The BIGG Successs Show
Are Good Looks an Advantage or a Disadvantage at Work?
Learn how the research stacks up against the popular perception. Read our show summary and share your thoughts about today's show topic at biggsuccess.com.
Welcome to The Big Success Show. Today, we'll discuss whether good looks are an advantage or disadvantage at work. The Big Success Show with George and Mary Lynn. Mary Lynn, you've heard a dumb blonde joke a time or two in your life, I bet. Well, George, I'm a brunette, so... Okay. Well, see, I take offense to those jokes because I'm blonde. Aww. Yeah, now, when we hear a joke about a dumb blonde, what's the image that comes to mind? You. I knew you were going to say that. Well, obviously, you think of the perfectly shaped, gorgeous woman who has great looks but no brains. And I'll tell you, there are plenty of blondes, natural or not, who have made a good living out of playing that dumb blonde role. Are you trying to tell me something, Mary Lynn? If the shoe fits. Oh, I see. Seriously, I think that there's this perception that, quote-unquote, "pretty people" aren't smart. And a lot of attractive people complain that people assume things about them without getting to know them. Assumptions like they're unintelligent, superficial, arrogant. All things which you've said to me before, Mary Lynn. What's up with this? Well, I think we often think that if you've been given the gift of physical attractiveness, that has to mean you're lacking in other areas. And in the social world, you're just the, quote, "pretty boy" or "pretty girl." But does that perception carry over into the professional world? Is there a bias against people who are good looking? Oh, if only I knew, Mary Lynn. I can't answer that one. Economist Marcus Mobius of Harvard University and Tanya Rosenblatt of Wesleyan University did a study to see how looks affected the hiring process. They divided the participants up into five groups of employers, we'll call them. Two of these groups never saw a photo of the candidate or the candidates themselves. The other three all got to see the candidate's photo or they actually saw the candidate in person. The groups who saw the candidates were much more likely to hire the more attractive candidate, even though the less attractive candidate was just as qualified. And according to the study, these employers predicted that the attractive candidates would be more productive and would be rewarded for it with higher pay. And see, Mary Lynn, this is the reason I started my business in the first place. No one would hire me. So now nobody can see you. Oh, I see. Daniel Hammermach, an economist at the University of Texas, is one of the world's foremost authorities on the economics of beauty. I didn't realize there was economics of beauty, but he's one of the authorities. And Dr. Hammermach is focused on how beauty affects success, particularly financial success in the workplace. His research confirms what the study we just referenced showed, that beauty opens the door of opportunity more frequently, which gives them an advantage. They make connections, they learn skills, they're growing in their company, their industry. So attractive people are able to leverage that first opportunity into many more opportunities, which results in higher pay. And here's the scary thing about his research, I think, Mary Lynn. He offers little hope for those people who are less than average attractiveness. What does that mean? Well, his research has shown that spending money on things to enhance your looks is a complete waste of money. What? Well, matter of fact, he says that you're only going to get back about $0.15 for every dollar that you spend. Huh? $0.15 in pay for every dollar that you spend. That's interesting. Well, coming up, we have some questions for you. Today, we've talked about looks and how they affect you socially and professionally. And after reading all of this research, we have some questions for you. Now, socially, we often hear attractive people complain that they're discriminated against. But research seems to show that it works in their favor in the workplace. So what do you think from your experiences? Do you think good looks are an advantage or a disadvantage? And is there a difference between men and women? Are good looks more important in the workplace for men or for women or it doesn't matter? Or how about age? Yeah, is there something you think affects young people more than older workers or vice versa? And what do you think of Dr. Hammermesh's finding that it doesn't pay to try to package yourself better? Do you think that it can make a difference? Those are a lot of questions and we want to hear your answers. Leave them for us on our blog today at BigSuccess.com. That's also where we have a written summary of today's show and links to the studies that we referenced today. Before we go, let's get our big quote for the day. Our big quote today comes from a very attractive, unknown author. And this person said, "We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright. Some have weird names, but they have all learned to live together in the same box." The more colors you have, the more colorful your world can be. Next time, we ask, "Does it pay to be greedy?" We have our opinion, but it turns out we found this out, Mary Lynn Warren Buffett may disagree with us. Check in and find out why. Until then, here's to your big success. The Big Success Show at B-I-G-G Success.com (crowd cheering) [BLANK_AUDIO]