Hostname: page-component-6766d58669-bkrcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-18T15:39:50.446Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An assessment of the mating motive explanation of the beauty premium in market-based settings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 March 2017

Enrichetta Ravina
Enrichetta Ravina*
Affiliation:
Department of Finance and Economics, Columbia Business School, New York, NY, 10027. er2463@gsb.columbia.edu https://www0.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/eravina/index.html
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Labor market and real-life studies were not designed to discriminate between evolutionary and taste-based and stereotype explanations for the beauty premium, have too many confounding effects, and lack crucial information. Smaller-stake and experimental studies provide more compelling evidence in favor of mating motives and suggest the direction of future research for the economists' field studies.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 40 , 2017 , e39
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Benson, P. L., Karabenick, S. A. & Lerner, R. M. (1976) Pretty pleases: The effects of physical attractiveness, race, and sex on receiving help. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 12:409–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Busetta, G., Fiorillo, F. & Visalli, E. (2013) Searching for a job is a beauty contest. MPRA (Munich Personal RePEc Archive) Paper No. 49382, Munich University Library. Available at: http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/49392/.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamermesh, D. S. (2011) Beauty pays: Why attractive people are more successful. Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Hamermesh, D. S. & Biddle, J. E. (1994) Beauty and the labor market. American Economic Review 84(5):1174–94.Google Scholar
Jensen, N. H. (2013) Male mating signaling in social dilemma games. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology 11:131–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ravina, E. (under review) Love & loans: The effect of beauty and personal characteristics in credit markets. Journal of Finance.Google Scholar