persuasion They are also perceived as friendlier and more talented and they usually have higher incomes.1 "Attractive" means more than just looking beautiful or handsome. It also encompasses having the ability to attract and draw people to you. The effect of attractiveness transcends all situations. For example, the judicial system, which is supposed to be based upon evidence, has documented cases where attractiveness made a dramatic difference. In one Pennsylvania study, researchers rated the attractiveness of seventyfour male defendants at the start of their criminal trials. Later, the researchers reviewed the court records for the decisions in these cases and found that the handsome men had received significantly lighter sentences. In fact, those researchers found that the attractive defendants were twice as likely to avoid jail time as unattractive defendants. In the same study, a defendant who was better looking than his victim was assessed an average fine of $5,623; but when the victim was the more attractive of the two, the average compensation was twice that much.2 What's more, both female and male jurors showed the same bias. The halo effect also affects political elections. In 1974, a Canadian Federal election board found attractive candidates received more than two and a half times as many votes as unattractive candidates. When voters were surveyed about their bias, 73 percent denied, in the strongest possible terms, that they were influenced by attractiveness. Another 14 percent would only allow for the possibility.' Consider these everyday examples of one's appearance influencing then circumstances: Have you ever noticed that height often seems to have some relationship to one's position? It often seems that the taller people get better jobs and have higher salaries. Did you ever notice that there are some children who seem to be able to get away with anything? There has been some research showing that attra tive children who misbehave are considered "less naughty" by adults than less attractive children. In elementary school, teachers often presume the more attractive children are even more intelligent than the less attracts children.4 When we come in contact with someone of the opposite sex, the attrac  concept is magnified. Attractive females can persuade men more , that when I travel, how I am treated and how often I am up "ectlv reb attendant to graded directly related to how I am dressed. I can persuade the airline better to give me better seats, a better flight, or the help I need much [ an faster when I am in a suit than when I am wearing casual attire. easily than more i with sexy and attractive females. In one study, men who saw a new ad that included a seductive female model rated the car as faster, more appealing, more expensive looking, and better designed than did men who viewed the same ad without the model.5 Additionally, female students who are perceived to be more attractive by their professors often receive substantially higher grades than unattractive females. persuasion