Some people hate it yet strive to achieve it; while others adore it and will do almost anything to maintain it. In a world based on youth, vitality, and ‘standards’ your beauty has become a commodity that not only affects your social status, but also your career potential and paycheck tally. And while you may accept that there is some truth to these claims, you may not realize that you are affected by its bitter sweet consequences most every day – yeah, every day.
From the time that we emerge from our mother’s womb we vastly prefer the look of a symmetrical face versus an asymmetrical one. And quite simply this is evolution at play to help us choose a mate with a healthy immune system that will live long enough to make babies and help take care of them. And this ‘trait’ follows us throughout life. For instance, studies suggest that the ‘ugliest’ of infants start out life being handled less by nurses in hospitals. And as that child grows older, he or she will be given fewer advantages in life, such as parental attention, teacher approval, promotions, and assistance from strangers.
So, we ask ourselves point blank, what are the true advantages of achieving and maintaining the most beautiful self that you can be?
Advantages to Being Beautiful
With all this preferential treatment, it is easy to see why we all want to be beautiful. If you’ve noticed your knuckles are dragging a bit lower than usual, and your come-hither stare seems to elicit more of a, Get away from me, weirdo, response; these are a few of the advantages you may be missing out on.
- Halo Effect– In society, beauty has been linked to ones’ ethics, which actually makes a handsome evil doer less likely to be reported after a minor or major crime. Attractive people are angels to the opposite sex. However, these advantages are not only perceived; beautiful people really do seem to be well-adjusted, more active in dating/society, persuasive, make more money, and receive greater awards/achievements in life.
- Help During Emergencies– You may have seen the videos of a heart-attack victim falling in front of a group of bystanders, and they just look around, waiting for somebody to jump in. According to studies, these people must have been ugly, as attractive people are helped by 70 percent of those around them. This is compared to less than half of homely victims.
- Popularity– The evolution of beautiful people has taught us that certain body and facial characteristics make them healthier, virile, and for lack of a better word, “special.” In other words, we like to hang around them, because we perceive their lives to be superior to our own.
- Plastic Surgery Discount– In the case of plastic surgery, a beautiful person sitting in front of an MD, will be considered to have a body dysmorphic disorder (poor opinion of themselves) if they ask for too many unnecessary procedures. However, if the surgeon actually agrees with your low opinion of your appearance, you’ll be welcome to spend as much money as you want.
- I.Q. Booster– Is it possible to be a dumb, beautiful blonde? Not according to much of the research that has been done. Your appearance is linked to your intelligence, and not only are beautiful people perceived to be more brilliant, Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist, believes this stereotype may actually be somewhat true.
Plus, there’s more:
However, don’t go getting the wrong idea. There are just as many disadvantages as there are advantages when it comes to beauty.
Disadvantages to Beauty
- Contingent Self-Esteem– Beautiful people are more likely to be hard on themselves when it comes to their vanity, because that has been one of their shining attributes throughout their life. This may explain the addiction to plastic surgery of many aging Hollywood starlets.
- Issolation– Contrary to some belief, beautiful people can be shy, and when that extra attention is showered on them in public situations, they tend to isolate themselves to avoid that attention. Making matters worse, such isolation often makes them appear more arogant and/or snobish.
- Beauty’s Mask– so many good vibes are felt within the presence of beauty, that the opening symptoms of disease are often ignored, even in the care of a good doctor. In other words, an individual, their family, and even learned experts may choose to overlook adverse signs simply because the overall picture appears to be such a favorable one.
- Contrast Effect– No matter how attractive you are; you will only feel well-favored, if those around you seem homely. In other words, beautiful people feel ugly when they are with their own kind. In a sense, you will never be attractive enough, no matter how much effort you put into it.
- Too Many Options– George Clooney may have held out so long, because his choice of women is better than average. Beautiful people are suspected to have difficulty attaining satisfaction, or settling on one person, because they have too many options.
- Punished by High Expectations– Studies suggest that attractiveness increase people’s expectations. What’s worse, when a beautiful person is not successful at something, they are typically punished more harshly then their uglier cohorts.
- The Same-Sex Dunce Effect– We may consider beautiful opposite sex members as intelligent and angelic. However, when it comes to same-sex rivals, the resulting jealousy/competition can lead to your ultimate rejection and demotion.
It is by no mistake that we have found more negative affects of beauty that positive. We are all born with the potential to slice, preen, and clean–prod, poke, inject, and stuff implants into your body all for the privilege of being called beautiful. However, In the end; you may only be penalizing yourself, just as much as you think you’re rewarding.