AFP – Kahlil Gibran once wrote, “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart”. But the Lebanese-American poet likely never encountered the reality of “beauty privilege” – a powerful, if unspoken, advantage in the workplace.
A recent American study reveals a strong link between physical attractiveness and professional success, particularly among young graduates. Published in Information Systems Research, the study found that being perceived as attractive can significantly impact a person’s career trajectory.
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Southern California analysed data from over 43,000 MBA graduates, tracking the connection between appearance and success over a 15-year period using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.
Their findings: graduates considered attractive earn, on average, 2.4 per cent more annually – about USD2,500 – compared to their less-attractive peers. For the top 10 per cent, that figure jumps to over USD5,500 a year, a “beauty premium” that compounds into a substantial income gap over time.
Beyond salary, the impact of appearance also influences career opportunities. Fifteen years after graduation, individuals perceived as attractive are 52 per cent more likely to hold prestigious positions.
However, this advantage varies from sector to sector. Professions involving a great deal of social interaction, such as consulting or management, place greater value on physical appearance, while its impact in technical fields, such as IT or engineering, are much less pronounced.
“This study shows how appearance shapes not just the start of a career, but its trajectory over decades. The findings reveal a persistent and compounding effect of beauty in professional settings,” explained lead author of the study Nikhil Malik in a press release.
AN ADVANTAGE WITH A DOUBLING IMPACT
So what’s at the root of this “beauty premium”? Psychologists attribute it to a phenomenon known as the “halo effect”. Theorised by American psychologist Edward Thorndike, this effect describes a cognitive bias that influences our perception of a person on the basis of a single characteristic, whether positive or negative. So, when a person is judged physically attractive, we tend to spontaneously attribute other positive qualities to them, such as intelligence or kindness, even in the absence of concrete evidence.
This mechanism can act like a self-fulfilling prophecy: a person who is considered beautiful attracts more positive attention, which in turn favors self-confidence, leadership skills and extroverted behaviour. All traits particularly valued in the professional sphere.
“It’s a stark reminder that success is influenced not just by skills and qualifications, but also by societal perceptions of beauty,” stressed study co-author Kannan Srinivasan in the same press release.
This “beauty premium” raises major ethical questions. While attractiveness may seem to offer advantages, it should not overshadow the importance of competence. Especially as the benefits of beauty vary according to gender and age.
For example, men perceived as attractive often see their salaries rise rapidly, whereas for women, this effect manifests itself more gradually, as economist Eva Sierminska explained in a scientific article entitled “Does it pay to be beautiful?”
Furthermore, the appearance of individuals who are extremely beautiful is not always perceived positively in the professional sphere. This kind of physical appearance can raise concerns and provoke negative emotions in those who are less physically privileged, which can then become an obstacle to being hired and to career progression.
There is also a danger of beauty being conceived of in cliché terms, such as associating beauty with a lack of intelligence.
In other words, even people considered very beautiful can be penalised by their appearance in the world of work. This underscores the importance of companies reviewing their recruitment and talent management practices to ensure that looks never determine an employee’s value.
