Study finds beauty has benefits but plastic surgery doesn’t help

Studies conducted by separate researchers indicate a correlation between beauty and money but also that virtually nothing can be done to change a person’s beauty, even through plastic surgery, according to news reports.

 According to a recent study by Middle Tennessee State University researchers, real estate agents who are relatively more attractive tend to sell properties at higher prices. Sean Salter, a finance professor who co-authored the study, believes that this is because of the “halo effect,” where attractive people seem more intelligent and capable purely because of their looks.

 Salter’s study was based on Daniel Hamermesh’s study of beauty’s role in the workplace. Hamermesh, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of “Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are More Successful,” argued that someone with below-average looks would earn $1.46 million if he or she earned $20 per hour over 40 years, while someone with above-average looks would earn $1.69 million.

 He also found that unattractive people have a harder time entering some occupations, like law and politics, where physical beauty is emphasized.

 However, altering appearance via plastic surgery does not raise wages, according to research by Lee Soo-hyung, a professor at University of Maryland, College Park. Lee studied Koreans who had undergone plastic surgery and found that even though the changes made some feel better, it didn’t improve their pay situation.

 Different studies also show that other changes, like dressing better and applying makeup, unfortunately have almost no effect on beauty. Hamermesh said, “We can’t change our looks much.” He suggested emphasizing other redeeming qualities, like intelligence, to make up for any shortcomings in physical appearance.

기사 제공 : 코리아헤럴드

※Enews는 2주에 한번씩 게재됩니다