Like it or not, we're all slaves to beauty
Why do we spend money on fashion magazines while children starve? Is it ignorance, escapism, greed, inertia and empathy fatigue? Yes - but it is also because of the powerful effect of beauty. In fact, superficial as it may seem, the appeal of good looks has a profound effect on us all. It has been politically correct, particularly in some feminist circles, to consider beauty as a culture-specific, rather artificial, trained set of unworthy ideas, perpetuated, exploited - even created - by unscrupulous beauty-product manufacturers. Feminists such as Naomi Wolf, in her book The Beauty Myth, suggest as much. However, this is not the psychological reality.
Good looks bestow social status the world over. Industries simply tap into this bias. Attractiveness attracts, convinces and sells. And, as unfair as it might be, we all have more or less the same idea of what beauty is. Tribal preferences, such as thinness, white skin, black teeth, bound feet, studded tongues or stretched necks, are merely eroticised or politicised fashion statements. But all people are mesmerised by symmetrical facial features and physical indications of youth and good health.
It may be comforting to say or think that 'inner beauty' shines out or that we are all beautiful in our own way. But psychologists find few circumstances in which a broadly shared idea of outer beauty does not give its possessor an edge. We know this when we fret over our pot bellies and wrinkles. The truth pulls at our heart strings when we see hard-working, generous children passed over in favour of better-looking peers who do not have to try so hard. We are perfectly conscious that unattractive people are no meaner or less moral than their good-looking counterparts. Indeed, the opposite is frequently the case. Perhaps that is one of the reasons a saintly beauty - as Princess Diana was portrayed - captures our affections. In any case, we just cannot stop the knee-jerk reaction that beauty brings out in us, both at a conscious and subconscious level - and this is irrespective of how we look ourselves.
Among educated westerners, the idea that beauty is a powerful universal calling card is a bitter pill to swallow. This is because beauty has become politicised in the collective consciousness. Having spent so much time and effort developing a democratic system in which the illusion of fairness is pivotal, it is difficult to accept the sheer arbitrariness of beauty - nature's politically inconvenient, yet indisputably advantageous, silver spoon.
The process starts young. According to Nancy Etcoff, author of Survival of the Prettiest, even mothers treat cute babies better, and babies gaze longer at pictures of faces which adults judge to be beautiful, irrespective of race, age or gender - or the attractiveness of their primary carers. At school, teachers and other children are prejudiced against less attractive pupils. Teachers and parents have higher hopes for cuter children and they give them more attention, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy of success.
We are all biased towards faces that suggest vulnerability. Universally, classic baby features like large eyes, smooth skin, a small nose and chubby cheeks stir tender feelings. In contrast, ugly babies are characterised by facial features that make them look strangely mature. Their facial proportions and features make them appear less infantile and, therefore, less helpless. This has links with the childlike portrayal of women, whereby both genders collude to create an illusion of helplessness and innocence extending beyond sexual maturity. And more generally, it is more difficult for a girl with small eyes, blotchy skin and a prominent nose to act cute. Because those around her coddle her less, she quickly learns to expect less. Unattractive boys, too, need a thicker skin if they diverge too far from the physical male ideal.
Whatever we may say or think we believe, we act in ways that show we consider attractive people more honest and we forgive them more easily. People are more likely to help beautiful people, but are less likely to ask them for help.
This special treatment has an effect, of course. Good-looking people get used to being deferred to, granted favours, agreed with and helped. So, generally, they are more at ease socially. They are more confident about their opinions and win arguments more frequently.
A group of psychologists demonstrated just how potent the beauty factor is. Even being treated as if you were gorgeous for a few minutes can transform how you feel and behave. A team of researchers asked men to telephone women to get to know certain things about them. When the men were shown an attractive photo of their respondent, the call - on both ends - was animated and flirtatious. When the photo they saw was less attractive, however, the conversations were flat and lacking in imagination - again on both sides. It was the same woman in both cases.
A fraction of a centimetre here and there can revolutionise the world's response to a person - and thus his or her self-image. This accounts for the popularity of plastic surgery.
Good looks become a destiny. We expect more from good-looking men and women - and they usually deliver. The magic draws us in and we want to surround ourselves with it - even if it is only as distant and contrived as a model in a glossy magazine.
Jean Nicol is a Hong Kong-based psychologist and writer
