Physically attractive people are judged superior on unrelated personality and character dimensions

Evidence

In much halo effect research, physical attractiveness plays the role of the objectively irrelevant attribute that influences evaluative judgment on various other dimensions. For example, Dion, Berscheid, and Walster (1972) reported that attractive males and females are judged to be kinder, more interesting, more sociable, happier, stronger, of better character, and more likely to hold prestigious jobs. — Anthony G. Greenwald and Mahzarin R. Banaji, Implicit Social Cognition, 91

Categorization

• XREF: Classic halo-effect data aligns with the MOC notion of status-linked evaluation spreading beyond the actual trait. — connects to: People rationalize status desires as quality and beauty preferences — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 294; People over-attribute others’ behavior to personality and underweight situational constraints — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide: The Social…, 356; Perceived physical resemblance is presumed to entail shared dispositions and beliefs — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race: Reflections on…, 70 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Visible physical traits drive essentialist beliefs that link appearance to deeper traits #expands (0.86) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 113
• People over-attribute others’ behavior to personality and underweight situational constraints #expands (0.85) — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide, 356
• Perceived physical resemblance is presumed to entail shared dispositions and beliefs #expands (0.82) — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 70
• Perceived physical resemblance licenses presumptive knowledge of others’ inner lives #expands (0.80) — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 70
• Physical appearance details can instantly characterize a dangerous personality #exemplifies (0.78) — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 326
• Physical attractiveness now functions as a tacit career precondition in classical music #exemplifies (0.76) — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 581
• Perceived academic status biases recalled physical size of a person. #expands (0.72) — Anthony G. Greenwald and Mahzarin R. Banaji, Implicit Social Cognition, 96