“Physical attractiveness is an important social factor in our daily interactions. Scholars in social psychology provide evidence that attractiveness stereotypes and the ‘halo effect’ are prominent in affecting the traits we attribute to others,” according to political science professors Rolfe Daus Peterson, from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., and Carl Palmer of Illinois State.

“Controlling for socioeconomic status, we find that more attractive individuals are more likely to report higher levels of political efficacy, identify as conservative, and identify as Republican.”