Recently, I was reading about the new New Zealand Prime Minister and there was one comment which said that he looked too “childish” for the job.
This got me thinking about how looks affect your “worth” in the market.
But how far does attractiveness translate into a higher salary?
And for those of us who aren’t that attractive (like me), does improving our image help us achieve more in our careers and salaries?
Let’s find out!
Disclaimer: The studies used in this article are based on westerners and may not be an accurate reflection of local society. Currency conversions are based on the time of writing.
TL;DR: How Far Do Looks Affect Your Salary?
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General Attractiveness
Remember the “fake socialite” that lived for free in Beijing for a period of 21 days?
Now that’s the peak social experiment of pretty privilege and how having a well-put-together image can get you free meals at expensive hotels.
But does general attractiveness affect our salaries too?
According to a 2001 Yale study by Daniel Hamermesh titled “Beauty and The Labor Market”, if people think you’re good-looking, you’ll be paid more!
Hamermesh found that you could earn a “beauty” premium of 5 per cent more if you were more attractive than the average joe. Meanwhile, the less attractive among us “suffered a salary penalty of up to 9 per cent”.
A more recent study by the University of Chicago suggests that attractive individuals earn roughly 20 per cent more than people of average attractiveness.
Pretty harsh huh?
Perceived Maturity
Ah yes, something I’m severely disadvantaged in. If you look young as a female, that’s great! But as a male, I had an inkling that people underestimate me because I have a babyface.
I mean, I’m 27 this year but just the other day, a random stranger overheard me telling my friend about my age and said that I looked 14! That’s even younger than what the ang mos (Hokkien: red hair) used to guess. But I digress.
After my research, it seems that my fears weren’t unfounded.
Over at Duke University, John Graham, Campbell Harvey, and Manju Puri conducted a study and had 2,000 people rate CEOs’ facial features. They found that mature-looking Caucasian men were perceived as more powerful.
Another expert, Robern Livingston, who authored a study on facial structures of CEOs, has also said that “Prior research has shown babyface-type traits are a liability for those striving for a leadership role because they undermine perceptions of competence“.
In other words, if you have a babyface, you are at a disadvantage when gunning for a leadership role. I hate that I’m actually right this time!
Maybe I should grow a beard or something to look more mature lol.
Height
The taller you are, the more you get.
At least that’s what the Ivy League Harvard University suggests.
It found that men who are at least 6′ (183 cm) tall make an average annual salary of US$5,525 (S$7,324) more than their shorter, 5’5 (165 cm) counterparts.
That translates to about S$610 more per month!
Another study that polled half of the Fortune 500 companies found that male CEOs were three inches taller on average than the average man at just under 6′.
But why is this so?
According to a study by Anne Case and Christina Paxson, height is positively associated with cognitive ability, which translates to higher pay in the labor market.
Weight
Don’t go too overboard with snacks at the office pantry as that could actually lower your pay!
Obese workers with a Body Mass Index of over 30 are paid less than normal-weight coworkers (US$8,666 a year or S$955 a month less for obese women and US$4,772 a year or S$526 a month for obese men) according to a George Washington University study.
Another study reported in the International Journal of Obesity conducted an experiment where people were shown pictures of job candidates, along with their resumes, and asked to score them on suitability, starting salary, and employability.
What the test subjects didn’t know however was that the pictures were actually before and after bariatric weight loss surgery of the same person!
The results were overwhelmingly in favour of thinner candidates; they were chosen for the job and had higher starting salaries than the heavier ones.
Physique
So, if being overweight is bad for our salaries, the opposite should be true right?
Yep, you guessed it!
A study in the Journal of Labor Research found that workers who exercise regularly earn 9 per cent more than those who don’t. Those who exercise thrice or more a week earn an average of US$80 a week more.
Work out at least once to thrice per week? You’ll still see a slight increment of more than 5 per cent in additional salary!
Makeup
Not only do people judge beauty based on how much makeup a woman is wearing, but make-up-adorned women also rank higher in competence and trustworthiness, according to a study funded by Procter & Gamble, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston University, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Another study in the American Economic Review said women who wear make-up can earn 30 per cent more in salary than those who don’t!
But of course, I’m assuming that the makeup is flattering rather than over-the-top ones that could work against your favour.
And with more men now open to putting on natural makeup, maybe we guys should wear some to work too!
Dressing
This one might sound like common sense. After all, you would have to be either a coveted talent or a complete idiot to turn up to an interview in slippers and shorts.
But of course, other than first impressions, how far does dressing up for the workplace affect our salaries?
According to the same study by the University of Chicago,
We find that attractive individuals earn roughly 20 percent more than people of average attractiveness, but this gap is reduced when controlling for grooming, suggesting that the beauty premium can be actively cultivated.
Harvard Business Review also seconds the notion by writing that dressing professionally and conservatively can advance your career.
Afterthoughts
Wow, that was much more than I expected to find and we have yet to dive into things like posture, confidence, facial expressions, etc.
Just based on looks alone, it is quite clear that people judge, hard.
That said, this article isn’t meant to tell you that if you look “ugly” by societal standards, you should just lie flat (not do anything). Your abilities still matter more than your looks!
And while there are some things that we can’t change such as height and perceived maturity, we can most definitely put in an effort to dress up, wear makeup, and have a healthy body.
After all, how you groom and present yourself will affect your salary to some extent!
