The saying "Don’t judge a book by its cover" emphasizes not making assumptions based on outward appearances. However, appearances tend to play a significant role in how we quickly assess others, with physical beauty often linked to positive qualities.
A study published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization found that people generally perceive attractive individuals as being more prosocial.
They are believed as more helpful, selfless, kind, and caring, according to the study's results. This viewpoint has two aspects: a person who exhibits prosocial traits is also inherently seen as attractive.
Bias towards beautiful people
There is an innate cognitive bias that favors good-looking people. Judgments are formed extremely quickly, often within seconds, and rely heavily on a person's physical appearance.
Researchers labelled this bias as ‘beauty premium,’ which denotes a bias in the favourable treatment of beautiful people. They are believed to be trustworthy, confident, and have great social skills.
The study aimed to understand the connection between pro-social behaviour and physical attractiveness. The researchers conducted an interesting examination to further understand this connection.
The study included 249 participants who saw avatars of people who had played the "Dictator Game," where the players decided how much money to give to others. Participants were required to guess how generous each avatar was and then rate their attractiveness.
The results revealed that attractive avatars were expected to have given more money, as well as generous avatars who donated money, were also rated and viewed as attractive. It narrows down on the bi-directional relationship between the positive traits and features.
The study also hints through the experiments that when someone engages in pro-social behaviour, they are perceived to be attractive. It's like two sides of a coin. One evaluation is based on superficial, skin-depth beauty, viewing beautiful people as kind, while on the other hand draws beauty by understanding the values of generosity and kindness. So all hope is not lost when it comes to pretty privilege.
Source: Hidustan Times
Bd-pratidin English/Afia
