A study published in Frontiers in Psychology has revealed that children are less likely to trust you if they think you are unattractive.
The study was carried out by Dr. Xiaming Lu, of Wenzhou Medical University, and Dr. Fengling Ma and Dr. Fe Xu, of Zhejiang of Sci-Tech University.
The researchers discovered that when we are kids, we are more likely to trust someone if we think they are attractive.
They carried out an experiment with two groups; one group of adults and one group of children, where they asked the participants to rate 200 male faces on both attractiveness and trustworthiness.
The faces shown to the two groups were generated by using a programme called FaceGen. This programme developed neutral looking faces that were rated throughout two sessions.
The researchers asked participants to rate the trustworthiness of the faces they viewed in the first session. In the second session, which took place one month later, they were asked to rate how attractive the faces presented to them were.
138 people took part in the study, with the children involved aged between eight and 12 years old.
The experts found that there was a strong link between the levels of trustworthiness and the levels of attractiveness. The authors of the study said: "Both children and adults showed high reliability in their judgments."
The study analysed the information gathered from both sessions and found that the level of agreement increased when the groups were closer in age.
As we age, our ability to judge trustworthiness develops; this trait is stronger in girls than it is in boys.
This new research supports the theory that attractive people are viewed in a more positive light. It is believed that good-looking people are more talented, intelligent and confident.
Another study found that there may be a link between women’s fitness levels and eating habits, and how attractive their partners are.
The study was conducted by a team at Florida State University, who discovered that women were more inclined to diet and workout if they felt like they had attractive partners.
The study authors stated, “Results demonstrated that own and partner attractiveness interacted to predict only women’s dieting motivations and behaviors.”
The experts involved in this investigation plan on using this latest information to learn more about what makes women feel pressured to look a certain way.
They also hope to use this study to find out more about the link between eating disorders and women who worry that they won’t live up to partners' expectations of beauty.
