Photo: Chad Johnston/Masterfile/Corbis

A new study seems to confirm what we’ll call the “Kit Harington Effect,” which holds that a man’s hunkiness may in fact prove an obstacle to his career. Research from the University of Maryland suggests that good-looking men sometimes have difficulty getting jobs in competitive environments, like sales, because they are subconsciously perceived as a threat to those in charge of hiring.

Considering previous research has suggested that handsome men make more money, are perceived as more competent (attractive women, on the other hand, are often seen as less competent), and are more successful in closing big deals, that threat might not be totally imagined.



Even so, sorry it’s hard out there for you hunks. You might not get a job, but take solace that somewhere, Mr. Harington is playing a tiny, beautiful violin in your honor.