Daniel S. Hammermesh is an economist who has spent the last two decades in a scholarly pursuit of the impact of beauty on society. In his new book, “Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are More Successful” (Princeton University Press, 2011), he provides study after study that measure the influence of good looks on economic behavior and on outcomes in the workplace.

The advantages of beauty in a culture are not unique to the United States. An emphasis on human appearance goes back at least to the ancient Egyptians and is the subject of studies in Asia, Europe, and South America. Vanity rears its head in both genders and it spans multiple age groups.

In the United States 5% of consumer spending is directed towards personal appearance. Studies have shown that the average man spends 32 minutes in the morning grooming and the average woman spends 44. The time spent on grooming does not diminish as we age. Magazines are dedicated to beauty secrets and fashion tips. The average American believes that disadvantages based on looks are real, and many report having felt the victim of such discrimination.

Preference for beauty represents pursuit of an ideal. Just as Justice Stewart identified pornography as “I know it when I see it” we know beauty when we see it. Even though there is cultural variation and generational differences of opinion, studies of people’s facial image show that there is a large degree of consensus about which people are most attractive. There is substantial agreement upon what constitutes human beauty, male and female.

Within each profession you find some who are good looking and some who are not. Those seen as more beautiful are more likely to earn higher wages and more likely to get promotions. Do good looking employees raise sales? Customers are attracted to the more beautiful sales people and are more likely to buy the products they endorse. If looks are a part of a product or service than we assume that customers will value that and better looking sales people can raise revenues.

So what about the unattractive? Beauty benefits the beautiful and can increase a company’s sales and profits. But “lookism” is a form of discrimination. There is more discrimination based on looks than there is on ethnicity. Check Dr. Hammermesh’s book to see what studies measured this effect. It is a fascinating study in how to look scientifically at our prejudices and preferences.

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