The Benefits (and Biases) of Beauty
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How much of your success, or lack thereof, is based on your perceived attractiveness? Here's what you need to know about the beauty premium.
I'm a thin woman with long flowing hair and clear healthy skin that helps me look 15 years younger than I actually am. I'm also black and indigenous — a dark-skinned brunette with ethnic facial features, such as full lips and a broad nose, that don't fit the Western standard of beauty.
The word I would use to describe myself is "pleasant". I like the way I look but I've always felt it was a basic sort of beauty, comely but not particularly striking. Perhaps a notch above ordinary. Though I have several imperfections and don't consider myself to be exceptionally beautiful, I've also never deemed myself to be unattractive and rarely struggled with the insecurity that often comes with feeling subpar.
The juxtaposition of the elements that make up my overall appearance has always made me wonder whether my progress in life has been helped or harmed by the way I look. I'm not sure my average looks have played a major role in my personal or professional advancement, but for many that is not the case.
Much research, such has referenced in this Atlantic article, has been conducted on the beauty premium — the free pass you get when you are attractive and the price you pay when you are not.
Those who are beautiful reap social rewards that permeate all areas of life leading to a host of advantages. Others, like me, who seem to straddle the line of mediocrity don't receive any handouts but can at least get past on merit.
But then there are those who are far too removed from the standard, and are at a disadvantage regardless of their intelligence, talent and personality. What do you do if you fall into that category? What do you do if you are, dare I say, ugly?
As an aesthete I study the philosophy of beauty leisurely, but unfortunately the beauty premium is not a homespun theory I made up in my free time. It is an actual phenomenon, an evolutionary process that forces us to be biased because it is embedded in our DNA.
Assessments of attractiveness are surprisingly similar between men and women and among groups … people agree, both within cultures and across cultures, who is attractive and who is not. Men and women as well as people of all ages agree on who is attractive. This strongly suggests that judgments of physical attractiveness are hard-wired in human genetics, likely fixed at an early stage in our evolution.
Daniel B. Yarosh, Perception and Deception: Human Beauty and the Brain
Since humans are masters of self-deception, the irony of this phenomenon is that we are likely more unattractive than we think. We may be able to align on the relative attractiveness of others, but can't accurately rate ourselves. So even though I see myself as a respectable 6/10 I may actually be closer to a 4.5 — homely instead of comely.
However, the good news is that the more we believe our own lies about our looks, the better we become at "deceiving" others. Thus if you increase your own feelings of self-worth, the more attractive you will be. As someone with high self-esteem, I can vouch for this.
At the core, physical beauty is a signal of reproductive fitness. It's the shortcut measure nature gave us to determine, whether consciously or not, if someone is fit to bring forth high-quality offspring that will advance our species. I'm sure this was a beneficial tool for our primitive ancestors.
Yet there are many natural responses, such as our fight or flight mechanism, that don't seem to be as useful in helping us navigate modern life. The beauty premium is clearly one we've evolved beyond, and much of the research about it also calls out its flaws.
In modern times, intellectual capacity and emotional intelligence is far more valuable to our species than physical attractiveness. So beautiful people tend to get privileges they do not necessarily deserve.
Nevertheless, with all of our honorable efforts to thwart body shaming and shift prevailing beauty ideals, it is difficult to overcome our natural inclinations. For those of us who aren't beauty activists, it's understandably easier to work with this mechanism instead of against it.
This is not to suggest that you accept standards that are obsolete and no longer support human progress. It's to encourage an understanding of the underlying rationale behind them so they can be used to your advantage. Though aesthetic standards change considerably across cultures and times, there are three consistent elements that make up the science of beauty.
Health
Individuals are deemed beautiful when their appearance sends signals of well-being and vitality. No matter your facial structure or body type, being bright-eyed and bushy-tailed is appealing.
However, it is hard to fake good health. You have to actually be well to feel well and subsequently look well. So the best thing you can do to improve this particular element of beauty is to prioritize your mental, emotional and physical wellness.
Youth
Youthfulness is closely related to health in that being (or looking) young sends a cue that you are able to reproduce, whether or not you can or want to. Youthful individuals tend to be more attractive than those who appear to be past their prime, therefore agism is the hapless residual impact of the beauty premium.
My secret to feeling and looking young is stress reduction. Scientists now directly link chronic stress to accelerated ageing, so this is the key area to target if you want to feel attractive. I monitor and manage stress across my entire wheel of life — from diet to relationships — and try to eliminate people, places or things that vex my body, mind or spirit.
Balance
Nature loves harmony and that manifests itself via a preference for symmetry. Body and facial symmetry are the primary ways in which we evaluate attractiveness. Having the right proportions gives you a significant edge in the game of beauty, to the dismay of those of us who have to grapple with physical irregularities.
Fortunately, clothing and cosmetics are quite effective in enhancing physical features. I engage in a simple beauty routine that includes a light application of products that enhance my best qualities. I also wear a carefully considered wardrobe of well-made pieces that make me feel attractive (regardless of who sees me).
Unfortunately, the fashion and beauty industries prey on those who pursue perfection. The beauty industry, especially, promotes extreme face-and-body-altering fads that end up making individuals look unnatural and, therefore, not attractive despite their investment. In the pursuit of beauty, it's important to take a moderate approach.
Outside of physical alterations, this is one area where personality can give you a boost since facial symmetry is correlated with being open, social and agreeable. Even if you don't look properly proportional having a good disposition comes in handy. Being pleasant makes you more appealing. The opposite is also true — a bad attitude can make a beautiful person look unsightly.
Deceivers are more convincing when they believe the lie themselves, and we have ample evidence of self-deception in beauty. In this fog of competition, people use self-signaling to indicate to themselves their own worth.
Daniel B. Yarosh, Perception and Deception: Human Beauty and the Brain
Kudos to you if you are beautiful or choose to opt out of the beauty competition. For the rest of us, no matter how (un)attractive you are, you can influence and improve how you are perceived physically by indulging in a routine that is centered around self-love vs. self-criticism. In short, if you truly believe you are beautiful, everyone else will too.
