Uncovering the nuances of attractiveness bias in hiring decisions: a literature review of moderating factors

• Main Authors: Hong, Tiffany Kai Li, Wong, Karina Qian Hui, Nur Aziemah Binte Azan
• Other Authors: Lin Qiu
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Social sciences::Psychology; Humanities
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/166593
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Physical attractiveness has been shown to affect hiring decisions. While some studies propose that ‘what is beautiful is good’ whereby physical attractiveness always results in a positive outcome for applicants, other studies found evidence of a ‘beauty is beastly’ effect, whereby attractiveness can be detrimental to applicants in certain hiring contexts. The presence of the opposing theories highlights that the relationship between attractiveness and hiring is not that simple. Hence, our review seeks to examine the factors that can moderate the magnitude and direction of this relationship. Empirical studies investigating the effect of applicants’ attractiveness in hiring decisions from various databases were reviewed, which then reveals three main themes of moderators: applicants’ characteristics, nature of job, and raters’ characteristics. Results demonstrated complex interactions between the moderators discussed, and that multiple factors should be considered in tandem to predict the effect of the attractiveness bias in hiring decisions. This literature review concludes with potential areas for future research and practical implications in the field of Human Resource Management (HRM).