06 Jan. 2014 | Comments (0)
In U.S. Congressional districts where life expectancy was 1 standard deviation below the mean, 2010 vote totals for physically attractive candidates were 3 percentage points higher than for unattractive candidates, on average, whereas in districts with high life expectancy, attractive candidates had no advantage, says a team led by Andrew Edward White of Arizona State University. A low life expectancy indicates a relatively high “disease threat” in a district, and an evolutionary perspective suggests that people facing disease threats show a greater preference for attractive, and thus healthy-looking, leaders.
SOURCE: Beauty at the Ballot Box: Disease Threats Predict Preferences for Physically Attractive Leaders
This blog first appeared on Harvard Business Review on 11/25/2013.
View our complete listing of Career Development and Leadership Development blogs.
-
About the Author:HBR The Daily Stat
Facts and figures to stimulate thought—and action.
 (1).png)
0 Comment Comment Policy