Beautiful people are more likely to get hired, get better performance evaluations and get paid more — but it's not just because of their good looks, according to new research from the University at Buffalo School of Management. The research found that while a “beauty premium” exists for all professions, it is partly because attractive people develop different traits as a result of how the world reacts to their attractiveness. They build a greater sense of power and have more opportunities to improve their non-verbal communication skills throughout their lives.
“We wanted to investigate whether there is a general preference for beauty at work, or whether attractive people excel professionally because they are more effective communicators,” said Min-Hsuan Tu, PhD, assistant professor. “What we found was that while good-looking people have a greater sense of power and are better non-verbal communicators, their less attractive peers can level the playing field during the hiring process by adopting a strong stance.”
The researchers conducted two studies that evaluated 300 elevator pitches from participants in a fake job search. In the first study, managers found that the good-looking people were more likely to hire because of their more effective non-verbal presence.
In the second study, the researchers asked certain participants to assume a "power pose" during their pitch by standing with their feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips, chest out and chin up. With this technique, the less attractive people were able to match the level of nonverbal presence that their more attractive counterparts naturally exhibited.
“By adopting the physical postures associated with feelings of power and self-confidence, less attractive people can minimize behavioral differences in job searches,” Tu says. “But power posing isn't the only solution — anything that can make you feel more powerful, like doing a confident self-talk, visualizing yourself succeeding, or reflecting on past performance before a social evaluation situation can help.”
