- Beautiful scientists are not seen as highly competent by members of the public
- People were more interested in the work of scientists who were good-looking
- The better looking they were, the less they were expected to do quality research
Phoebe Weston For Mailonline
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Brains and beauty won’t get you ahead, according to a new study.
Having both these traits means that people will see you as more interesting.
But a new study claims good looks could also make people think you’re not as competent as your less attractive colleagues.
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US palaeontologist Paul Sereno is the National Geographic ‘explorer-in-residence’. Here he is pictured with the skull of the 67-million-year-old carnivorous predator in Bombay. Research found people use facial appearance as a source of information when evaluating science news
WHAT DID THEY DO?
In the first of a series of trials, volunteers were shown photos of more than 300 British and American scientists and asked to rate them for intelligence and attractiveness.
Other groups of participants then indicated how keen they would be to know more about what each scientist did, and whether they thought the academics were likely to be carrying out accurate and important research.
People were more interested in learning about the work of scientists who were seen as physically attractive and who appeared ‘competent and moral’.
But when it came to judging scientific ability, having an attractive face counted against the researchers.
The better looking and more sociable they were perceived to be, the less they were expected to be conducting high quality research.
This is particularly true when it comes to scientists.
Whatever marvels of the universe or natural world they are discussing, we are more likely to pay attention if they have a pretty face.
This was discovered by researchers at Cambridge and Essex universities, who found women are most interested in scientists’ looks.
But there is good news for those who can’t make people swoon by talking about neutrinos and black holes, as we think less attractive scientists are probably better at science.
Lead researcher Dr Will Skylark, from Cambridge University’s Department of Psychology, said: ‘Given the importance of science to issues that could have a major impact on society, such as climate change, food sustainability and vaccinations, scientists are increasingly required to engage with the public.
‘We know from studies showing that political success can be predicted from facial appearance, that people can be influenced by how someone looks rather than, necessarily, what they say. We wanted to see if this was true for scientists.’
The research team randomly sampled the faces of 400 scientists from the physics and biological sciences departments of UK universities and more than 200 from US university physics and genetics departments.
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Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has recently confirmed his relationship with actress Amber Heard. Scientists who combine brains and beauty are perceived as more interesting but not as academically able as their less attractive colleagues, research found
TV programme ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ is presented by biochemist Liz Bonnin. People were more interested in learning about the work of scientists who were seen as physically attractive, researchers found
More than 50 people rated the academics on their attractiveness, before being asked how interested they would be in learning more about their research.
The results showed people were more interested in the work of the scientists they had rated as most attractive.
A separate experiment found women were more likely to watch a science video or read an article if they thought the scientist involved was ‘interesting-looking’.
People often chose the people they thought most attractive as the most interesting in appearance too.
‘It seems that people use facial appearance as a source of information when selecting and evaluating science news,’ Dr Skylark said.
‘It’s not yet clear how much this shapes the spread and acceptance of scientific ideas among the public, but the rapid growth in visual media means it may be an increasingly important issue.’
‘The Joy Of Data The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry’ features mathematician Hannah Fry. The better looking and more sociable scientists were perceived to be, the less they were expected to be conducting high quality research, research found
TV programme ‘How Art Made the World’ is presented by classicist Nigel Spivey. Researchers said it was not clear how facial appearance shapes the spread and acceptance of scientific ideas among the public
David Attenborough appearing on his first TV wildlife show Zoo Quest in 1956. Given the rapid growth in visual media researchers said facial appearance may be an increasingly important issue
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, did provide some hope for those who do not combine brains with beauty, like Professor Brian Cox or blonde television anthropologist Professor Alice Roberts.
When it came to judging scientific ability, having an attractive face counted against the researchers.
The better-looking and more sociable they were perceived to be, the less they were expected to be conducting high quality research.
However the study warns that not being good-looking enough could make scientists less popular in future.
It states: ‘The conflicting effects of attractiveness on interest and good scientist judgements indicate that, although the stereotypical scientist may be an impartial truth-seeker with limited personal appeal, people partly treat science communication as a form of entertainment, where emotional appeal and aesthetic appeal are desirable qualities.’
Good looks may have played a big part in the success of physicist and presenter, Brian Cox (left) and anatomist and presenter of ‘Is my Brain Male or Female’, Alice Roberts (right) as science communicators, the findings suggest
Astronaut Jerry Linenger is a former Nasa astronaut who flew on the Space Shuttle and Space Station. In the first of a series of trials, volunteers were shown photos of more than 300 British and American scientists and asked to rate them for intelligence and attractivenes
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