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Do attractive students get better grades?

Female students experienced a 0.024 increase in grades (on a 4.0 scale) for each increase on the attractiveness rating scale. The “less attractive” group earned 0.067 grade points below students in the “average” attractiveness groups.

psychologyeverywhere.com - Attractive students get higher grades - Psychology Everywhere
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We have all heard the idea that life is easier for good-looking people. Good looks can help you find a date, persuade others, and even get hired for a job.

But did you know that attractive students get higher grades?

According to a study conducted by the Metropolitan State University of Denver, students considered more attractive got higher grades, but not in online classes. When researchers viewed online classes only, they did not find a significant correlation between looks and grades. Also, good looks seem to be more important for female students than their male peers. Among similarly qualified female students, beauty resulted in higher grades, regardless of whether the teacher was a man or woman. Although the effect on grades was small—the difference between an A- and B+— the notion that looks play any role in academic success is troubling.

How was this study conducted?

Two economists, Rey Hernández-Julián and Christina Peters, gathered data from 77,000 students who attended the Metropolitan State University of Denver. They collected student ID photos and asked a group of men and women (from a variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, and ages) to rate their appearance on a scale of 1-10. They controlled the study by examining course grades and ACT scores, in order to measure academic ability.

The results?

Female students experienced a 0.024 increase in grades (on a 4.0 scale) for each increase on the attractiveness rating scale. The “less attractive” group earned 0.067 grade points below students in the “average” attractiveness groups. This discrepancy disappeared with online courses, where professors rarely see what individual students look like.

Why do attractive students get higher grades?

The academics who conducted the study proposed two possible theories to explain why good-looking students score higher. One explanation is that teachers and professors will invest more time and effort working with the more physically attractive students. Whether educators are more attentive to these students’ questions or spend more time explaining concepts during office hours, this extra attention helps the more attractive students perform better in school. A more cynical theory is that educators reward appearance with higher grades. Whether this is a conscious or subconscious decision, this answer calls upon us to develop tools to address biases based on looks, race, or socio-economic status.

What can we do?

Cognitive biases have long been a subject of study in psychology. From the hindsight bias to the self-serving bias, our decision making is not as rational as we would like to believe. In fact, our subconscious biases distort our thinking and sway our judgments in a manner that is often impossible to detect. Often, simply being aware of our natural biases is enough to minimize their effects. Well-intentioned professors, after being made aware of their unconscious favoritism towards their attractive students, will likely try to modify their behavior and make sure they are treating their students equally.

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