I’ve just found a disappointing study from the European Journal of Psychology that found that physically attractive people are more likely to be psychologically balanced and accepting than the rest of us.
The study asked 119 participants to complete the Personal Orientation Inventory, a measure of psychological characteristics such as self-acceptance, spontaneity and self-actualisation, while a photo of each was also rated on physical attractiveness by a six person panel.
The study revealed that participants in the high attractiveness group scored significantly higher on 7 of the 12 POI scales in comparison to the participants in the low attractiveness group: Inner-Directed, Self-Actualising Value, Feeling Reactivity, Spontaneity, Self-Regard, Self-Acceptance, and Capacity for Intimate Contact.
The researchers debate why more attractive people might, on average, end up being more psychologically accepting of themselves and others.
They suggest that it could be due to a self-fulfilling prophecy effect. Previous research has shown that good looking people are stereotyped as being more confident, warm, dominant, stable and socially skilled, among other things, and being treated this way could enourage exactly these sorts of behaviours and attitudes.
Personally, I have been trying to cultivate a shallow and empty persona in the hope that it would make me seem more physically attractive but I now realise I should have been saving to enhance my rack as a form of personal development.
Link to study.
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