The physical attractiveness stereotype is a term that psychologists use to refer to the tendency to assume that people who are physically attractive also possess other socially desirable personality traits. A psychologist is a scientist and/or clinician who studies psychology, the systematic investigation of the human mind, including behavior and cognition. ... It has been suggested that Sexual attraction be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that Personality psychology be merged into this article or section. ...

Many studies have found that people tend to think that more attractive people are also happier, outgoing, successful, kinder and have many other positive traits. In less-individualistic cultures beautiful people are assumed to have traits that those cultures value, such as concern for others, loyalty and integrity. For judgements of value about collectivism and individualism, see individualism and collectivism. ...

The stereotype acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy where the perception of attractive people as more valuable members of society leads to their receiving preferential treatment, positive feedback and tangible benefit. Studies have found that attractiveness does correlate positively with some traits such as personal income, social skills and self-confidence. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that, in being made, actually causes itself to become true. ... Feedback is (generally) information about actions. ... Income, generally defined, is the money that is received as a result of the normal business activities of an individual or a business. ... Social skills are skills a social animal uses to interact and communicate with others to assist status in the social structure and other motivations. ... Self-confidence is an attitude which allows individuals to have positive yet realistic views of themselves and their situations. ...

This cognitive bias could be considered to be a specific kind of halo effect. Cognitive bias is any of a wide range of observer effects identified in cognitive science and social psychology including very basic statistical, social attribution, and memory errors that are common to all human beings. ... Halo effect refers to the cognitive bias in which in series of perceptions the interpretation of later ones are influenced by perception of former ones. ...

See also

• List of cognitive biases

Cognitive bias is distortion in the way humans perceive reality (see also cognitive distortion). ...

References

• Eagly, A. H., Ashmore, R. D., Makhijani, M. G. & Longo, L. C. (1991). What is beautiful is good, but...: a meta-analytic review of research on the physical attractiveness stereotype. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 109-128.
• Wheeler, L. & Kim, Y. (1997). What is beautiful is culturally good: The physical attractiveness stereotype has different content in collectivist cultures. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 795-800.