Could elections tip in the favor of the candidate who has the right look?

According to a study published in the Journal of Public Economics, attractive-looking politicians have an advantage when it comes to winning votes — and researchers have also concluded that conservative party members from Europe, Australia, and the United States tend to be “more beautiful” than liberal candidates.

Responding to previous research that found a connection between appearance and electoral success, a team of researchers from Sweden, Prague, and Germany theorized that Republicans are better-looking than Democrats and that voters who lean right value beauty more in a “low-information setting.”

“This is based on the observation that beautiful people earn more and that people with higher expected lifetime income are relatively more opposed to redistribution,” the authors of the study asserted.

Investigators asked participants to rate photos of politicians based in Finland, Australia, and the United States, based solely on their looks. Their assessments were based on the following question: “What is your evaluation of the physical appearance or attractiveness of this person compared to the average among people living in your country of residence?”

The volunteers, as the team expected, rated more right-wingers as being more handsome or beautiful. Aside from the authors’ economic explanation, they offered this psychological theory: “that good-looking people are more likely to perceive the world as a just place, since they are treated better than others, achieve higher status, and are happier — and a frequent reason for people to sympathize with the left is a perception of the world as unfair.”

Along the same lines, the researchers added that “greater self-reported attractiveness is negatively related to a preference for egalitarianism, typically associated with the left.”

As for U.S. elections, the authors suggest that Republican voters are more likely to care about a candidate’s appearance based on limited information about the candidates. However, during high-information political races, the playing field tends to even out.

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“I don’t believe research that focuses on the evaluation of the physical appearance or attractiveness of people provides significant contributions in our efforts to move society in a forward direction,” Dr. Joe Taravella, a licensed clinical psychologist at NYU Langone Medical Center’s Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, tells Yahoo Beauty.

He argues that voters are more likely to seek out more meaningful connections with a political candidate. “They may identify with someone who appears strong, intelligent, kind, etc. that may influence their decisions,” Taravella says. “Sharing that common belief system creates a higher likability factor — and they may appear more attractive internally and externally.”

A quick glance at history appears to contradict the researchers’ findings. “In 1960, John F. Kennedy (left) and Richard Nixon (right) squared off in the first televised presidential debate,” continues Taravella. “Kennedy appeared more confident and well-groomed compared to Nixon, which is not consistent with beauty being consistent with conservatism.”

Taravella encourages others to move forward using reasoning, not ratings. “Our research and goals should focus on the significant issues for all individuals in an effort to create a better world for all,” he says. “Let’s not compare our political figures — or ourselves — to anyone else on their physical attractiveness or any other constructs. Our goal is to live our best life each and every day without making comparisons.”

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