How Beauty Works: Theoretical Mechanisms and Two Empirical Applications on Students’ Evaluation of Teaching

• In Event: 364 - Section on Social Psychology Paper Session. Biosocial Contributions to Social Structure and Person Research

Abstract

Plenty of studies show that the physical appearance of a person affects a variety of outcomes in everyday life. However, due to an incomplete theoretical explication and empirical problems in disentangling different effects of beauty, it is unclear which mechanisms are at work. We provide an evolutionary framework encompassing hypotheses previously discussed in the literature and link and contrast it with sociological considerations to clarify how beauty works. Drawing on the case of students’ evaluations of teaching we present observational and experimental evidence for the different causal pathways of the effects of physical attractiveness. First, independent raters strongly agree how physically attractive a person is. Second, attractive instructors receive better student ratings. Third, students attend classes of attractive instructors more frequently – even if teaching quality is controlled for. Fourth, we find weak evidence that attractiveness effects become stronger if rater and ratee are of opposite sex. Finally, the beauty premium turns into a penalty if an attractive instructor falls short of students’ expectations.

Authors

• Tobias Wolbring, Ludwig Maximilian University-Munich

• Patrick Riordan, Ludwig Maximilian University-Munich