Unattractive appearance linked to risk of earlier death

Women considered less beautiful live two years less

Beauty is a subjective concept. To each his own. However, American scientists decided to study the connection between unattractive appearance and earlier death. And a connection was found. The results are quite interesting.

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According to the researchers, ugly men live on average almost a year less than those who were considered beautiful. But ugly women live two years less.

These results were made by American scientists and published in the journal Social Science and Medicine.

Researchers from Arizona State University and the University of Texas at Austin, DailyMail reports, analyzed data from a long-term study that followed more than 8,300 Wisconsin high school students from 1957 until they reached old age or died in 2022.

In addition to collecting data on the subjects' health over their lifetimes, the scientists also collected their photographs and had independent judges rate their attractiveness.

The participants' appearance was then ranked into six categories, from most attractive to least attractive.

Using the National Death Index, the researchers also compared the number of deaths that had occurred in the group up to 2022. They found that almost half of the sample had died by the end of the follow-up period.

The Daily Mail reports that those in the bottom six attractiveness categories were 16.8% more likely to die than those in the middle four categories.

The difference in mortality rates between the four average ratings and those that received the highest ratings for attractiveness was small.

The study's authors acknowledge that little is known about the link between facial attractiveness and longevity. However, it is clear that attractiveness can reflect underlying health. Hence, successful or less successful interactions with society.

Sociologist Connor Sheehan of Arizona State University emphasized that attractiveness can directly affect life expectancy, since numerous studies have shown that it has a genetic component.

He adds that, as social media discussions about «beauty privilege» have shown, more attractive people are treated better in everyday interactions.

The sociologist cites extensive sociological data showing that more attractive people earn more, are treated better by teachers, are less likely to commit crimes, and if they do commit them, they receive more lenient sentences.