Washington Week . Student Voices

Study credits attractive people with longer life
By Maggie Stehr
Daily Nebraskan (U. Nebraska)
12/06/2004

(U-WIRE) LINCOLN, Neb. — In the survival of the prettiest, research suggests the rewards of a beautiful face include higher grades, better jobs and now, even longer lives.

Results published in the scientific journal Evolution and Human Behavior found attractive men outlast their unsightly counterparts on average by seven years, and attractive women live an average three years longer than their counterparts.

Because physical beauty invites credibility and attention, pretty people entertain additional perks and advantages, said Dawn Braithwaite, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor of communication studies.

Humans feel rewarded by interacting with attractive people, believing the contact raises their social status, she said. And professors, she said, are only human.

"Attractive students receive higher grades and more attention from professors," she said. "I have seen it happen. Whether it's right or wrong, it's a reality.

"But not all professors do that, so unattractive students should not drop out of college."

Molly McConkey, a freshman dance major, said attractive students exude confidence, which grabs professors' attention.

"Everyone wants to be the perfect image because life seems easier," she said. "It looks like they don't have to work as hard as everyone else."

But Braithwaite said people could be burned by their own hotness.

"People think attractive people don't earn their success and that it's based on their physical appearance," she said. "You also hear about very attractive men and women not being asked out."

People tend to think everyone is attracted to attractive people, Braithwaite said. But the myth is as fake as a set of silicone double Ds.

"We only usually date people who match us physically," she said. "We may fantasize about relationships with very attractive people, but people who are too attractive are ignored because people look for similarities when dating. We date people who are as attractive as we are."

Peter Obering, a sophomore advertising major, said guys are more likely than women to chase pretty faces because they are more attracted to physical qualities.

"Everyone just wants something as good as they can get," he said. "You want someone you can show off."

Braithwaite said paying attention to society's beauty obsession is a matter of survival.

"We are always being judged, whether at work or in the classroom," she said. "We are always putting ourselves out there. I can't make you perceive me in a certain way, but I can influence my credibility to you by making myself as attractive as possible."

Sue Bukacek, psychologist for University Health Center's Counseling and Psychological Services, said media images of idealized beauty flood American culture, fueling the emphasis on physical attractiveness.

College students especially are susceptible to pressures media weighs on appearance, she said.

"College students are figuring out who they are and dealing with the issue of identity," Bukacek said. "What we look like is a big part of the 'Who am I?' question."

Braithwaite said wide accessibility of celebrity images through Internet and TV propagate the American star culture riddled with body insecurity.

"There are 8- and 9-year-old girls worried about their appearance," Braithwaite said. "I don't remember in the second grade worrying about my weight."

Although she predicted the beauty fixation to worsen, Braithwaite said education safeguards against superficial stereotypes.

"We only think about attraction as physical," she said. "We need to took beyond the surface of our looks for what is attractive. If we only judge people on their looks we are missing a lot."

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