Kids Of Attractive Parents Likely To Earn More Than Those From Average-looking Families: Study

New research conducted by the US-based National Bureau of Economic Research has unveiled an intriguing revelation regarding the correlation between parental attractiveness and the future earnings of their children. The study, titled ‘The Economic Impact of Heritable Physical Traits: Hot Parents, Rich Kid?’ delves into the dynamics of how physical attractiveness within families can influence financial outcomes across generations. Economist Daniel Hamermesh, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin and one of the authors of the report, discussed the findings in an interview with Euro News.

According to Hamermesh, the study suggests that attractiveness can function as an inherited asset, contributing to higher incomes for offspring. He stated, “Better-looking people are more likely to be financially and professionally successful throughout their lives,” underscoring the impact of appearance on socioeconomic trajectories. The investigation, which scrutinised datasets encompassing families in the United States, China and billionaire cohorts globally, relied on subjective assessments of attractiveness rather than objective metrics like facial symmetry.

The research revealed a significant correlation between parental attractiveness and children’s earnings, with each standard deviation above average attractiveness in parents correlating with a more than $2,300 (Rs 1,90,966) increase in annual earnings for their offspring. Hamermesh’s extensive research spanning over a decade has consistently highlighted the advantages attractive individuals possess in the job market, including higher employment rates and salaries.

Despite the study’s illuminating insights, Hamermesh acknowledges the troubling discriminatory implications embedded within its findings. He expressed awareness of the distressing nature of these revelations but remains optimistic about the potential for societal awareness and correction of biases toward attractive individuals. By shedding light on the prevalence of such biases, Hamermesh believes the study can catalyse efforts to address and mitigate discrimination based on physical appearance.

In response to these findings, activists in the United States have called for an expansion of anti-discrimination legislation to encompass individual characteristics, recognising the need for legal protections against biases rooted in appearance. Hamermesh’s research underscores the complex interplay between physical attractiveness and socioeconomic outcomes, urging society to confront and rectify the systemic inequalities perpetuated by appearance-based discrimination.