The Yapper's Podcast

The podcast discusses the idea of pretty privilege and why people tend to prefer attractive individuals. It suggests that our preference for attractiveness is ingrained in us from infancy. The host mentions studies that show infants and adults both have a preference for attractive faces. The podcast also touches on the impact of societal standards and unconscious biases on our judgments and decisions. It encourages listeners to reflect on their own biases and consider the importance of appearance in various aspects of life. The host shares personal experiences and emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychology behind trends and societal influences. In conclusion, the podcast suggests that being aware of our biases and the influence of societal standards can lead to more meaningful relationships and informed decision-making. All right. Welcome back to the Yappers podcast, where I yap about whatever is on my mind or I've been looking into lately because I feel like it. Now, let me start with some bad news. You're not a good person. You're shallow and you hate ugly people. There, I said it. You have officially been called out, thinking no one knew you swiped left on people by first glance whenever you're on dating apps, but then claiming personality is so important when dating. Okay. Okay. Before you click away and say, screw this person, I'll hang mighty with her podcast. Let me explain because you're not the only person. Everyone hates ugly people. If you haven't been living under a rock, I'm sure you've heard of the term pretty privilege before as someone who is a self-proclaimed average Andy in the looks department. I was always intrigued by the reasons we prefer attractive or decent looking individuals. I did a deep dive, so you won't have to. And guess what? You can thank me by hitting that follow button anyways, onto the good stuff. Why are people so shallow as if being a woman with societal beauty standards wasn't hard enough? Did you know that media isn't the only thing responsible for your need to look good? Maybe we thought it has something to do with the individualistic culture here in America, where we are so self-focused that has only ever occurred that we need to be better looking than others. So we expect that the same out of strangers. It has also been thought that our standard or scale of attractiveness is learned as we grow up through societal nudges, which are when society structures, our decision in context that will alter our choices or behavior. For example, although not so subtle diet culture pushed on young girls or supermodels being plastered over every ad, however, research has shown that we crave prettiness in women since birth. It makes it a little bit harder to fully blame men for our troubles, but it's definitely still doable. I am winking, by the way, for all my audio listeners. For clarity, all references made to research will be about Rubenstein's article titled Infant Preferences for Attractive Faces, a Cognitive Explanation. To quote from Rubenstein's article, which is linked in the description below, it is quote, shown that even young infants prefer attractive to unattractive female faces and that these preferences are similar to preferences that adults have for attractive faces, end quote. Let's dive into this research and the first study they completed. Study one focused on adults' measurements of attractive faces by having participants rate the attractiveness of a bunch of faces. In these individual faces being ranked, there are also mathematically averaged faces. A mathematically averaged face is created by a computer, which combines all 32 individual faces being ranked into a mix of averaged faces. Each face had a neutral expression so that emotional preference would not factor into their rating, as well as clothing being covered. Whew! That was a lot of faces. Study one included both men and women as rankers. In their second study, however, the focus was on infants and their preferences. Since infants can't verbally rank someone as a 9 out of 10 or call someone unattractive, they tested how long infants looked at each of the faces presented. Rubenstein also completed two more studies for a total of four, which focused on confirming the results of studies one and two. To quote the research, quote, taken together, the four studies suggest a reason for the unusual amount of agreement about who is and is not attractive, end quote. Essentially, our preference for pretty people is ingrained in us from infancy. So, what does this have to do with you and your daily life? Well, for one, it may help you reflect on your own internal bias against unattractive people. By bringing awareness to your unconscious biases, you may be able to make more judgments and decisions that are not being heavily impacted by them, or at a minimum, you are aware of why you are deciding to hire a better looking candidate over another as an employee. On the other hand, maybe you have been influenced to put more effort into your appearance, sorry, by knowing that regardless of societal standards, that your appearance does matter to people. Maybe you will put in more effort for people you care to impress, such as your boss, and less for people you don't, like a sibling. Psychology is a useful tool for all of us, especially in a world where we are often spoon fed the things they want us to intake. By this, I mean the supermodels, diet culture, body type trends, and more that young women are growing up to see. It's time to get personal, y'all. Let me tell you about me. I grew up as a teenager in peak Tumblr years. Thigh gaps, pale skin, and eating disorders were trendy. It was awful. I, like many other 13 year old girls, felt so inadequate compared to the Tumblr it girls. They had it all, even side bangs. This was really the start of noticing I was not conventionally attractive, even though almost all Tumblr trends are now completely out of style. For the first time in my life, I was introduced to dieting and what it takes to be one of those girls. Similarly, today, young girls want the Kim Kardashian look, which can only be achieved by having millions of dollars and top of the line surgeons. And for the record, I support doing whatever makes you happy. I just can see the similarities of young girls today to past me. By knowing the psychology of nudges and the culture of our society, we can see that all these trends are simply trends. They'll pass and fade, but we have our bodies forever. As someone who has been studying psychology in university, I can say it really is eye opening. It's important to know the science and not just what's hot at the moment. Circling back to my introduction, no, you do not hate ugly people, and no, you're not a bad person. Well, actually, I don't know you, so maybe you are, but generally, I hope most of my listeners are at least okay humans. I hope that you can take this knowledge and somewhat gain something helpful from it. Notice if you disregard people who don't look conventionally attractive. Maybe you'll miss out on a really beneficial relationship. Until next time, I have to skedaddle. Bye, y'all. Transcribed by https://otter.ai