Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

014 Attractiveness Bias

A tendency to view attractive people as intelligent, competent, moral, and sociable.

People preferentially ascribe positive intellectual and social attributes to attractive people based on appearance alone.1

Attractive people receive more attention from the opposite sex, receive more affection from their mothers, receive more leniency from judges and juries, and receive more votes from the electorate than do unattractive people. All other variables being equal, attractive people are preferred in hiring decisions, are more likely to be appointed or elected into positions of leadership, and will make more money doing the same work than unattractive people. The attractiveness bias is a function of both biological and environmental ...