Why We Trust Attractive People More by Jamie Cortland
Why
are people more apt to judge a “book by its cover” than not?
What
is it about the attractive stranger? We attribute characteristic such
as intelligence, status, trust, and good genes to them because on the surface,
they are beautiful people. The general thought seems to be, “If they are
beautiful, they must be trustworthy and nice.
People
go out of the way to help attractive people because they want to be well liked
and accepted by good looking people. Studies of babies indicate they look more intently
and longer at attractive people. Are they accepting them or are they trying to
look more deeply into the interior?
In
Myths and Fairy Tales, the happiest, most successful and kindest people are attractive.
Think of Cinderella and the Wizard of Oz. In movies and TV shows, the stars in
the central roles are more attractive.
Charles
Feng of Stanford University contends that as far back as Plato, he wrote
about the ideal proportions of a woman's face. According to Dario Maestripieri
a professor of comparative human development, evolutionary biology and neurobiology at the University
of Chicago, writing in Psychology Today.com argues that good looking people are more appealing as
potential sex partners.
Believe
it or not, it is said that more attractive people tend to be elected as our leaders. I certainly hope not. If this is true, it is
stupid and a truly idiotic form of discrimination that we must stop.
While
researching this, I began to consider how beautiful people feel about being
sought after, envied, and constantly in the spotlight. Surely, they must know their
beauty alone might bring on a feeling of despair from a much less attractive
person.
Beauty
is persuasive. Most attractive people are better communicators and possess
more confidence and esteem than an unattractive person. However, today,in most lines of work, it is best to be smart
rather than to be extraordinarily beautiful.
The
dark side of beauty is jealousy and being regarded as a threat. A woman of beauty
can be at a disadvantage when applying for a job such as a prison guard or a mechanical engineer.
In
as far as members of the same sex goes,
a study by Anderson and Nida found that highly attractive people were
regarded as less talented than average looking people.
Social
rejection from ones own sex is more than likely to be the cause of jealousy. Beauty can be threatening.
It can threaten our relationships, our work and our image of ourselves.
We
can admire beauty but we also need to defend ourselves against it. True beauty
emanates from within. Just as judging a book by its cover is a mistake, so is judging a person from his or her outside exterior. It is
discrimination and it isn't smart. Some
of our most heinous criminals have been extraordinarily good looking. Remember
Ted Bundy? How many women did he fool?
The
next time you see that handsome stranger, think twice before making judgment
call. Evelyn, my protagonist in “What Lies Within” by Jamie Cortla did
not and look what happened to her. Diana , my protagonist in “The Gardner's Secret,”
now being revised and edited for publication,
didn't think either. Her misled
her on a treacherous journey.. Be a smart
person, not one blinded by beauty.
Weslynn McCallister, pseudonym,
Jamie Cortland was born in Evansville, Indiana and raised in Roswell, New
Mexico. Today, she lives in the southwest.
A published novelist and an
award winning poet, she is a member of Sisters in Crime, the Mystery Writers of
America, and is a founding member of the Florida Writers Association.
Website URL: Weslynn McCallister, Author
www.jamiecortland.com
Facebook URL: https//www.facebook.com/jamiecortland
Twitter: Weslynn McCallister@twitter
LinkedIn: Weslynn McCallister, Author
Buy links:
What Lies Within http://www.amazon.com/What-Lies-Within-Jamie-Cortland/dp/1629891762/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1447445600&sr=8-2&keywords=What+Lies+Within+Cortland
WHAT LIES WITHIN
by Jamie Cortland
ISBN-13: 978-1629891767
World Castle Publishing LLC
Genre: Romantic suspense
Paperback: 220 pages
November 24, 2014, $10.99
Blurb:
Evelyn Valentino, still halfway in love with her super-star ex-husband,
meets James McMann, a handsome and charismatic builder in Paradise Valley,
Arizona. Meeting him in a coffee shop, she is immediately attracted to him
while her young daughter calls him "Mr. Stranger Danger."
Swept away by James and his incredible charm, she is taken on a
whirlwind courtship. Warned by her parents and friends to go slowly, she
ignores them. She’s caught in his web as he drops his mask and Evelyn discovers
he is not the man of her dreams, but the hideous creature of her nightmares.
Now, her only thought is of escape.
Bio:
Weslynn McCallister, pseudonym, Jamie Cortland was born in Evansville, Indiana and raised in Roswell, New Mexico. Today, she lives in the southwest.
A published novelist and an award winning poet, she is a member of Sisters in Crime, the Mystery Writers of America, and is a founding member of the Florida Writers Association.
Educated in the fine arts, she has worked as a high fashion model, graphic designer, and as a real estate agent. When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, ballroom dancing, attending live music events and plays.
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