What Do Looks Have to Do with Success?

Good looks impact success

Good looks provide people with a wow factor that overwhelmingly lands the job, promotion and raise. That's because good-looking people charm interviewers, get hired faster and are more likely to make more sales, Sue Shellenbarger of  Wall Street Journal points out.

"Attractive people are likely to earn an average of 3% to 4% more than a person with below-average looks.  That adds up to $230,000 over a lifetime, Daniel Hamermesh, an economics professor at University of Texas claims.  "Even an average-looking worker is likely to make $140,000 more over a lifetime than an ugly worker."

Not that much alters attraction, Hamermesh claims.  Though looks can be altered by clothing, cosmetics and other short-term investments, effects are minor.  Surgery pays back less than $1 for every $1 spent, but you might feel better overall.

Unfair, but why are people attracted to good looks?

People focus more on people they find attractive, recent research shows. And, individuals tend to view beautiful people as more intelligent, friendly and competent than others.  Participants in a recent University of British Colombia study were able to "order" personality traits of attractive people more accurately than others.  Traits examined were: agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness.

Personality Traits Influence Attractiveness in the Eye of the Beholder

Women and men, who display honesty and helpfulness are perceived as better looking.  In contrast, people who are rude and treat others unfairly appear to be less attractive.  This shows that cognitive processes and expectations modify judgments of attractiveness. It pays to develop your interpersonal intelligence.

Too Good Looking?

In some cases, you can be too good looking for your own good, and it works against you, Heidi Halvorson reports.  Being beautiful can cause jealousy and a variety of other emotional responses in others, even in universities where we would least expect it.  Advantages of being beautiful don't guarantee greater successes.

Not too surprisingly, "attractive applicants for a graduate scholarship received more favorable ratings from opposite-sex raters, psychologist Maria Agthe found, "but not from same-sex raters. Men were not necessarily impressed by another man's handsomeness, whereas women actually penalized female applicants for beauty.

Countering Attractiveness Bias

What if... applicants solicit peers' advice on ways to stand out during interviews?

What if... you spend time developing your interpersonal intelligence?

What if... you consider a conservative, professional look if interviewer is of the same sex?

What if... leaders are more aware of their own biases when promoting someone?  Ask how much a person's looks influence you.

What if... you question your own reasoning?