A replication and extension of "Physical attractiveness and mental illness."

Tony Napoleon, Lauri Chassin, Richard D. Young

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

A. Farina et al (see record 1978-23202-001) investigated the relation between mental illness and physical attractiveness and found that female psychiatric inpatients were less attractive than normal controls. The current study extended this investigation in 2 ways. First, 28 psychiatric inpatients were compared to 3 separate control groups of 53 low, middle, and high socioeconomic status Ss. Mental patients were judged significantly less attractive than either middle- or high-income controls but were not significantly different from low-income controls. Second, to examine physical attractiveness prior to hospitalization, attractiveness ratings of the patients' high school yearbook pictures were compared with ratings of the adjacent same-sex photographs. Patients' photographs were judged significantly less attractive than their peers' even in high school. Findings suggest that being physically unattractive may predispose an individual to a number of negative social outcomes, one of which is mental illness. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)250-253
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Abnormal Psychology
Volume89
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 1980
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • physical attractiveness & mental illness, female psychiatric inpatients vs low vs middle vs high socioeconomic status normal Ss, replication & extension of study by A. Farina et al

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Biological Psychiatry

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