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Like it or
not, the marketplace imposes a financial penalty on the
“ugly.” And there is research to prove it.
“Unattractive” men earn 15 percent less than men considered
“attractive.” As for women, the pay gap is 11 percent. Those
are the results of a
study conducted by Guildhall University in London. The
study included 11,000 33-year-olds.
"Good-looking men and women are generally judged to be more
talented, kind, honest and intelligent than their less
attractive counterparts," says Dr. Gordon Patzer, in an
article posted on
Careerbuilder.com. "Controlled studies show people go out
of their way to help attractive people - of the same and
opposite sex - because they want to be liked and accepted by
good-looking people."
The fact is
that human beings tend to like people that they find “good
looking,” says Patzer, who has studied physical attractiveness
for 30 years. Studies of babies also show they are more
interested in pretty faces.
This doesn’t
mean that if you’re homely you’re doomed to under-earn. After
all, Bill Gates ain’t exactly Robert Redford.
If you’re
not great looking (and even if you are) you can overcome the
“ugliness penalty” by making sure that you know how to connect
with people through strong eye contact, listening skills, and
dressing in a way that looks confident and professional.
At
Speechworks we help our clients learn how to communicate in a
way that connects and persuades. If you’re interested in
becoming a great communicator give us a call at 404-266-0888
or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net |
