# Do Attractive People Have Higher Incomes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 22, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383 "2009-01-22T01:00:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/1 "2009-01-22T01:00:37Z")
There have been many threads about attractiveness and people’s perceptions. My question: do attractive people make more money? My guess would be yes-in a job interview situation, all things being equal, the more attractive candidate will get thye job. promotion is probably better too. So, does it make sense to enhance one’s appearence? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/2 "2009-01-22T03:28:57Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > There have been many threads about attractiveness and people’s perceptions. My question: do attractive people make more money? My guess would be yes-in a job interview situation, all things being equal, the more attractive candidate will get thye job. promotion is probably better too. > So, does it make sense to enhance one’s appearence? I don’t know how there would be a factual answer to this question. First, how do you rank ‘attractiveness’? The features I find attractive may not be so to other people. So where would you find statistics ranking ‘attractiveness’ and correlating it to making money? ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/3 "2009-01-22T03:52:39Z")
Not to mention that if there is a difference it could just as easily be attributed to attractive people having more confidence on average, and more confident people more frequently have the confidence to ask for more money. ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/4 "2009-01-22T06:56:19Z")
It may be true, from a cnn-money article: [http://money.cnn.com/2005/04/08/news/funny/beautiful\_money/](http://money.cnn.com/2005/04/08/news/funny/beautiful_money/) > [@](#): > > Good-looking, slim, tall people tend to make more money than their plain-Jane counterparts, according to a study released this month by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, with researchers finding that beautiful people tend to earn 5 percent more an hour than their less comely colleagues. This article explains possible reasons that taller people make more money, which may provide some insight into reasons that better looking people earn more, from cnn: [Why tall people make more money - CNN.com](http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/Careers/02/02/cb.tall.people/index.html) > [@](#): > > A 2001 study by Nicola Persico, Andrew Postlewaite and Dan Silverman of the University of Pennsylvania, found that it’s the height a person had as a teenager that matters when it comes to bringing home the bacon as an adult. > > “Two adults of the same age and height who were different heights at age 16 are treated differently on the labor market,” Persico, Postlewaite and Silverman concluded. “The person who was taller as a teen earns more.” > > “Those who were relatively short when young,” they continued, “were less likely to participate in social activities associated with the accumulation of productive skills and attributes, and report lower self-esteem.” > > Weak self-esteem and underdeveloped social skills, can negatively affect the image one portrays to co-workers and managers as an adult. A person who lacks confidence is generally seen as less authoritative, and may have a harder time convincing employers of his or her leadership potential. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/5 "2009-01-22T09:12:04Z")
I remember reading a research study from Brown a few years back (around 2003) and basically what they did is they rated high school seniors on a scale of 1 - 7. Seven the highest and most attractive. Where 1 was the least attractive. At ten and fifteen years they followed up to see who had the most success in terms of money, career, social and family life. They found the people ranked SEVEN had the best lives and the most success. Interestingly enough those ranked ONE came in next followed by those ranked TWO. The bottom of the list were those ranked as SIX. So the message seemed to be if you CAN rely on looks to get by in life, but if you’re gonna do it then you better be DARN GOODLOOKING to get away with it. Only the top of the attractive people are able to pull it off. And those who were just under the top in terms of looks wound up at the bottom I think from my looking around at people in life that it seems to be true ---
**Author:** ![KnitWit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@KnitWit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KnitWit)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/6 "2009-01-22T13:40:35Z")
I’ve interviewed for jobs while I weighed 300 pounds. I’ve interviewed for jobs while I weighed 130 pounds. I have no research to back me up, but I can tell you that I was treated differently, more seriously as a normal-sized person and I was called back more frequently as well. People make assumptions about you based on your appearance…I don’t think that can be helped. And your appearance also affects how YOU behave. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/7 "2009-01-22T13:56:34Z")
No I dont. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/8 "2009-01-22T14:22:30Z")
Chicken or egg? People with higher incomes will be able to take better care of themselves (i.e. dentistry, nicer clothes, etc), and will therefore look more attractive since they’re more “cleaned up” than somebody who can’t afford those things. Also, I’ve got a brush in my pocket that says people with higher incomes have more motivation, and people with more motivation take care of themselves better and are therefore more attractive. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/9 "2009-01-22T14:24:04Z")
Ask Barry Manilow! ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/10 "2009-01-22T15:56:18Z")
Maybe. But on the other hand, why do homeless winos always seem to have the best hair? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/11 "2009-01-22T16:04:51Z")
People from higher income backgrounds tend to earn higher incomes themselves, and also tend to have had good dental care as children, are less likely to be obese, can put more money into their clothes/hair/breast implants, etc. So while I’m not surprised attractiveness correlates with income, I’m not convinced that its because attractive people have an edge due to their attractiveness. ---
**Author:** ![KnitWit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@KnitWit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KnitWit)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/12 "2009-01-22T16:05:24Z")
> [@Santo\_Rugger](#): > > Chicken or egg? People with higher incomes will be able to take better care of themselves (i.e. dentistry, nicer clothes, etc), and will therefore look more attractive since they’re more “cleaned up” than somebody who can’t afford those things. Also, I’ve got a brush in my pocket that says people with higher incomes have more motivation, and people with more motivation take care of themselves better and are therefore more attractive. This is a very good point. My insurance at my over-paid job covered my weight loss surgery. Perhaps I’m WAY off the mark. But I DO contend that no matter how you got that way, your appearance definitely influences people. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/13 "2009-01-22T17:30:21Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > People from higher income backgrounds tend to earn higher incomes themselves, and also tend to have had good dental care as children, are less likely to be obese, can put more money into their clothes/hair/breast implants, etc. So while I’m not surprised attractiveness correlates with income, I’m not convinced that its because attractive people have an edge due to their attractiveness. You’re also more likely to be good looking if you come from a high income background as there’s a better chance that atleast one of your parents (your mother, probably) is good looking. So there’s a double correlation there. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/14 "2009-01-22T17:35:53Z")
I’m wondering about the counterpoint to this statement. I was in court the other day to clear up a traffic ticket. There were exactly two people there that were dressed up, myself and another guy. It was fairly obvious he came from at least a middle-class family. The others there were dressed in t-shirts at best, and a lot of them were even wearing sweats and pajama bottoms! :o It’s an established fact that people in lower socioeconomic classes get in trouble with the law more often. 95% of these people weren’t dressed well, and 90% were not at all what I would consider attractive, and didn’t look like they’d clean up well, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/15 "2009-01-23T07:31:09Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Maybe. But on the other hand, why do homeless winos always seem to have the best hair? 😕 Lack of regular hygiene means that the hair is brimming with natural oils. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-attractive-people-have-higher-incomes/482383/16 "2009-01-23T13:37:57Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > I don’t know how there would be a factual answer to this question. > > First, how do you rank ‘attractiveness’? The features I find attractive may not be so to other people. > > So where would you find statistics ranking ‘attractiveness’ and correlating it to making money? measures of attractiveness are important and widely implemented. Here is a link to a PhD dissertation on the subject: [http://www.dissertation.com/book.php?book=1581123655&method=ISBN](http://www.dissertation.com/book.php?book=1581123655&method=ISBN) Based on my observations, attractiveness is certainly important to income. Just look at movie actors/actresses. Attractiveness is a factor in how people perceive you in any activity. An attractive salesman/woman is going to have a higher probability of making sales compares an unattractive one. Manipulating one’s appearance is no different than manipulating one’s educational level or physical strength or musical ability etc. There is a cost/benefits ratio to consider and in my opinion it is possible to be negatively impacted by being too attractive. So one should conciously consider the issue and make a reasoned choice. Taking “what nature gives you” isn’t any smarter than tripping over your beard because you are unwilling to tamper with nature. So, it can and is measured and can and should be controlled just like any other environmental and personal factor.