You Believe It or Not, Looks Matter

Looks matter. Otherwise, movies and stories won’t show fairies and angels so beautifully.

Have you ever imagined a fairy looking like a common human or even an ogre? We have been told and shown that anything that is beautiful is good. Anything that is ugly is bad.

Good looks is subjective and it varies from person to person. What may be beautiful for you may not be for others.

Your ideas of “Good Looks” can be influenced by your culture, upbringing, and personal experiences.

Why Should You Believe that Looks Matter?

You should. Because evolutionary psychology is behind it.

Our ancestors were highly dependent on visual cues to determine a potential mate. They were attracted to traits like health, clear skin, attractive facial features, and symmetrical body.

If a person possessed such traits, it was a sign of good genes and fertility. For our ancestors, they were potential mates to reproduce better offspring.

Today, our brains behave the same way.

We can assume our brainss like a metal detector. It ignores a person with plain looks but starts beeping on seeing a person with good looks.

But biology is not the only reason we get attracted to good looks, social psychology also plays a significant role.

Society often assumes that if someone has good looks, they are kind, healthy, intelligent, and successful. This assumption doesn’t reflect whether it’s true or not.

You can consider this phenomenon as the “halo effect”.

Even different researches have suggested that good looks have the upper hand than plain looks.

Like, in a research conducted by researchers of the University of New Mexico, they found a link between general intelligence and body symmetry.

Everyone says that looks don’t matter, age doesn’t matter, money doesn’t matter. But i never met a girl yet who has fallen in love with an old ugly man who’s broke.

Rodney Dangerfield

What Opportunities Does a Person With Good Looks Get?

Good looks do open doors for more opportunities.

I am not going to put every aspect of looks, when they work and when they do not. Because looks are subjective and definition and meaning of it can change from person to person.

I am just writing about when looks matter.

Here are some potential opportunities that may be more accessible to people perceived as attractive or have good looks:

1. Meeting New People and Making Friends

People with good looks find it easier to strike up a conversation when they meet new people. Because good looks boost their self-esteem and confidence.

It’s easier for attractive people to network and make connections because people are often drawn to them and want to engage with them.

Can you recall any incident where you met someone new? What was your first impression? There is a higher probability that their looks impressed you first, not their wit, humor, or their kindness.

It is human nature to judge based on what we see, and that is why looks matter.

2. Dating and Romance

Most of the love stories start with attraction.

People may fall for good looks anywhere, schools, colleges, or workspace. Most of love stories happen in such places because of those beautiful eyes, charming smiles, infectious laughter, luscious hair, and appealing facial or body symmetry.

A person with good looks receives more attention from potential romantic partners. It means the person will receive more dating opportunities than a plain-looking person.

Good-looking people feel more confident and comfortable in dating situations.

Furthermore, in this age of online dating and social media, good-looking profile pictures can really make a difference. People view and interact more with good-looking profile pictures.

Good looks can help you in the initial days of dating or romantic partnership. To sustain this relationship further, you would be required to possess more than good looks.

3. Social Opportunities

Imagine you are at a party. People are having a great time.

Now, you notice someone who is conventionally attractive and they may catch your eye. You feel a magnetic pull and you go to them and start a conversation. This is human nature – we tend to gravitate towards beauty.

So, in social settings, good looks can act as a foot in the door, a way to break the ice and start interactions.

When you have good looks, you make a positive first impression in social settings. This can lead to people inviting you more to events, parties, and gatherings. Like it happens with celebrities.

4. Professional Opportunities

Good looks do open doors for more opportunities.

Good-looking people can find opportunities anywhere, be it a workspace, a business, or in politics.

Imagine a situation where there are two applicants: Manya and Dev. Both have similar education and skills. But Manya is tall, beautiful, and has a warm smile. Dev, on the other hand, doesn’t have those conventional beauty standards.

When the interviewer interviews both of them, their subconscious biases may be in favor of Manya more because of her appearance. They may find Manya more likable, trustworthy, and capable than Dev.

This unconscious bias can influence the interviewer’s decision, and Manya may be offered the job over Dev.

In the past, I also favored some good-looking candidates over others unconsciously. But I acknowledge that those were bad decisions. I learned about my subconscious biases later and I am more conscious now while making such decisions.

But it doesn’t mean all good looking people are not talented. Many of them are. Similarly, not all interviewers may be biased for appearance.

5. Modeling and Entertainment

Imagine you are watching a movie and a good-looking actor comes on the screen. You notice that their good looks has captured your attention. Your heart starts beating a little faster.

Good looks have cast the magic on you.

Similarly, your gaze stops when you see good-looking people while scanning a magazine or watching TV.

The model industry is focused on showcasing clothing, accessories, and beauty products. So good-looking models become a canvas for fashion designers and makeup artists to get the look they want.

Also, good looks matter in the entertainment industry.

Talent, dedication, and hard work are crucial requirements for actors. But, having good looks can help an actor stand out in a crowded field.

Why Should You Look Good?

If you are not naturally good, you can put effort into looking good.

I remember a story about Rabindranath Tagore, a great Indian multi-faceted creative artist and Nobel Laureate. One day Mahatma Gandhi was waiting outside Rabindranath Tagore’s home so that they could go for a walk together.

Rabindranath was taking time to come out. After waiting for some time, Gandhi looked through the window.

Gandhi noticed that Rabindranath was standing in front of a full-length mirror and was combing his hair. Gandhi couldn’t bear it and asked Rabindranath the reason for combing his hair at this age.

Rabindranath came outside and said, “If I were young, I wouldn’t bother about combing my hair. But, as I am old now, I couldn’t afford to not comb my hair. People will get disturbed if I appear ugly to them.”

So it doesn’t matter if you are not conventionally good-looking. You can take care of your appearance and health and still look good.

It’s not about being superficial, it’s about presenting your best self to the world.

Investing in your health and appearance is beneficial. Not only does it help you grab more opportunities but also enhances your confidence and self-worth.

People who think they don’t care about their health and appearance, are just in denial and lazy to work on themselves. They are looking for comfort more than going through the pain and effort it requires to look good.

If there were a medicine or injection that could help people look good, I bet everyone would take it.

Education is important. Building your skills is important. Remaining humble and kind is important. But, taking care of your appearance is also important.

Looks matters.