Just another reason to be kind: Study says it makes us look attractive

The study was conducted on more than 4000 participants and a strong link between prosocial behaviour and enhanced physical attractiveness was observed.

Kindness is a virtue that the world is currently in dire need of. We are always taught to be kind to others, and learn to be empathetic. However, a recent study published in the British Journal of Social Psychology states that kindness can enhance our physical beauty as well.

The researchers observed a strong link between prosocial actions and higher ratings of physical attractiveness.(Pexels)

According to the study, people seen as kind and empathetic are also believed to be more beautiful and attractive physically. This further reinstates how kind actions and words can shape the way we perceive physical beauty. Physical appearance is one of the first things that people notice in others, when they meet them. However, personality traits have a significant role in shaping physical attractiveness and the way it is perceived.

It was observed in the study that friendliness and humour can have important roles in shaping physical appearance of a person. However, certain other traits of one’s personality have more weight than others.

The study authors focused on the significance of acts of kindness, cooperation, and helpfulness and their impact on physical aspects. This further explained how people unconsciously start viewing kind people as physically attractive as a way of desiring to develop stronger connections with them.

Findings of the study:

The study was conducted on more than 4000 participants to understand how kindness influenced how physical appearance was perceived by others. real-life prosocial acts, descriptions of kind actions, or imagined scenarios involving helpful behavior were used as tools in the study. The researchers observed a strong link between prosocial actions and higher ratings of physical attractiveness, further proving that kind people are believed to be more physically attractive.

Kindness can make us mre physical attractive.(Pexels)

Study author Natalia Kononov, a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, said, “Often, we use beauty metaphorically to describe admirable inner qualities, saying someone is ‘beautiful on the inside.’ I was curious to see if this perception has a basis in reality—whether kindness and generosity, qualities associated with inner beauty, actually influence how we perceive someone’s physical attractiveness. Our findings suggest this association isn’t just metaphorical; beautiful acts do, indeed, lead us to see people as more beautiful.”