Ugly people more likely to commit crimes?

Lounge
1

Anyone hear about the “ugly criminal” study yet?

Here’s the Washington Post’s short report on it…

The Ugly Face of Crime

By Richard Morin
Friday, February 17, 2006; A02

“I’m too ugly to get a job.”
– Daniel Gallagher, a Miami bank robber, after police captured him in 2003

The hapless Mr. Gallagher may have been ugly, but he was also wise.
Not only are physically unattractive teenagers likely to be stay-at-homes on prom night, they’re also more likely to grow up to be criminals, say two economists who tracked the life course of young people from high school through early adulthood.

“We find that unattractive individuals commit more crime in comparison to average-looking ones, and very attractive individuals commit less crime in comparison to those who are average-looking,” claim Naci Mocan of the University of Colorado and Erdal Tekin of Georgia State University.
Mocan and Tekin analyzed data from a federally sponsored survey of 15,000 high-schoolers who were interviewed in 1994 and again in 1996 and 2002. One question asked interviewers to rate the physical appearance of the student on a five-point scale ranging from “very attractive” to “very unattractive.”

These economists found that the long-term consequences of being young and ugly were small but consistent. Cute guys were uniformly less likely than averages would indicate to have committed seven crimes including burglary and selling drugs, while the unhandsome were consistently more likely to have broken the law.

Very attractive high school girls were less likely to commit six of the seven crimes, while those rated unattractive were more likely to have done six of seven, controlling for personal and family characteristics known to be associated with criminal behavior.

Mocan and Tekin aren’t sure why criminals tend to be ugly. Other studies have shown that unattractive men and women are less likely to be hired, and that they earn less money, than the better-looking. Such inferior circumstances may steer some to crime, Mocan and Tekin suggest. They also report that more attractive students have better grades and more polished social skills, which means they graduate with a greater chance of staying out of trouble.

2

maybe the more attractive people had better genes than the unattractive people. Or less flaws in the genes. For instance some people have defects in the “restraint” portion of the brain from defects in that part of the gene. This allows them to follow through with things most people wouldn’t. Comes into play with how likely someone will commit suicide as well if they are having suicidal thoughts.

3

i’ve never been arrested, does that mean that i’m very attractive?

if so, that would be like, totally cool.

4

That’s the funny thing about so-called “superficiality”… generally what lies on the outside runs deep, too.

The outside often reflects what’s on the inside. There’s an old saying “As it is above, as it is below”.

Of course when it comes to women’s looks (as opposed to a man’s), it’s often more a matter of skill than genetic – what with all their make up, spray on body tans, and all that.

There’s definitely differences in how you get treated, of course, from the time you’re a child.

You could even interpret extremely attractive people as accidental thieves… some extremely attractive women, for instance, are so gorgeous, they have resources pretty much thrown at them. It’s not stealing, of course, because it’s consensual and voluntary. But that’s not to say that they’re not thief like with all the loot they get.

5

Yes, Josef. You hit the nail on it’s attractive little head.That was “pretty” much the point of the study. :slight_smile:

6

I am convinced attractive people get treated better across the board - all the time and by everyone.

This in turn increases their self-esteem. With a good amount of self-confidence they are much less inclined to resort to criminal behavior.

Barring the obligatory exceptions of course, of people who take advantage of their looks.

7

Uh oh! Look at this:

The Beauty Bias

By: Dan Maccarone, Psych Today

Summary: Good-looking women may actually have a harder time landing some jobs.

There’s a twist to the “beauty bias,” the idea that physically attractive individuals are rewarded socially as well as biologically: Gorgeous women may be at a disadvantage when seeking jobs in which appearance is deemed irrelevant.

A study by Ken Podratz, a Rice University graduate student in psychology, found that while average-looking and attractive men were picked more often for jobs such as switchboard operator or tow-truck driver, beautiful women lost these same positions to less attractive females. In some jobs, an employer’s gender was a factor: Men were eager to place female beauties in jobs that emphasize appearance or interpersonal contact, such as receptionist, dietician or public relations officer. Female employers were less willing to do so. But for “male-oriented” jobs or jobs in which appearance wasn’t considered important, both men and women opted for the less attractive women.

The reason? “Physical attractiveness is correlated with perceived femininity in women,” says Podratz. “If a highly attractive female applies for a hypermasculine job such as truck driver or security guard, she is likely to be seen as less capable of meeting the physical demands of the job.” These results “open up a can of worms,” says Podratz, who, in this study, asked 66 subjects to consider 204 headshots, all rated for attractiveness, as candidates for jobs. “Do you make adjustments for attractive women in certain professions?”

Podratz conducted the research for his master’s thesis and admits that he’s unsure whether or not he’s ready to take the next step: placing subjects in real-world job-interview situations. “You’re going to have to tell people they’d be perfect for this study because they’re ugly.”

8

Well Ive always noticed that wanted criminals are quite ugly.

But are they ugly because they are criminals?
Or are they criminals because they are ugly?

9

I thought this was very interesting…enough to bump it and hopefully respark interest

10

Then why are criminals in movies all played by Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Robert De Niro, etc.? If there’s one thing American cinema has tought us it’s that all criminals are in fact dashingly handsome and infectiously charismatic so I’m gonna have to call bullshit on this little study :roll_eyes: lol.

11

Let’s not forget the all time handsome chocolate covered crime villian Denzel Washington.

I have to agree with you on this one Boogie.

Although it could be the media’s way of lying to us and diverting us from the truth as usual.

A bit more investigating may be in order here. :stuck_out_tongue:

12

This confirms my suspicions… Micka is the devious villain of AD :cool: I knew that cute face and that harmonious voice wouldnt hold up when I dug deeper :cool: Steve is on the case though. He’ll triumph over wicked Micka :slight_smile:

Why are all the delicious looking girls the dangerous ones WHY WHY WHY :frowning:

13

Maybe the pretty/handsome ones get caught a lot less too…
But I think a person’s inner character is very much expressed in the face. If a person does a lot of evil things, they often get a harsh, unpleasant expression.

14

I think really attractive people get most of it.

My father always told me to be so sharo that people will always have to hire you no matter what bias they have against you.

Wise old man. I tend to treat very beautiful people like airheads until they prove me wrong.

15

Why? How would this benefit you?

16

I’m not 100% sure if this is entirely relevant but with the hiring based on looks thing, I think it does really depend on the profession. I remember watching a program saying that good-looking male doctors were trusted far less than their older or lesser-handsome counterparts. I think it was the other way around for female doctors though.

But yeah, generally I agree that attractive people get by life much easier.

Staying on topic, however - crime can be associated with drugs and doing drugs certainly doesn’t seem to make people more attractive. Quite the opposite, in fact. Maybe victims let it go easily if the offender was goodlooking. Just let it pass, you know?

18

It might seem like “ugly” people are more likely to commit crimes but frankly I think it’s because “ugly” people are more likely… to get convicted.

I agree with your father, Shelly. One must strive to develop a well rounded personality and get a good education despite good looks. Being sharp counts, no matter what you’re trying to accomplish. If you’re pretty, it might get you in the door but it won’t keep ya there unless you’re boinking the bossman.

Eventually, no matter how much you Spackle and patch, patch, patch …beauty eventually gets kicked to the curb. Smarts last a lifetime. :wink:

It doesn’t happen as often as it did when I was younger and I don’t consider myself “very beautiful” by any stretch…but having been on the receiving end of this…I must say it’s been my pleasure and I’ve had a lotta fun enlightening those who’ve been so presumptuous. :smiley:

I’m just the opposite when meeting the “very beautiful”. I treat them just like I treat everyone else, I give them the benefit of the doubt. Whether beautiful or ugly, they won’t hold my attention for very long if they don’t pony up and have something interesting to say/contribute, or if they have a vacant/totally bankrupt personality.

In fact, I’ve had rather unattractive people blossom and become more attractive right before my eyes because I gave them a chance to come across and got to know them a little better. I found them to be nice, warm, articulate and witty. On the other hand…a very beatutiful woman I met last year comes to mind. Upon meeting, I wasn’t judging her, I simply thought she was quiet, elegant, and refined. It was only after I spent more time with her that I discovered there was nobody home…zip upstairs…she couldn’t contribute. She was a sweet girl and nice too. Still, she was smart enough to do what she does best…look good. And so it goes.

I appreciate and admire physical beauty. Who doesn’t? Someone who is physically beautiful is lovely to look at, granted, but that means very little to me. I want to know the essense of someone, what’s inside their heart/mind. If they can somehow express that to me, that’s all I care about. That’s the truly beautiful part. :slight_smile:

Bella

19

Because its fiction and no one wants to pay money to see ugly people commit crime. You can go down to any city and watch that free. :smiley:

Seriously though, ugly is a perception that comes from more then just visual appeal. It comes from both perception and conditioning. That’s why beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Its all how the person perceives it. What emotions it evokes in us. What is beautiful to you may be ugly to me and vice versa.

For instance this statement >>>>>>>

It all depends on how you perceive yourself and others visually that determines the emotion this statement evoked in you and how you respond to it.

Shelly’s father gave good advice. You cant get by on just your looks. However she also processed that advice as meaning beauty and intelligence are somehow associated so now when she see’s beautiful people she judges them until they prove her perception wrong. The truth is one has absolutely nothing to do with the other.

No take this from someone who knows. No matter how good looking visually a person is the victim of the crime only see’s the ugliness of the action.

My opinion is people tend to perceive criminals as visually unappealing because this gives them a feeling of safety. Its a false safety of course but when it comes to the ugliness of man/women it can only be seen in there actions and in most cases can not be seen until that action is carried out in which case there is no way to protect yourself from that action.

So to create a sense of security people associate visual appeal with safe or unsafe…with good or bad…with better or worse. This skews the truth because true ugliness can not be seen with the eyes it can only be felt.

Everything you see visually is processed through your emotions. Its the basis of how pheromones work as well. They evoke a emotion thereby creating a response. What you see visually does the same thing. It evokes a emotions there by creating a response.

True beauty and true ugliness can not be seen with your eyes, it can only be felt.

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You see…Pretty flowers, The sight brings a sense of peace, tranquility safety happiness.

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I see…Deadly flowers…Ugly flowers. Its not how they look that makes them ugly or deadly. They are still visually attractive. Its what they do that makes them ugly. The white oleander is one of the most dangerous poisonous plants in the world.

Its all how you perceive them and the emotion they evoke. Criminals are no more ugly visually then you or I, we just perceive them that way.

Tisha

20

usually I can tell very gorgeous yet kind-hearted to very gorgeous but just sexy. I always had the ability to tell which people have good hearts or not. Usually, very nice and sincere girls look really cute and adorable to me.

21

I have an issue with prejudging people. I do consider it a flaw, but it also reinforces the fact that I think that I am human. I know that I am not alone. I am just one of the few that admit it.

I don’t call them names …out loud. That is not my way. I am always impressed when I meet “beautiful people” who are “self-reliant.” It seems that their beauty paves a way for a particular type of lifestyle that will only last until body parts start moving south. It is as though they “get a pass” for what others have to work twice as hard for.

I wonder why sometimes. Perhaps it is because I am so harshly prejudged.
Perhaps it is because I live on a planet, on a continent, in a country, in a state, in a city and in a neighborhood where judgment is always the order of the day.