The Effects of Attractiveness on Popularity
Samantha Prestia, Jason Silverston, Katie Wood, Lisa Zigarmi, University of PennsylvaniaAppearance is not supposed to matter. Society would have us believe that in an ideal world, an individual’s physical appearance is a relatively insignificant factor in others’ perceptions of him/her. In a meritocracy we are conditioned to believe that an individual’s worth is based on his/her skills, abilities, and personal conduct. Yet, according to The American Heritage Dictionary (1994: 54), to attract is “to cause, to draw near, to adhere,” or more relevantly, “to arouse the interest, admiration or attention of.” Therefore, by definition, attractiveness is a very powerful quality.
Furthermore, years of research in the psychological and social sciences have shown that looks count in human affairs.
Studies have shown that people who are considered attractive fare better with parents and teachers,
make more friends and more money, and have better sex with more people. (Cowley, 1996)
The interpersonal consequences of physical attractiveness have led thousands of people to spend
millions of dollars on beauty products and even cosmetic surgery to improve their looks. (Cowley, 1996)
The full impact of attractiveness is still unclear, but studies have established that a sense of what is
attractive is innate and consistent across age, race, and culture.
Its impact is subtle but powerful.
In a groundbreaking study, psychologist Judith Langlois (1989) concluded that infants share with adults a sense of what is attractive.
Three and six month old babies were shown pairs of facial photographs that were previously rated as attractive and unattractive.
Langlois found that infants gazed significantly longer at “attractive” faces than at “unattractive” faces.
From this study, we can see that while it may be impossible to create a clear definition of what makes a face attractive, we somehow share an innate sense of it even before we are socialized.
In a lab study by Berry (2000), children showed more positive affect when interacting with an attractive adult.
Therefore, Berry concludes that “attractiveness, at least facial attractiveness, is both discriminated and preferred at a very young age” (Berry, 2000: 278).
These studies show that humans share an innate idea of what we like to see, and attractiveness draws us to those who posses it.
The inevitable question is, why do we prefer this “attractiveness” in the appearance of others?
Two basic theories address this question: the evolutionary perspective and a social conditioning perspective.