Why Appearance Matters

You might not like to hear what I am about to report. I must admit that for me personally it’s quite disheartening to find out what really gets people ahead in today’s society. But please, don’t shoot the messenger. I am simply reiterating facts that have been proven by scientific research. Whether we like it or not, how we look definitely has an impact on how we are perceived and how successful we are in pretty much all facets of our daily lives. Consider the following…

Appearance in the workplace

• Attractive people are 2 to 5 times more likely to be hired
• Attractive people earn 12 to 16 per cent more
• Unattractive people are 2 to 6 times more likely to be laid off
• Unattractive people are extremely likely to be passed over for promotions

Appearance and our social lives

• Attractive people are 2 to 7 times more likely to date and make friends

What women want

Ah, the age-old question (and title of a movie, if I’m not mistaken!) It seems that women are attracted most to these features in a man: a wide smile, small eyes, a big nose (whew, I guess that explains a lot in terms of why my wife chose me!), and a large jaw.

Here’s another interesting tidbit of information on the fairer sex. One research study found that women were more attracted to men who were being smiled at by other women! This information demonstrates that people rely on the attitudes of others when forming their own judgements about the attractiveness of others.

What men find attractive

Here’s some information with a high ick factor. Men are attracted to women whose bone structure is similar to that of their mothers. Researchers refer to this phenomenon as “sexual imprinting” which means that what we found attractive as children shapes our judgement of attractiveness as adults.

Kids and appearance

Looks even matter to kids. To a child, someone who is more attractive is usually perceived as being friendlier and smarter. Studies have also revealed that children select playmates based on physical attractiveness.

Making the grade

An interesting study conducted by economics researchers at the University of Miami discovered that physical attractiveness has a positive effect on Grade Point Averages for both male and female high school students. In students of all ages, teachers have higher expectations of better looking students which causes them to give their more attractive students more attention which in turn translates into better grades for these better looking students. On the flipside, another study found that college students tend to rate their teachers’ performance based on appearance rather than on their communication and teaching abilities.

So where does this leave us?

Much of the research on what we deem to be physically attractive and how this in turn subconsciously impacts from the smallest of decisions to our life choices seems to be hard-wired into our brains, meaning that it’s innate or in other words, we’re just born that way. The question is, what does each of us want to do with this information? The aesthetic offerings of modern medicine and dentistry provide us with options that can significantly improve our appearance. The end results of these medical and dental procedures can in fact, be life-changing. In a society like ours that is so competitive and beauty-driven, it makes one seriously consider taking advantage of every reasonable option that is within our reach to give ourselves – and our children – the best chances and opportunities we can have to succeed.

Steven Deskin is a Dentist in general practice.