If you have a high school yearbook, try opening it and see who has the least attractive appearance in the class. There’s a good chance this person could have the shortest lifespan among their peers, at least according to a recently published study.
In the study, scientists in the United States examined the fates of thousands of teenagers who graduated from high school in the late 1950s and conducted a deeper analysis of the connection between lifespan and their appearance.
Previous studies have also indicated that there are links between the immune system and the level of beauty in our appearance. However, there has been no comprehensive evidence showing that being attractive leads to a longer lifespan compared to others.
A yearbook photo may reveal a person’s lifespan trend. (Source: Yahoo News).
“People know very little about the relationship between their facial attractiveness and lifespan,” wrote Dr. Connor Sheehan from Arizona State University and economist Daniel Hamermesh from the University of Texas at Austin in their scientific paper published on ScienceDirect.
The researchers asked a group of 6 male and 6 female judges to evaluate the attractiveness of 8,386 yearbook photos of high school graduates from 1957 in Wisconsin. The results from this “beauty contest” were then categorized into 6 rankings, from “most attractive” to “least attractive.”
Using the National Death Index (NDI), the attractiveness rankings were further compared with the number of individuals in the group who had passed away by 2022, when the surviving individuals were also in their 80s. The outcome revealed that nearly 43% of the individuals in the project had died.
The study found that those at the bottom of the rankings had a 16.8% higher likelihood of dying early compared to those ranked 4th. However, even those at the top (the individuals rated as the most attractive) did not have a significantly greater chance of living longer.
“Overall, we found that those with the least attractive appearances tend to have a higher risk of death compared to those with average or above-average appearances,” Connor and Daniel wrote. “Importantly, we see that those with highly attractive faces do not live significantly longer than those with average faces.”
Considering factors such as education and income somewhat diminished the differences observed. Among these, health emerged as the most significant variable influencing the research results. It is evident that in some cases, individuals with poorer health may not appear as attractive as others. Due to their weak health, their mortality risk is likely higher, which subsequently affects the study’s findings.
The amount of data in this study is also not large enough to prove a direct relationship between facial attractiveness and lifespan. Moreover, the study’s subjects were limited and focused on a specific geographical area. Therefore, the researchers acknowledged that the causes of this relationship remain unclear.
Nonetheless, the group’s findings are still quite intriguing. Both Connor and Daniel are eager to further explore the profound connections between health and disease with external bodily signs, which we can objectively measure throughout life.
