Does good-looking face matter?

By APD Writer Yang Siyao

A recent article entitled “Peking University makes exceptional offer to top student” attracts much attention from the Chinese public, sparking discussions on university admission standards.

Zhou Mengjia, a high school graduate from east China’s Zhejiang province, makes waves on China's Twitter-like Weibo with her beauty and talents. According to a latest news report, Peking University, one of the country’s most prestigious universities, lowered 219 points than the minimum admission score to accept her. And now she has received an official admission letter.

The top university said Zhou is up to the admission standard for athletes and lowering points doesn’t mean lowering the admission threshold. Even so, some netizens still believe it is unfair to other candidates.

Compared to Zhou’s talents and endeavors, some media and netizens are more concerned about her charming face. Does people’s appearance really affect their studies, work and life?

In China, extreme makeovers are all the rage these years, with the number of plastic surgery steadily increasing. Many believe that a good-looking face can be a source of lifelong advantage.

Psychologists find women are more likely to tolerate bad behavior from handsome men. In what psychologists call the “halo effect”, people warm up to others with positive characteristics such as attractiveness.

As for men, they are more likely to accept bad deals from attractive women.

“We appear to have a bias toward being nice to attractive people even when the rewards to ourselves, such as increasing the chance of a date, wouldn’t apply,” said Anthony Little , a psychologist from UK-based University of Stirlin.

People aren’t racist or sexist any more, but are still faceist.

According to a survey, recruiters and managers are so faceist that the good-looking have been found to earn some 12 percent more than the bad-looking.

In a paper called “Why Beauty Matters”, University of Michigan information scientists Markus Mobius and Tanya Rosenblat identified three reasons.

Firstly, physically attractive workers are wrongly considered more able by employers. Secondly, physically attractive workers are more confident, and higher confidence increase wages. Thirdly, physically attractive workers have social skills that raise their wages when they interact with employers.

But these advantages are based on their capabilities for work. If they are macaroni person, employers will never hire them, let alone any promotion.

Perhaps physically attractive people can profit from their appearance, but it will not last long. After all, no one would like a beauty without brains. Shining actors and actresses try to be perfect on the screen, and they need improving their acting to win audience’s heart. Because beauty is only skin-deep, it will decline, but wisdom never grows old.

(Asia Pacific Daily & Why Beauty Matters from American Economic Review )