Is it Worth Judging by Appearances?

Appearances are deceptive. It is a common truth; practically everyone has met at least someone whose character and appearance differ radically.

When one sees a tall, broad-shouldered youth, one expects him to be strong-willed and brave. One thinks: ‘A model to follow!’ How often a good-looking individual turns out to be petty, weak-willed or even cowardly. Then one thinks: ’A mediocrity!’

At the same time everyone knows that a lot of great people were of a poor build: short and fragile. It did not stop them from displaying intelligence and courage. Ingenuity does not depend on one’s complexion or constitution.

Plump or fat people create an impression of generous and kind personalities. Strangely enough, not rarely they may be thrifty or even greedy. One usually thinks: ‘A scrooge!’

On the other hand, thin or slim nervous ladies often tend to be lavish. They like to buy and never think twice when they pay. One thinks: ‘I would call her open-handed and Mother would call her a spendthrift’. Yes, mothers are always stricter in judgements.

Has it ever happened to you that you come to an important office and see an important boss? You immediately evaluate his looks: ‘Round-faced, small narrow eyes, dimples on the cheeks and an up-turned nose. What a kind-hearted person! A simpleton!’ You tell the boss of your troubles and expect immediate help. But the boss appears to be rude, harsh and willful. You never get your help and think: ‘A stone heart and an iron fist’.

When someone sees a delicately built pretty blonde with curly hair, blue eyes, a straight nose and a high forehead, one is inclined to think that the beauty is intelligent and nice. It may be disappointing to think later: ‘What a stupid, capricious, impolite bore!’

On the contrary, when one sees a skinny brunette with ugly irregular features – a hooked nose, pointed chin, close-set eyes and thin lips, strange thoughts come to one’s head; because it is the image of evil people – cruel and cunning. It may be a relief some time later to find her a clever, gentle and good-mannered lady and think: ‘What charm! A heart of gold!’

Another general misconception lies in the fact that children are always expected to resemble their parents. And parents like it when children take after them. Relatives like to compare moles, the shape of noses, etc. the greatest compliment is: ‘They are as like as two peas’. The greatest disappointment is to find nothing in common. We want to deny people their exclusiveness, we don’t want to admit that nature has selected other options from enormous genetic fund developed over generations. Why do we like our copies? Who knows!

Nature likes to play tricks on us. But don’t you think it is a present on the part of nature? Life becomes not a boring routine, but a brilliant kaleidoscope of characters and appearances which often clash.

Text 4.2.

Looking Good Gets the Goodies

Whereas intelligence can be tested on paper, looks are tested only by your experiences with other people. Your appearance affects how other people behave towards you and probably how you behave in return.

From childhood we are always measuring our own looks against those of other people. Meanwhile as they measure themselves other people are giving us messages about how we look.

Certain qualities are attributed to looks such as the stereotype of the fat jolly person or the tall powerful man. If you are fat and sad or tall and insecure people have to readjust their first false impression before they try to cheer you up or reassure you.

Yet the interferences made about such characteristics as sallow complexion (hostility), blond hair (goodness and virtue), high forehead (intelligence) are not generally supported by scientific testing of their owners. (Although some people do fit the stereotype: for example short-sighted people do tend to average higher IQ scores.)

Attractiveness is the key word. Time and again in experiments people judged as attractive by their peers prove to have the edge on others. People sometimes said they preferred intelligence and charm to looks, but when their behaviour was tested they showed preferences for attractive people as friends, dates, sex-partners and spouses. In most cases they are favoured by juries in mock trials, and even attractive mental patients get preferential treatment from nurses.

One group of scientists arranged a blind-date dance for students at the University of Minnesota and found that they could predict how much someone would like his or her partner and want to see them again according to the partner’s attractiveness.

And the old cliché that looks don’t bring happiness seems to be untrue at least for women. For, while an international happiness survey in the mid-seventies found no relationship between physical attractiveness and self-esteem (no one factor or small set of factors seems to determine happiness), another study found that attractive women were psychologically healthier.

But what is attractive? In scientific terms it’s usually measured by experiments in which photographs are shown to peers who then rate them. Outside the laboratory you only have to look at people whose raw material doesn’t fit the stereotype (for example Barbara Streisand) to see that many people can be attractive by virtue of self-confidence, talent and self-projection.

Clothes and make-up play their part, too: a woman deliberately dressed and made-up to look physically attractive influenced the opinion of a male audience more than when she appeared before them as her unadorned self.

Is it worth the effort? If you are someone who feels good when they look good (and not everyone does), people probably respond to your glow. Then your self-esteem goes up and while it’s high you beam out more welcome signals that elicit more positive responses and so on. In reverse gear, when depression sets in, you keep off signs which deflect people, you feel worthless and you’re in a downward spiral.

Text 4.3.