Beauty over brains: Good looks can be more important to career success than academic achievement, according to a German study. |
Good-looking people worried about higher education shouldn't worry. Beauty is every bit as good as a BA when it comes to getting on, a new study says. Researchers at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg in northern Germany have found wages, promotions and perks at work are linked to a person's attractiveness. While looks have long been thought essential for women to climb the corporate ladder, they say, they are even more important for men. The team, headed by Professor Christian Pfeifer, questioned more than 3,000 people about their careers and compared them with rankings of how attractive they were. Researchers themselves gauged their subjects' looks on a scale of one to 11. Professor Pfeifer said: 'The results showed that just one point above average on the attractiveness scale and the chance of getting employed rises by three percent. 'Five points more – that is about the difference between an ordinary face and downright beauty – helps in getting a job as much as a university degree.' 'It remains unclear exactly how attractiveness often equates to higher pay and higher-flying career, but I suspect the first impression a person makes could be crucial. 'It is possible that good looking people make a more lasting impression in interviews, or that they come across as nicer. 'The future boss may notice nothing – they may possibly think they were making a choice based on the competence of the applicant. In such a case, attractiveness could act as a tool to open the door.' He added: 'We know that good looking people are often more self assured, which could help in boosting their productivity.' Professor Pfeifer and his team have published the findings of the research this week in the Applied Economics Letters journal. (Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
那些為高等學(xué)歷發(fā)愁的帥哥美女們不用再愁了。一項新研究稱,在職場競爭中,美貌和學(xué)歷一樣好使。 德國北部的呂訥堡大學(xué)的研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),工資、晉升和津貼都和一個人的外貌吸引力有關(guān)。 人們長期以來一直認(rèn)為外貌對于女性獲得職場晉升至關(guān)重要,但研究人員稱,外貌對男性更為重要。 克里斯蒂安?普菲菲教授帶領(lǐng)的這一研究團隊調(diào)查了3000多人,詢問了他們的事業(yè)發(fā)展情況,并給他們的外貌打了分,將這二者做比較。 研究人員按從1到11的評分等級給調(diào)查對象的外貌打分。 普菲菲教授說:“結(jié)果顯示,只要比外貌吸引力平均分高出一分,被雇用的幾率就增加3%。 “再多5分——即相貌平凡的人和公認(rèn)的美人間的差距——就能和大學(xué)學(xué)位一樣幫你得到一份工作?!?/p> “對于外貌吸引力怎么會和高收入以及事業(yè)有成劃上等號,目前還不清楚其具體原因,不過我猜想一個人的第一印象可能很關(guān)鍵。 “有可能長相好的人在面試中給人的印象更持久,或者他們會給人更和善的印象。 “未來的上司也許什么也沒注意到,他們可能認(rèn)為自己是根據(jù)求職者的能力做出的選擇。在這種情況下,外貌吸引力可以成為敲開職場大門的一個工具。” 他還說:“我們知道長得漂亮的人通常更有自信,這會有助于提高他們的生產(chǎn)力。 普菲菲教授和他的團隊將研究成果發(fā)表在本周的《應(yīng)用經(jīng)濟學(xué)快報》雜志上。 相關(guān)閱讀 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 陳丹妮 編輯:Julie) |
Vocabulary: BA: Bachelor of Arts 文學(xué)士學(xué)位 perks: 津貼;額外補貼 gauge: 估計,判斷,測量 downright: 完全的,十足的 high-flying career: 事業(yè)有成 self assured: 有自信的 |