To Negotiate Your Salary Well, It's Better to Have a Wide Face, According to an American Study.
13 October 2014
Read by 3590 persons
We already knew that physical appearance can be decisive for your career. A new study goes even further. Two researchers from the Universities of Riverside in California and Columbia in New York, Michael Hasselhun and Elaine Wong, claim that men with wider faces are better paid than others.
The study so far focused on 60 American students, but for the two researchers who hope to continue the experiment, the first conclusions are clear: students with the widest faces would earn up to $2,200 more than others when signing a contract. However, if the latter succeed better when it comes to negotiating something for themselves, they would be much less comfortable when the situation requires compromise and collaboration.
Masculine and virile
The study also draws on previous research on the influence of the shape of our face on our success in life. Earlier this year, a study from the University of Singapore claimed that women considered men with wide faces more attractive. Michael Hasselhun explains: "The wider a man's face, the more he would be considered masculine and virile." Two characteristics from which they would also benefit in business.
In the study published in the journal *The Leadership Quarterly* on July 16, 2014, the researchers simulated four negotiation situations. In the first two cases, where participants had to sell a house and a chemical product, men with the widest faces collected more money. On the other hand, in the third and fourth scenarios, where it was necessary to be creative to achieve their goals, it was simply the men considered the most attractive by their peers who fared best.
For the most skeptical, Michael Hasselhun recalls: "We all negotiate every day, even without realizing it. It's not just for material things, like a car, or a house. It's also what time your children will go to bed, or what you and your wife will eat tonight." It's a shame that the study doesn't say what it is for women.
Morgane Fabre-Bouvier.
Huffingtonpost.fr
Published August 12, 2014.
Posted online October 13, 2014.
The study so far focused on 60 American students, but for the two researchers who hope to continue the experiment, the first conclusions are clear: students with the widest faces would earn up to $2,200 more than others when signing a contract. However, if the latter succeed better when it comes to negotiating something for themselves, they would be much less comfortable when the situation requires compromise and collaboration.
Masculine and virile
The study also draws on previous research on the influence of the shape of our face on our success in life. Earlier this year, a study from the University of Singapore claimed that women considered men with wide faces more attractive. Michael Hasselhun explains: "The wider a man's face, the more he would be considered masculine and virile." Two characteristics from which they would also benefit in business.
In the study published in the journal *The Leadership Quarterly* on July 16, 2014, the researchers simulated four negotiation situations. In the first two cases, where participants had to sell a house and a chemical product, men with the widest faces collected more money. On the other hand, in the third and fourth scenarios, where it was necessary to be creative to achieve their goals, it was simply the men considered the most attractive by their peers who fared best.
For the most skeptical, Michael Hasselhun recalls: "We all negotiate every day, even without realizing it. It's not just for material things, like a car, or a house. It's also what time your children will go to bed, or what you and your wife will eat tonight." It's a shame that the study doesn't say what it is for women.
Morgane Fabre-Bouvier.
Huffingtonpost.fr
Published August 12, 2014.
Posted online October 13, 2014.
