It turns out that being beautiful pays.
The economics of beauty studies the relationship between attractiveness and income.
When I was still writing on Medium, one of the established writers I followed published a thought-provoking article. The piece argued that attractive writers tend to have more viral content and larger followings despite their work, on average, often lacking the same quality as others.
In 2022, I read a similar article from The Economist titled ‘The Economics of Thinness.’ The article concluded that it is economically rational for ambitious women to try as hard as possible to be thin.
In 2023, The Economist published another article titled "The Relationship Between Weight and Success." The article highlighted a striking trend across the developed world: a negative correlation between income and weight, measured by body mass index (BMI).
The richer people are, the thinner they tend to be. However, separating the data by gender will create a startling gap. Rich women are much thinner than poorer ones, but rich men and poor men are just as likely to be overweight or obese.
Weight is consistent here because being thin or at least not overweight is one of the current trends in measuring beauty, except in some internet countries on Facebook.
Even in the time of Aristotle, he said, ‘Personal beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of reference.’ This is feasible because, although beauty is subjective (in the eye of the beholder), people tend to perceive it similarly, much like they associate thinness with attractiveness. In most cases, when multiple individuals are asked to evaluate someone's attractiveness, their assessments tend to be relatively consistent.
Studies show that even babies stare longer at beautiful faces. Analysing data from numerous surveys that include both attractiveness ratings and income levels, economist Dan Hamermesh estimates that the most attractive employees earn about 10 per cent more than those considered least attractive.
In developed countries, the numbers show that attractiveness can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars over a career. Just like the study by The Economist, the relationship between attractiveness and wages is stronger for men than for women because most educated women master being attractive compared to their male counterparts.
Interestingly, this beauty effect persists in occupations with little customer interaction, demonstrating that employers as people discriminate against less attractive people.
The phenomenon has been dubbed many things, like ‘effortless perfection’: appearing to be the kind of person who wins by floating so high that you avoid the bitter side of life and the pressure to appear attractive without needing to try.
Another concept is ‘lookism - which is prejudice or discrimination toward people who are considered to be physically unattractive and bases perception of all other qualities, such as intelligence and abilities, on a person’s physical appearance.’ However, quite several laws are against this.
But it doesn’t end there; beautiful people also benefit in other ways. For instance, attractive people are easier to be trusted and saved from distress (damsels in distress). They are also more likely to secure loans. And even political candidates are more likely to be elected based on attractiveness and appearance. Furthermore, attractive criminal defendants are more likely to be acquitted.
In educational institutions, attractive average students receive higher grades for their class presentations, and attractive professors receive higher teaching evaluations from their students as well.
Indeed, beauty does not only lie in the eye of the beholder; it turns out that it also pays in privilege and finances.
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My fervent wish is for the personal growth of everyone and the success of all young professionals who put their hearts and souls into finding their purpose in life.
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A reality that many have yet to grasp, although considered bleak, I believe it could serve as an advantage if understood properly.
Great job addressing such a sensitive topic in a lighthearted manner.
This is very honest!