strong among unattractive people, who will provide almost anything just to socialize with attractive people.
- Biased thinking tends to make people perceive unattractive people to be more dangerous, compared to attractive people. For instance, a person may feel safer when riding a bus filled with good-looking people but may tend to be alert if they are unattractive. This makes them vulnerable to criminals who use physical attractiveness to lure targets.
Physical attractiveness offers benefits that usually affect the person who has it, such as having a great mood, less tendency toward anxiety, and better self-confidence. Conversely, unattractive people may feel anxious or insecure around good-looking individuals, especially if they are compared to them.
Adverse Effects of Physical Attractiveness Stereotype
Whether it is the positive self-rated attractiveness or negative perception of personal looks, the stereotype possesses disadvantages that may affect behavior and personality. The biased thinking can even affect how people remember others like in dating. For example, an attractive woman can be perceived as nice and smart by a man, even if she displayed rudeness and foolishness.
Here are some disadvantages of physical attractiveness stereotype:
1. Egocentric traits: Those who are rated by themselves or others as attractive tend to develop overconfidence and a self-centered attitude.
2. Refusal: People who are extremely good-looking may be refused by others who are jealous of them. When insecurity rises to a different level, some people may grow mad toward good-looking people just because they are very attractive.
3. Dependence: Some individuals abuse their physical attributes, instead of improving other qualities. They tend to use their attractiveness to get ahead, rather than play fair and square.
[메디컬리포트=Ralph Chen 기자]