How Personality Affects Your Perceived Prettiness

West Long Branch, N.J. – November 29, 2007 – A new study published in Personal Relationships examines the way in which perceptions of physical attractiveness are influenced by personality. The study finds that individuals – both men and women – who exhibit positive traits, such as honesty and helpfulness, are perceived as better looking. Those who exhibit negative traits, such as unfairness and rudeness, appear to be less physically attractive to observers.

Participants in the study viewed photographs of opposite-sex individuals and rated them for attractiveness before and after being provided with information on personality traits. After personality information was received, participants also rated the desirability of each individual as a friend and as a dating partner. Information on personality was found to significantly alter perceived desirability, showing that cognitive processes and expectations modify judgments of attractiveness.

“Perceiving a person as having a desirable personality makes the person more suitable in general as a close relationship partner of any kind,” says study author Gary W. Lewandowski, Jr. The findings show that a positive personality leads to greater desirability as a friend, which leads to greater desirability as a romantic partner and, ultimately, to being viewed as more physically attractive. The findings remained consistent regardless of how “attractive” the individual was initially perceived to be, or of the participants' current relationship status or commitment level with a partner.

Previous studies examined physical appearance and personality mainly as independent sources in predicting attraction. By presenting this information in installments, the study simulates a more typical context in which seeing the person’s appearance precedes learning about their personality, and shows that perceptions of a person’s physical attractiveness may change over time due to their positive or negative traits.

“This research provides a more positive alternative by reminding people that personality goes a long way toward determining your attractiveness; it can even change people’s impressions of how good looking you are,” says Lewandowski.

Bio-Identical Hormones vs. Synthetic Hormones

“Bio-identical Hormones” is a term that is commonly used today by doctors, pharmacists, and patients alike. However, “Bio-identical” is not a proper term to describe the kind of hormones we are talking about. “Natural Hormones” and “Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy” are the correct terms. Natural Hormones are hormones that are biochemically identical to the hormones found in the human body, and they are derived from plants. Hormones, such as progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, and DHEA can be manufactured from plant-derived substances, such as soybeans and Mexican wild yams.

Examples of the hormones used in conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are conjugated equine estrogens (Premarin), which are from the urine of pregnant mares, and synthetic hormones such as progestins. HRT uses hormones that do not match human hormones and are not natural to what the human body is familiar with; where as Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy uses hormones that are biochemically identical to the hormones in the human body. The argument here is that this difference contributes to some of the side effects of HRT. Women may break down these foreign hormones differently, which can lead to the production of harmful bi-products that cause a variety of side effects within a woman’s body.

In clinical practice, women largely tolerate natural progesterone better than synthetic progestins, and those who commonly have trouble with a foreign estrogen do much better on a natural estrogen. Natural Hormones deserve attention, but also require research as well as scrutiny from the modern conventional medical world. They offer not only a potentially safer and more comfortable alternative, but also one with more individualized treatment options to meet the unique needs of each woman.

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