Self-perceived attractiveness can promote prosocial behavior through increased public self-consciousness and impression management, but only when these actions are visible to others. The effect disappears when they are told the prosocial behavior is anonymous.

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11002-024-09735-5

From the linked article:

A study published in Marketing Letters found that self-perceived attractiveness can promote prosocial behavior through increased public self-consciousness and impression management, but only when these actions are visible to others.

The researchers noted that people’s desire for physical attractiveness is nearly universal, with billions spent annually on cosmetics and image-enhancing tools. While there is a debate about whether “looking good” and “doing good” are inherently opposed, the current study aims to provide empirical evidence on how feeling attractive may promote prosocial behavior.

The results of studies 1a and 1b showed that participants in the attractiveness condition were significantly more likely to engage in prosocial behavior. In study 1a, those who felt attractive were more willing to donate to the nature reserve, while in study 1b, they were more likely to participate in the follow-up charitable survey.

In study 2, participants who took selfies with beauty-enhancing filters reported higher levels of public self-consciousness and impression management motivation, leading to greater willingness to donate. By contrast, those using unattractive filters or no filter were less likely to engage in prosocial behavior, suggesting that feeling attractive boosts prosocial tendencies through a heightened awareness of how one is perceived by others.

Study 3 demonstrated that when participants were told their prosocial behavior would be anonymous, the effect of self-perceived attractiveness disappeared, highlighting the importance of visibility in driving prosocial behavior.