Topic: Self Efficacy
Publication: Journal of Applied Psychology (MAY 2009)
Article: Does it pay to be smart, attractive, or confident (or all three)? Relationships among general mental ability, physical attractiveness, core self-evaluations, and income.
Authors: T.A. Judge, C. Hurst, L.S. Simon
Reviewed by: Larry Martinez
Who among us would be surprised to learn that those who are smart get more advanced degrees and higher paying jobs? That’s a just world, right? What if the same were true for those who are pretty? Judge, Hurst, and Simon investigated how pervasive the preference for attractiveness is.
Judge et al.’s literature review would lead you to believe that attractive individuals are given preference from their first breaths on. Teachers are more lenient and pay more attention to cute as opposed to homely kids, which can result in higher standardized test scores, better universities, more opportunities for professional degrees, and thus higher paying jobs. Not to mention that attractive individuals are positively reinforced with respect to their self-concepts, making them more confident and less likely to perceive financial strain.
The best combination, of course, is to be pretty and smart. However, the ugly ducklings among us can rest assured that the relationships were stronger between intelligence and education and income. However, being attractive was more strongly related to confidence, which had a stronger relationship to income than education and a buffering effect with perceived financial strain. Maybe those extra ten minutes in the morning are worth it…
Judge, T. A., Hurst, C., & Simon, L. S. (2009). Does is pay to be smart, attractive, or confident (or all three)? Relationships among general mental ability, physical attractiveness, core self-evaluations, and income. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 742- 755.