Will you live long if you are ugly? Research: "Low appearance" may affect life expectancy and increase the risk of death by 16.8%
If you are born with less “good looks” than ordinary people, not only will it easily affect your interpersonal relationships, but your life expectancy may also be lower than that of ordinary people? According to a study in “Social Science & Medicine”, up to 8,000 people rated each other’s looks in this experiment. The results showed that the life expectancy of the least attractive people was 1-2 years shorter than other groups, but they could not Proved that good-looking people live longer.
The risk of death increases by 16.8%! Study: “Low appearance” may affect life expectancy
The research was initiated by the University of Texas at Austin and Arizona State University. Through the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, the research team followed 8,386 subjects throughout their lives; all of them graduated from high school in 1957. The team invited experts to review the physical attractiveness of the subjects, score them (a total score of 11 points), and added the “2022 National Death Index” and the Cox proportional hazard model for cross-comparison.
The research team adjusted variables that may affect life expectancy, such as family background, physical health, income, intelligence, academic performance, etc.; the results showed that those with the lowest attractiveness scores among the subjects (accounting for about 16.7% of the total) were more likely to die. Risks tend to increase significantly, with an overall increase of approximately 16.8%. The association persisted even after all variables were taken into account.
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In addition, the research team also pointed out that when distinguished by gender, men with the lowest attractiveness scores had a life expectancy of 1 year less than other subjects at the age of 20, and women with 2 years less life expectancy. However, the study was unable to prove that people with higher facial attractiveness had a longer life expectancy than other subjects. Study author Connor M. Sheehan noted that physical attractiveness may affect an individual’s lifespan, according to the results.
“The possible reason is that people with lower physical attractiveness are more likely to suffer social discrimination in employment and education, and face more challenges in interpersonal relationships and seeking a partner!” However, Sheehan also emphasized that although this trial has a small sample size It has advantages in many aspects, but it still has its limitations: for example, the subjects were all Hispanic whites, which shows that the racial diversity of this study is insufficient; more research needs to be invested in the future to confirm the causal relationship.
The higher the appearance, the stronger the immunity? Research: There are differences between men and women
A research team from Texas Christian University recruited 159 subjects aged 17-30 and examined their daily habits through demographic and lifestyle questionnaires.
During the experiment, subjects were asked to maintain an “emotionless” facial expression and remove all makeup before being rated for facial attractiveness. In addition, the subjects also received blood sampling to test the activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), natural killer cells (NK Cells), and the growth status of Staphylococcus aureus in the blood, as a standard for evaluating the subject’s immune ability.
The results of the study claimed that subjects whose appearance was considered more attractive had a higher immune system’s “phagocytosis” of E. coli and a lower chance of being infected by microorganisms. In addition, “highly attractive men” in the eyes of female subjects have stronger natural killer cell functions in their bodies, which means that their immune systems are better able to fight against viral threats and tumor growth.
On the contrary, women with healthy natural killer cell function are not easily attracted to male subjects. “Highly attractive women” defined by male subjects had reduced killer cell function and slower growth of Staphylococcus aureus in the blood. The research team believes that the reduced activity of killer cells may be related to higher estrogen in women; and women with high estrogen are generally considered to be more feminine and attractive.
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Study author Summer Mengelkoch said that the subjects’ definition of “attractiveness” was mostly a highly symmetrical face, thick eyebrows, larger pupils, a small nose, full lips and narrow cheeks. Past studies have also proven that highly attractive people are often seen as better reproductive candidates and can produce excellent offspring.
“We found that people who are better able to fight off the threat of bacterial infection are generally very attractive!” Mengelkoch said, even if conditions such as sexual orientation (such as heterosexual vs. homosexual) and race (such as European, Asian or African American) are combined Inclusion in the study still does not affect the final results. In other words, people of all sexual orientations rated people’s attractiveness the same.
However, Mengelkoch added that scientists’ definition of “attractiveness” is not entirely consistent. Even if facial appearance determines part of the attractiveness conditions, an individual’s body shape, personality, and character are also important factors in constructing personal charm. “It cannot be categorically said that people with higher attractiveness will have better physical functions. Future research needs to include intrinsic charm or other factors.”
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