Those deemed 'less attractive' have shorter lifespans than 'more attractive' peers, study finds

A study conducted by Arizona State University and The University of Texas at Austin scholars, found that people they categorised within the 'unattractive' range had lower life span than their more attractive peers, according to a report in The Science Times.

The study used data from a multi-generational survey on well-being involving over 8,300 senior class high school students in Wisconsin between 1957 and either death or old age in 2022, the report added.

The researchers used photographs of the test subjects from their high school days and asked independent arbiters to rate their attractiveness. The study claims that those in the bottom attractiveness category were 16.8% more likely to die than those in the middle four categories. However, the study did not find much difference in longevity between those placed in the highly attractive category from those in the average range.

"Little is known about the association between facial attractiveness and longevity. But attractiveness may convey underlying health, and it systematically structures critical social stratification processes. Broadly, we found that those whose facial attractiveness was rated in the least attractive sextile had a higher mortality risk throughout life compared to those rated average or high," The Daily Mail quoted the authors.

According to the investigators social prejudices could play a significant role in the disparity in lifespan. The authors believe social advantages such as better treatment, higher income, and fairer sentencing account for these divergences in mortality, The Science Times report adds.

The authors added that "Attractiveness could directly influence longevity as considerable research has found that there is a genetic component to attractiveness but there is also extensive social science that demonstrates that more attractive people earn more, get treated better by teachers, are less likely to commit crime and, when they do, receive lighter sentences."

"Over time, if people didn’t pay as much attention to looks in daily life, I’m quite sure that 100 years from now we wouldn’t see these differences in longevity," the report quoted Dr Connor Sheehan, one of the authors of the study.