Beauty Pays (ebook)

Argumento de Beauty Pays (ebook)

"Hamermesh's analysis of empirical studies in his book Beauty Pays appears to suggest that being attractive does, indeed, bring measurable materials benefits. . . . Hamermesh's research appears to have clear implications for policy."--Sunday Times

"If there was ever any doubt that Dan Hamermesh is the dean of beauty--of explaining beauty, at least--this book should put that to rest. He writes so lucidly and charmingly about such a compelling subject that you will never again look at a beautiful face (or an ugly one) without thinking of the many economic consequences. Bravo!"--Stephen J. Dubner, coauthor of Freakonomics

"Beauty is all around us. And it has value. Hamermesh, the founder of the economics of beauty, crunches the numbers and shows us what we've all suspected: the world looks different--and better--when you are beautiful. This book addresses the economics of beauty, but more importantly, it reveals the beauty of economics."--Justin Wolfers, University of Pennsylvania and Brookings Institution

"Beauty Pays is provocative and informative."--Joel Waldfogel, author of Scroogenomics

"Beauty Pays provides the first serious analysis of a significant aspect of human behavior: how beauty affects economic transactions and outcomes. This important book will receive a great deal of attention."--Naci Mocan, Louisiana State University

"In his book, Hamermesh concludes that better-looking employees are more productive, leading to higher sales and potentially higher profit. [Beauty Pays] also shows how society generates premium pay for beauty and penalties for ugliness. Hamermesh says beautiful people earn $230,000 more in a lifetime than workers with below-average looks."--Sheryl Jean, Dallas Morning News

"Daniel Hamermesh . . . has long written about 'pulchronomics.' In Beauty Pays he reckons that, over a lifetime and assuming today's mean wages, a handsome working in America might on average make $230,000 more than a very plain one. There is evidence that attractive workers bring in more business, so it often makes sense for firms to hire them. Whether rewarding them accordingly--and paying their less attractive peers more stingily--is good for society is another matter."--Economist

"Beauty Pays, fascinating read, starts with the important data collection issues and questions. . . . Written by a prominent labor economist, shows the reader why beauty can rightly be under the purview or economists."--Jennifer Tennant, Eastern Economic Journal

"The book is absorbing and disturbing, for the thought upper most in the mind is 'Am I beautiful (enough).'"--Vaidehi Nathan, Organiser

"Professor Daniel Hamermesh . . . has investigated the financial benefits of beauty and found that looks have a bigger impact on our lifetime earning power than education. In his book, Beauty Pays, Professor Hamermesh says beautiful people are more likely to get jobs, raises and promotions, and suggests that, over a lifetime, the best-looking workers will earn about 10-15 percent more per year than the ugliest."--Australian Women's Weekly

"An extensive, dizzying compilation of economic data explaining 'why attractive people are more successful.' A 40-year veteran in the field of economics, Hamermesh examines the correlation between beauty and economics. . . . Fascinating."--Kirkus Reviews

"Looks matter. . . . Labor markets as well as marriage markets, according to Daniel Hamermesh, offer premiums for good looks and penalties for ugliness. In Beauty Pays, Hamermesh assesses the role of appearance in American society, explores the options available to 'looks-challenged' people, and demonstrates that, although it's in its infancy, and is easy to mock, 'pulchronomics' (the economics of beauty) is a serious and significant subject."--Barron's

"Beauty Pays is intriguing and easy to read."--World Magazine

"If you live in the west and have lately looked at any magazine, watched any television, seen any movie, common sense would dictate that those who are better looking accrue the benefits of such a genetic roll of the dice. But what exactly those benefits are and if they are measurable is the point of Beauty Pays. . . . [T]his book . . . will prove more than just eye candy."--New York Journal of Books

"Economist Daniel Hamermesh argues that ugliness is no different from race or a disability, and suggests unattractive people deserve legal protection."--Luke Salkeld, Daily Mail

"Since the mid-nineties, Daniel Hamermesh . . . has done a series of studies on the role that appearance plays in the workplace, and his conclusion is captured by the title of his recent book, Beauty Pays. In the U.S., he finds, better-looking men earn four per cent more than average-looking men of similar education and experience, and uglier men earn thirteen per cent less. . . . Hamermesh finds that pulchritude is valuable in nearly all professions, not just those where good looks may seem to be an obvious asset."--Jim Surowiecki, New Yorker

"For the last 20 years, Texas economist Hamermesh has been intrigued by, and has contributed significant research on, what one may term 'The Economics of Beauty'. This short, provocative, engaging volume takes its audience through the author's previous work and contemporary data, analyses, and impact of being considered good-looking by others on one's labor-market outcomes (employment and compensation); in the social world of friends and family; and even the extent to which one's happiness is affected by the presence (or absence) of looks. . . . Whether at the beach, on an airplane, or in the seminar room, Beauty Pays pays handsome dividends for intelligent lay readers, scholars, and public policy decision makers."--Choice

"[A] no-warts-and-all exposé of how attractive people earn more, marry better and enjoy a wealth of positive discrimination."--Anjana Ahuja, Prospect

"The real value of this book lies not so much in its synthesis of existing results, but rather in the fact that it collects such results in a single volume. Observing side-by-side the various privileges bestowed upon the beautiful paints a picture that is more than the sum of its parts. Even though some specific results in the book may be driven by omitted variables, others are cleanly identified, and the overall set of studies builds a compelling case for the view that 'beauty pays'--being beautiful is valuable whether you are looking for a job, a loan, or a spouse."--Emir Kamenica, Journal of Economic Literature

"University of Texas labor economist Daniel Hamermesh has devoted a share of his career to the study of physical beauty and how it affects employment and earning potential. In his new book, Beauty Pays, he offers up all sorts of data he's collected over years of work. His broad point, that attractive people enjoy advantages in hiring and earning, will surprise no one. But some of the details packed inside this thoughtful and in some respects quirky and confounding book, are illuminating."--Susan Adams, Forbes

"This chatty, economist's-eye-view of beauty in the marketplace provides solid statistical evidence that beauty does pay."--Publishers Weekly

"Beauty Pays is a pleasant and interesting read, but along the way it will challenge many of your preconceptions and leave you wondering why we as a society do not do more to protect those with less desirable looks."--Times Higher Education

"Reflecting on a sensitive issue that touches everyone, Beauty Pays proves that beauty's rewards are anything but superficial."--World Book Industry0Preface ix

PART I: Background to Beauty
Chapter I: The Economics of Beauty 3
Chapter II: In the Eye of the Beholder 11
Definitions of Beauty 11
Why Do Beauty Standards Matter? 18
How Do We Measure Human Beauty? 19
Do Observers Agree on Beauty? 24
Does Beauty Differ by Gender, Race, or Age? What Makes You Beautiful? 28
Can We Become More Beautiful? 32
The Stage Is Set 35

Part I I: Beauty on the Job: What and Why
Chapter III: Beauty and the Worker 39
The Central Questions 39
How Can Beauty Affect Earnings? 40
How Much More Do Good-Looking People Make? 42
Is Beauty the Real Cause? 51
Why Are Beauty Effects Smaller Among Women? 55
Do Beauty Effects Differ by Race? 58
Do Beauty Effects Differ by Age? 59
Compensating the Beauty-Damaged Worker? 61
Looks Matter for Workers 64
Chapter IV Beauty in Specific Occupations 66
Beauty and Choosing an Occupation 66
How Big Are Beauty Effects Where Beauty Might Matter? 72
How Big Are Beauty Effects Where Beauty Might Not Matter? 79
Sorting by Beauty 84

Chapter V: Beauty and the Employer 86
The Puzzles 86
Do Good-Looking Employees Raise Sales? 87
How Does Beauty Affect Profits? 92
How Can Companies Pay for Beauty and Survive? 97
Do Companies with Better-Looking CEOs Perform Better? 98
Beauty Helps Companies--Probably 100

Chapter VI: Lookism or Productive Beauty, and Why? 102
What the Beauty Effect Means 102
How Can Beauty Effects Be Discrimination? 103
How Can Beauty Be Socially Productive? 108
What Are the Sources of Beauty Effects? 111
What Is the Direct Evidence on the Sources? 114
The Importance of Beauty 121

Part I I I: Beauty in Love, Loans, and Law
Chapter VII: Beauty in Markets for Friends, Family, and Funds 125
Beyond the Labor Market 125
How Is Beauty Exchanged? 126
How Does Beauty Affect Group Formation? 128
How Does Beauty Affect Dating? 130
How Does Beauty Affect Marriage? 135
Could There Be a Market for Beautiful Children? 141
Does Beauty Matter When You Borrow? 144
Trading Beauty in Unexpected Places 146

Chapter VIII: Legal Protection for the Ugly 148
Fairness and Public Policy 148
What Kinds of Protection Are Possible? 149
How Have Existing Policies Been Used? 154
Is It Possible to Protect the Ugly? 156
What Justifies Protecting the Ugly? 160
What Justifies Not Protecting the Ugly? 163
What Is an Appropriate Policy? 166
Protecting the Ugly in the Near Future 168

Part I V: The Future of Looks
Chapter IX Prospects for the Looks-Challenged 171
The Beauty Conundrum 173
Are Beautiful People Happier? 173
What Will Be Beautiful? What Should Be? 175
What Can Society Do? 177
What Can You Do If You?re Bad-Looking? 178

Notes 181
Index 203