Article 20 - What is Beautiful is good

Independent Variable

Pictures of girl or pictures of boy, level of attractiveness

Conclusion

- The results suggest that a physical attractiveness stereotype exists and that its content is perfectly compatible with the "What is beautiful is good" thesis. Not only are physically attractive persons assumed to possess more socially desirable personalities than those of lesser attractiveness, but it is presumed that their lives will be happier and more successful. - We do not know, of course, how well this stereotype stands up against contradictory in- formation. Nor do we know the extent to which it determines the pattern of social interaction that develops with a person of a particular attractiveness level

Result

- The six unattractive stimulus persons were seen as less attractive than the average stimulus persons, who, in turn, were seen as less attractive than the six attractive stimulus persons.

Procedure

- When the subjects arrived at the designated rooms, they were introduced to the experiment as a study of accuracy in person perception. Following the introduction, each subject was given three envelopes. Each envelope contained one photo of a stimulus person of approximately the subject's own age. One of the three envelopes that the subject received contained a photograph of a physically attractive stimulus person; another contained a photograph of a person of average attractiveness; and the final envelope contained a photograph of a relatively unattractive stimulus person. Half of our subjects received three pictures of girls; the remainder received pictures of boys. - The subjects were requested to record their judgments of the three stimulus persons in several booklets

Dependent Variable

their recordings (Social desirability of the stimulus person's personality, Occupational status of the stimulus person, Marital competence of the stimulus person, Parental competence of the stimulus person, Social and professional happiness of the stimulus person, Total happiness of the stimulus person, Likelihood of marriage)

Design

Experiment, - an attempt to determine if a physical attractiveness stereotype exists and, if so, to investigate the content of the stereotype along several dimensions. Specifically, it was designed to investigate (a) whether physically attractive stimulus persons, both male and female, are assumed to possess more socially desirable personality traits than unattractive persons and (b) whether they are expected to lead better lives than unattractive individuals