Beauty as a guarantee of success: study shows cultural differences!

Beauty as a guarantee of success: study shows cultural differences!

A current study, published in the "Scientific Reports", is devoted to the complex associations of the concept of beauty in 68 different languages. The research work, carried out by Wladislaw Mill from the University of Mannheim and Benjamin Kohler from ETH Zurich, uses voice models to examine the linguistic links between the word "beautiful" and positive properties. The results show that 63 out of 68 languages ​​mostly connect positively, which is referred to as the "beauty bonus". This premium describes the advantage of enjoying the attractive people in various areas of life, which can, however, vary culturally, as nau.ch

The research results show that in western countries beauty is often associated with attributes such as strength, competence and intelligence. In languages ​​such as English, French, Italian and Finnish, the connections between beauty and positive attributes are particularly pronounced. In Finnish and Japanese, the positive evaluation of beauty is up to four times as strong as in English. Otherwise, however, in some Eastern European and Asian cultures: here beauty is sometimes linked to negative associations such as incompetence and distrust. In countries such as Vietnam and Romania there is even a "ugly penalty", in which negative terms such as failure are associated with ugliness, as Science.de

cultural contexts of beauty

The examination analyzed not only the terms, but also the cultural backgrounds that influence the perception of beauty. The connection between beauty and positive properties such as "successfully" varies strongly - Western European countries have a much more positive view, while in parts of Eastern Europe and Asia's negative perspectives. It remains unclear why these differences exist because they can be influenced by cultural ideals and values. FAZ.net emphasizes that the link between attributes reflects the values ​​and norms of a society Cultural environment plays a crucial role.

The study led to a standardized index that quantified the beauty bonus in different countries. Another interesting aspect is that the strongest association between beauty and success in languages ​​such as Somalal and Albanian could be determined. Despite these findings, there are also exceptions: only a slightly positive tendency was found in the German language, but this is not significant. These differences make it clear that the influence of the cultural character on the perception of beauty is extensive and still needs further research to understand the mechanisms behind these perceptions.