Good-looking women bring in more money soliciting for donations
Posted by Mr. Thoughtful on May 14, 2008
I’ve blogged before on how important appearance is. I regularly encounter research that shows appearance is important even in activities in which most people don’t think it is important. Here’s today’s installment of this idea:
In a narrow but very compelling piece of research, John List argued that if you are trying to solicit donations door-to-door, the single best thing you can do to get large donations is to be an attractive blond woman.
Hat tip: http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/how-pure-is-your-altruism/#more-2615
It always amazes me that so many people strong resist the notion that appearance plays such a powerful role in so many activities. They will accept the idea that appearance plays a big role in dating (although even here many people underestimate the impact of good looks), but will stoutly resist the idea that good looks has an impact in other areas.
Sales and marketing people are, on average, way more attractive than accountants or engineers. That can’t be accidental. They’re hired at least partly based on appearance. Pharmaceutical sales reps are a famous example of this. The vast majority of them are in the top 5% of attractiveness.
In coming weeks I’ll write about other examples of appearance playing a big role in areas in which most people wouldn’t think so.
May 14, 2008 at 11:23 am
Perhaps it’s a mentality of “If I’m going to be swindled into buying something, it might as well be a visually pleasurable experience”?
I don’t know.
I’m sure I’m unconsciously victim to it as well. There was a time a few weeks ago, when I was walking downtown and saw an attractive woman smile at me and I had a split second of actually wondering whether I should smile back or not. Then I saw she was carrying a clipboard, so I ignored her and moved quickly past her on the sidewalk.
May 14, 2008 at 3:31 pm
There’s just something about an attractive woman that makes guys more eager to buy what she’s selling. And it apparently works when the sexes are reversed as well.
I had a similar experience at a bookstore last year. I was browsing in the same section as a very attractive woman. She started up a conversation and the entire time I was wondering what she was after. Near the end of the brief conversation I found out. She wanted to interest me in some sort of service (not THAT kind of service; something legal, but I’ve forgotten what it was).