Beauty and the Prof

A recent article that came out of the Economics of Education Review (Vol. 24, p. 269-376, 2005) provides evidence on how attractiveness or beauty of the intructor might have an impact on teacher ratings. The authors (Daniel S. Hamermesh and Amy Parker) found statistical support pointing to the greater impact of good looks on men when compared with women, the importance of good looks seem asymetrical as well. Being below average in looks is penalized more than being of higher than average looks is rewarded. Now before professors start rushing out to get extreme makeovers, the link between beauty and teacher ratings might not be as direct, beauty might also coincide with unmeasurable attributes of the instructor. Perhaps, beauty also coincides with being well organized and prepared (as the authors speculated), or beauty would also coincide with greater confidence and ability to relate to more people.