Introduction: Even though people are taught that looks arent everything and beauty is in the eye of the beholder, these beliefs do not always seem to be upheld within American society. For many years psychologists have disputed whether the importance of physical appearance is a learned concept, from such influences as television or magazines, or has a biological explanation. One consistency found is that physical attractiveness becomes less important as individuals mature. There have been many studies focusing on the link between physical attractiveness and the behavior of individuals. In 1972 researchers (Dion, Berscheid, & Walster) administered a test to college students by showing them photographs of people with varying physical appearances. The college students would then describe a type of personality for each photograph. Other researchers (Stephan & Langlois, 1984; Karraker & Stern, 1990) researched feelings and perceptions of adults about the cuteness of an assorted group of newborn infants. In 1977 research was performed comparing the annual salaries of men and women of like qualifications but contrasting physical appearance (Dipboye, Arvey, & Terpstra). The results from all of these studies were similarphysical attractiveness was a key factor.

Hypothesis: Alan Feingold set out to study and compare personality traits of those individuals who were considered to be physically attractive with those who were not considered physically attractive. Feingold wanted to disprove the myth that attractive or good-looking individuals could possess superior personality traits.

Method: Defining the attractiveness of individuals for this type of research is not simple. There are far too many ways in which people can be classified in terms of beauty and personality. Much of this revolves around personal preferences of others. Feingold combined the results of numerous studies dealing with this issue.

Results: Feingolds research indicated no significant relationships between physical attractiveness and such traits as intelligence, leadership ability, self-esteem, and mental health. For unknown reasons, results seem to be reported and discussed more from the studies in which physical attractiveness dominates. Yet in actuality, Feingolds research indicated those type of results occurred far less. Perhaps relaying the cases in which physical attractiveness prevails shows humans that we still can be superficial when judging other people as a whole. Although Feingold found no relationship between physical attractiveness and distinguished personality traits, he did discover tendencies within the two defined groups. He discovered that those individuals who are considered attractive generally are more comfortable in social settings and are less likely to be lonely and anxious. They seem to be more socially skilled than their counterparts. Therefore, what seems to be important is how we define physical attractiveness and our perceptions of the personalities of those attractive people.

Analyzing the Case Study

1. What connection between personality and physical attractiveness did Feingold set out to study?

2. What connections between physical attractiveness and personality did Feingold discover?

3. Critical Thinking Do you think physical beauty influences a persons personality? Explain.