This article presents some evidence that attractive people are treated differently than average people, in general life. A few of the points brought up include that attractive people are trusted more, helped more, interacted with more than average people.


“A person's physical attractiveness -- the look that they're basically born with -- impacts every individual literally from birth to death,” says Dr. Gordon Patzer, dean of the College of Business Administration at Roosevelt University. He's spent 30 years studying and writing about physical attractiveness. “People are valued more who are higher in physical attractiveness. As distasteful at that might be, that's the reality.”

While our research was not scientific, Dr. Patzer says more controlled studies do 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 these good looking people.



In your own life experience, do beautiful people get better service, better deals, preferential treatment in some way?

Would you go so far as to agree with Dr. Patzer that attractive people are actually valued more?

Do you ever feel desire to be liked and accepted by good looking people?

If you feel the dateline nbc study is subpar, explain why.

Not attempting to be pompous, but yes. In my own experiences, I believe part of my being successful has not only come from my work ethic but also my physical attractiveness.

I don't believe it is entirely due to good looks, but instead the confidence that goes along with being attractive.

From what I've read in the past on aspects of evolution, it appears to make sense that beautiful people would stand to benefit in society more than the average person. My search for supporting links was hampered by results like "The evolution of art and beauty..." and other unrelated dribble, but I do seem to recall reading before that those in society with higher fitness are generally regarded better than those without.

And while beauty won't necessarily protect or provide in the wild, our society is no longer built to favor only the strongest. Beauty exudes an aura of health and subconsciously we may be drawn to that by way of evolution and the natural desire to continue healthy lineage.

I agree with Dr. Patzer and have had my own experiences with beautiful people to personally support my position. I do sometimes feel a desire to be liked and accepted by beautiful people. It can be hard sometimes with all the jealousy beautiful people feel toward me...

Let me just say that I am proof that you can be dumb and ugly and still be a success.

You're not ugly!

Seriously though, take a look the next time you are out with your friends. A bunch of buddies of mine were talking about this and we realized that all of our friends (of the opposite sex) are people that we find for the most part attractive. None of us made a conscious choice to exclude people we find less than appealling, implying a subconscious process.

I have actually had employers tell me they were nervous about hiring me because I made people nervous. I am a large guy shaved head and some tattoos. often a goatee. One told me he would appreciate it if I smiled more.
My brother is one of those could a been a model types. He has never had to work all that hard to get promoted. Attracts friends easily and obviously attracts women easily too. I seem to attract those women who have problems or like the idea of upsetting fathers ex boyfriends or husbands. Or they seem to like , the rough stuff. This is very disturbing and made me nervous about dating at times.
I am well educated at what I do but more importantly very experienced. Not to blow my own horn but I am very good at my chosen career. Yet generally I know I am turned down because of my less than friendly appearance. I have no problem getting hired at work which is blue collar but when i enter a design firm or any type of "professional" setting I can feel the nervousness sometimes. I do not dress like a street thug. Have some very sharp suits. But I hear all the time I resemble a hitman more than a Instructional Designer.

Well, heck, why don't you grow some hair?

When Gwyneth Paltrow played the fat female part in Shallow Hal she decided to go around in public to get used to the suit and feel of things. She said in an interview that having been attractive or thin all her life she was shocked at not only the attitude but also treatment she got or didnt get from people. She claimed that not only was she whispered about and sometimes even insulted but people avoided looking her in the eyes, in fact tried not to look at her at all or pretended she wasnt there.

I can add that I am treated in public completely differently when I wear a dress as opposed to jeans, or when I wear a nice outfit as opposed to daily wear.

I have to admit I get preferential treatment from women whenever I pad my shorts.

The hair is not exactly a choice issue. and personally I think I am good looking. Not the greatest but far from the worst. I have never understood why I get certain reactions from people. I do smile sometimes. I am, I beleive a very nice guy. Once I get a chance to meet people I always make friends. So where the unease come from I do not know.

I am sure that this is the case. What makes it even more interesting is that the features that constitute "physically attractive" (as opposed to personality or what have you) change over time, and change from place to place.

Being tall is generally seen as a good thing, especially in men. I read somewhere that every inch of height above average is worth about £1,000 per year on salary!

But over the past century, average height has gone up by nearly a foot. I am 5'9" - the average for men my age in the UK. In parts of Wales, near where I grew up, that was 2-3 inches taller than most other men there, so I stood out (literally). My current town seems to be slightly taller than average - especially the women, for some strange reason. Anecdotally, at least, my career only stagnated after I had moved here (the two may not be connected at all, of course).

A concern for society as a whole is that the constant exposure through the media to super-attractive men and women is raising everyone's standards, even though the models and actors we all drool over are a tiny proportion of the population. I guess it's human nature to be drawn to the most attractive person you see, which wasn't really a problem in days when you lived and died within 15 miles of your birthplace and never knew more than a few hundred people.

Now, with the increase in mobility, and the way the 1% of super-attractive people get disproportionately shown in the media, we almost always know of someone more attractive than our current employee/employer/partner. What does this do to recruitment practices, let alone to the divorce rate?

Even though this doesn't seem like a debate, more of a confirmation, let me add my own experience. When I was homeless my appearance, at best, was unkept. When going out restaurants would put us in the back, people would avoid looking, and a few pointing and laughing. The only job I could get was being a professional mover. Now that I have a well paying job I can afford nice clothing I get treated with respect, I have applied and received asst manager position in various retial and restaurant positions, and my girl swears that she catches others girls checking me out. (I'm still in denial due to ugly duck syndrome.)
Next is my current and and former girlfriend, both of which I have taught how to drive as "aggressively" as myself, and both quite attractive by most people standards. They have both have been stopped for various traffic violations numerous times and they have received a total of one ticket between the both of them. One of them has even caused a collision and had the other party pay for it. What is even worse is the time we all took a trip to Mexico. Me and my twin bro were stopped, question, and searched even when we had our TDL, Passport, and birth certificate. My girlfriends were waved through, one with a military ID from when she was 6 or so and the other had an Alien resident card. Thank god they were carrying our stash.

We had a similar casual conversation topic which Hugo started a while back.

Cyan provided an excellent link here, which describes an in-depth research project on facial attractiveness. It is a very interesting read.

From my own anecdotal experience...yes, facial attractiveness is quite important. I feel no extra desire to be liked or accepted by good looking people at all, but I know I'm an exception there. Actually, if a person is too good looking I feel uncomfortable and kind of ignore them. I don't know why.

I think it doesn't seem like a debate because most people agree that attractive folks get more breaks in life. If you don't feel that way, speak up! Also, one of the more 'meat and potatos" question was
Would you go so far as to agree with Dr. Patzer that attractive people are actually valued more?

I would argue no. Attractive people CAN be valued more, if their attractiveness is paired with other admirable traits like intelligence, wealth, HEALTH even.

For instance, Britney Spears - most of us not knowing her personally - would you say that you value her more than say, Sandra Bullock (assuming that you find both of them attractive). Let's say that you find Britney much more attractive than Sandra - would you say that you value Britney more? Probably not - because Sandra has talent that she can be valued for.

Let's say all else being equal - intelligence, sense of humor, etc
Would you value more the attractive intelligent funny person or the unattractive intelligent funny person? "VALUE" is such a strange word to use in this case - it seems so selfish - value tends to insinuate which person do you feel could further your causes.

Would you value Donald Trump as a friend or the attractive janitor at the CYO? (My opinion of DT is decidedly unattractive). You might value the janitor as a friend because the janitor might care about your feelings, where DT is just a huge figurehead who doesn't really know you. The janitor can support you emotionally, DT can further your career. Both have value.

I think 'value' has to be defined in order to debate this topic - how would you define the 'value' of a person? Does this conflict with the way we react to people in our everyday life?

It is a leap to conclude that all attractive people are valued more than less attractive people. Obviously, there are many other factors involved when comparing different individuals. A beautiful shrew won't seem attractive long, because her personality will get in the way. On the other hand, a person with a beautiful personality and average face will appear more attractive with time.

A real test would be to compare the treatment and public perception of the same individual in various stages of attractiveness. Are they valued more when they are more attractive? Absolutely. That doesn't indicate that beauty is all-important, but it has a big impact.

Edited to add: I've had it both ways. I was a very beautiful child, and started developing early. By the time I was ten, men were very solicitious to me. It was a strange experience which I wasn't ready for at that age.

I didn't know how differently I was treated until a year later when I had a debilitating accident and was in a wheelchair and crutches for over six months. My eyesight went at around the same time, so I had to get glasses. I needed braces, so I had the big metal kind. Next, I started to get a chronic case of very bad acne and my mother decided it would be better if I got my hair chopped off into a 'pixie' style (think little rascals) so it would be easier to care for (my long hair was difficult to wash because I was in the wheelchair). So, I went from being a beach bunny flowing-blonde hair type to having VERY VERY bad hair, large metal braces, bad skin, glasses, and being a cripple. Yes, I was treated differently even though I was exactly the same person on the inside.

Yes, I think that attractive people get preferential treatment. I'm not saying it's right of fair, but from my own experiences, it's true. I also think that people with good self esteem, high confidence and an outgoing personality get further in life too. Luckily, I have the "Townley charm". Thats from my dad's side of the family and I can walk into anywhere and strike up a conversation with anyone and befriend them. We just have this innate ability to be personable. I am a natural flirt and like my dad, seek out the cute girls to make them giggle. So that, combined with about an 8 on the attractiveness scale has gotten me preferential treatment. I'm not going to apologize for it, rather I know I'm blessed. But the flip side of the coin, is that some people perceive me the wrong way as arrogant and self absorbed...

A face not even a mother could love: Conclusion of study by Langlois Social Development Lab.

Not only does attractiveness influence the perceptions of mothers, but apparently even infants display this prejudice.

Link

When I comes to things like this I can be very idealistic. I find this very very sad.



Yes, I (unwillingly) do.



I don't know. I think as a kid I did. It's that whole social acceptance thing. Feeling like you are in the "in crowd". I don't know, though, that I actually achieved it. I think my circle of friends ranged the whole spectrum of attractiveness. But when I look at my friends now they are attractive. Some physically attractive some beutiful for who they are, inside and out. My definintion of attractiveness can be different than some. I don't find the "pretty and/or hunky" men attractive. And I see nothing wrong with a bald man. I think, if worn correctly, it can be quite sexy.

Now I'll put on my Human Resources hat. In my experience I have known succesful attractive and unattractive people. But I must say if I were to go back and look at the stat's of the companies I worked for , there were probably more attractive executives than unattractive. Did the unattractive have to work harder to prove themselves? I don't know. I prefer to think not, but am I being realistic.

I think it depends on who does the valuing. I myself do not discriminate based on a person's looks.



Never have I ever felt such a desire and I probably never will.

I understand that on some instinctive level humans value other humans with even features, clear skin, healthy bodies for breeding potential. Our value judgements probably stem from that basic (and probably unconscious) reasoning.

When I was younger, I was pretty, but I didn't think I was. That made for some interesting times, because I could not understand what other people saw in me for them to want to know me.

Now that I'm older and fatter, I have to depend upon my personality/sense of humor in interviews and in making friends. Fortunately, I have developed some insight which makes it easier to cope with people who do not like my looks and whisper or act differently because I am overweight.

Good looks will sometimes make it less necessary for human beings to develop other good qualities.

But there are times when good looks can be a problem, as far as getting unwanted attention, or having assumptions made about a person being as "shallow as a birdbath" or not very intelligent with the looks of a cheerleader or Malibu Barbie.

So good looking people may not be taken seriously for "serious jobs." And that's the gag behind the "Legally Blonde" movies, taken to extremes, of course.

Do you think that Madeleine Albright or Margaret Thatcher or Hillary Clinton would be taken as seriously if they were really hot?

I think that being too "hot" to be taken seriously is only a problem for women.

That's why men and women are so different... Have you ever had one of your friends cry on your shoulder because she thinks she's fat and unattractive? Or seen one of your friends starve her self to death due to anorexia?

For maybe the first time, I think I have to disagree with Billy Jean. Men are becoming more and more obsessed with what they eat, drink, look like, etc. I mean, look at all the Bowflex commercials. You would be hard-pressed to find a guy who wouldn't want to look like the governor of California for just one day.

And, although being too hot may actually be a problem for women, I think that for men in the work place the better you look the better your chances.

Honestly, I didn't think this until the subject came up in class one day and I found out just how many guys really worry about looking "skinnier" or "more muscular". Hell, half the guys on my hall this semester wish they could change something about themselves.

I agree with you UGA Boy. It's not that I was making a generalization about men. I agree, men are quite sinsitive about their bodies and how it effects their self esteme. My issue was with Hugo's quote:



It was the "only" part of his statement I was referencing too. Unfortunatly there are still some men who think that women have it easy, though those type of men are becoming the minority.

In addition to UGA boy, the reason why we don't cry on other people shoulders is that it makes us look weak, especially when its something so miniscule as appearance. Even though we don't suffer from anorexia we aren't considered attractive at 6ft @ 100lbs. We have our own demons such as steroids, impotence, and being gym junkies.
As far as being too hot as a man, the only drawback in taking too much pride in your appearance is being considered vain, arrogant, and heaven forbid feminine.

I think someone has misinterpreted my statement. What I meant to convey is that very attractive women may be discriminated against, or not taken seriously, in the workplace. Very attractive men do not have this problem. There is no real male equivalent to the "blonde bimbo" stereotype.

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If appearance was miniscule, why would men suffer from the demons of steroids, impotence, gym junkies, being considered vain, arrogant, and heaven forbid feminine? It seems to me that the reason men don't express their concerns and fears IS because they don't want to be perceveived as weak. To me, that's vanity.

I think most male obsession over their looks disappears upon marriage. Obviously when men are competing for sexual partners they have to be somewhat concerned with their looks, unless they got money.

I misunderstood Bill Jean's comment and apologize. I would also like to add another comment to face value however. I think a lot also deals with the a person self-esteem. If you really don't feel good about yourself and hate yourself, it obviously shows as an insecurity.

Therefore, I think that one of the advantages more "beautiful" people have than the REST OF US (<-- I know I'm no Brad Pitt) is that there is more confidence in who they are.

I think what the Bill Clinton's, Donald Rumsfeld's, and especially the Howard Dean's and Madeline Albright's have in common (besides the money) is the confidence.

For most men crying is admitting you lost control of a situation, meaning you can't do anything about it. It not that we look bad when we cry, its that we don't have a reason to cry. Maybe I misused the word weak, when what I should have said is "lost control." We can control our appearence by simply shaving sometimes.

I think that the insecurity/self-esteem issue comes back to the basic attractiveness issue, however, UGAboy.

As was shown in these studies, attractive children even in daycare and school get more attention, more help, and a higher level of social interaction. If that's the case, and you are just an average looking kid, and you see this happening, won't it affect your self esteem, and level of confidence? You can see and experience the fact that your attractive fellow classmates are getting better treatment than you by the teachers and other students. In turn, maybe you feel that you aren't as "good" as the more attractive students. In other words, that insecurity is "learned" just as the confidence in the attractive person is learned, through the everyday dealings with others, who perceive you as more or less worthy of attention.

On the other hand, that attractive student, like the model in the NBC study, doesn't even realize she's getting more preferential treatment from teachers, classmates and even family, than her more "plain" friends. It doesn't occur to him/her that the reason they seem to get ahead quicker, get help faster, etc., because they are attractive.

If this continues right on into the workplace, these people will naturally do better than the "average" co-worker, because they may still be getting (unintended) breaks and advantages from their bosses, because of their attractiveness, even though th average co-worker works as hard.

Just thought this was an interesting article.

Tall men and slim women 'earn more'

I'll have some more to add later. Work is interferring with my AD time.

What's the saying "Laugh now Cry Later"
crying is a waste of time. Fix the problem.
I have yet to meet many people who are confident about themselves. There is always something.
when dating No matter how pretty the girl was she was always unhappy and insecure about something.
Great hair = I hate my butt
Great Butt = I hate my hair and I'm too tall
Great personality = "Why you ##### how dare you say that to me, this date is over"

I have known attractive people who couldn't get a date because to many were intimidated to ask and another downside for the women they were treated as nothing more than things to be used. Often they had a harder time making friends because of jealousy over looks. They are either supposed to be stupid or sluts.
So I guess you can't win.

Me I may joke about it, but I am happy with me. Not every guy can shave his head and not look like the guy your mom warned you about the first time you used a public bathroom. I look GOOD
Since I quit smoking (just short of two weeks) I look even better.
I am back to exercising and my bodyweight is going back down to a nice level
(I so forgot I had abs. Maybe not just like jesus , but its nice to see them again)
Point is my confidence is back. (So is my ego as you may see)
It is definitely being noticed out in the world. Confidence makes everybody look good.

I strongly believe that it takes more than a pretty face. That will only get you so far. I know people, who when I first met them weren't that attractive, but as I got to know them they became very attractive.

People certainly make many decisions based on first impressions and that usually begins visually. But face value is just that - face value. It really is what's inside that counts.