Do you consider yourself to be an attractive person? A recent study, published by Frontiers in Psychology, observed how children perceive both attractive and non-attractive people. The result found that if kids don’t warm up to you right away, cry at the sight of you or just don’t seem to like you, you may not be one of the “attractive people”. The reason behind is you do not look trustworthy in the eyes of kids. And the story is totally different for attractive people–they are liked by kids and are trusted!
Are Attractive People More Trustworthy?
The psychologists who conducted this study were probably not aiming to prove that the unattractive faces of the world are not worthy of trust. What they were trying to prove is that both children and adults have biased opinions about who they should trust in this world.
The second part of this study took not only groups of children, but adults as well to see if our perceptions change as we get older. Apparently our viewpoint only gets stronger as we age, and adults are also guilty of assigning trustworthiness to people based on their looks.
Obviously this is a result of society’s great misconception that beauty equals character. If anyone actually believes that attractive people should automatically be trusted, they have a serious problem! When children like some people more than others, it’s not really because those people are more trustworthy; it’s because like everyone else, children gravitate towards people who are happy and confident. People who believe they are attractive are usually more happy and confident.
It’s Up To You
After reading this study, you can choose to walk away with your tail between your legs and think that if children find you unattractive, no one ever will, OR you can do something about your situation.
So what if mainstream society doesn’t find you attractive? Love who you are. Take care of yourself, inside and outside. As you learn to love and care for yourself, you will be happier and more confident. Your happiness and confidence will change others’ perception of you, and you will soon find that children and adults will see you as one of the “attractive people”.
