Too Good Looking
Most of us assume that the beautiful people have it made, that being attractive gives you advantages across the board. Much of the time, we are right. Decades of psychological research has shown that when someone is attractive, we often unconsciously assume that they have lots of other good qualities too. The halo donned and polished, we perceive them to be warmer, kinder, smarter, funnier, and more honest, simply because they are easier on the eyes.
Recent research has shown how the advantages of being beautiful don't always translate into greater successes. In fact, being good-looking can cost you job opportunities, scholarships and promotions. All depending on the gender and attractiveness of your evaluator.
A psychologist has found attractive applicants for a graduate scholarship received more favorable ratings from opposite-sex raters, but not from the same gender raters. Men were unimpressed by the handsomeness of a male applicant. Female applicants were actually penalized by women for beauty.
Another study found that the effect of an applicant's attractiveness on their ratings also depended on the beauty of the beholder. Good-looking raters didn't seem to care one way or the other how handsome or beautiful an applicant was, but average-looking raters did. They held against better-looking same-sex applicants.
In the end, we tend to think about the attractiveness of the person we are evaluating in terms of opportunities and threats. Attractive members of the opposite sex are generally good to have around. Their presence is an opportunity, if not for an actual relationship, then at least for some innocent flirting and wishful thinking.
Attractive members of our own sex, on the other hand, are the competition. Their presence is a threat - they make the rest of us feel like we aren't pretty enough. So, given the choice between a candidate with average looks, and one who is gorgeous, why choose the latter and end up feeling inadequate? Ugly Betty gets the nod.
Here consider the climate. Is it primed for the beauty to take the cake, or, the more substantial?
We'd all like to think that decisions like these are objective and that the best man or woman wins, but bias is real and everywhere, and there's no use pretending otherwise.
Be practical, you might want to think carefully about your appearance when you interview for a position, depending on who is doing the interviewing. When your potential boss is a member of your own sex, consider a more conservative, professional look. You want your interviewer focused on your credentials, not your stand out good looks.
You can make better, bias-free decisions if you take the time to examine and question your reasoning. If the best-looking same-sex candidate is truly the best-qualified and most deserving, hire them. You can always avoid standing next to them at the office Christmas party.
Psychology Today
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