People want to help, be near, or be friends with beautiful people according to the Dateline hidden camera experiment.Attractive Equals Good
Beauty and good seem to walk hand in hand. An example from the pages of history that exemplify this reality comes from the medieval witch hunts. Old women, spinsters and widows lived on the fringes of society. Their age and their haggard looks played a part in the idea that they were witches. Ugly equates with evil, bad and wrong. Beauty, on the other hand, represents all that is good in the world. Even after hundreds of years, the concept remains part of the human psyche. A Harvard professor of psychiatry, Dr. Alvin F. Pouissant, states, “People tend to think that those who have attractive looks are more trustworthy or honest than people who are not attractive.” A whole list of attributes such as intelligent, happy, sociable, aggressive, healthy, and fun are assigned to attractive people. Below-average people are looked upon as less intelligent, unhappy, withdrawn, and even unhealthy. This inborn idea of beauty and good versus ugly and bad may offer a reason as to why attractive people earn more and receive more help. The Downside of Attractive
Very attractive people, especially women, complain that they are not taken seriously. Co-workers view their beauty as a means to get ahead rather than take job performance into consideration. Beautiful people stir up the jealous side of others and can become the target for jokes, backstabbing, and general ill-will.
