"Beauty" premium for social scientists but "unattractiveness" premium for natural scientists in the public speaking market

This paper examines the impact of facial attractiveness on the market value of scientists who engage in public speaking. The study finds that facial attractiveness is weakly correlated with external influence (e.g., TED talks, Google searches) but not with internal academic achievements (publications, citations). Interestingly, a "beauty premium" is observed for social scientists' speaking fees, while natural scientists benefit from an "unattractiveness premium." This premium for unattractiveness aligns with stereotypes of natural scientists and a belief that less attractive researchers produce higher-quality work. The findings highlight the role of facial appearance in public perception of academics and knowledge dissemination.

Weilong Bi, Ho Fai Chan, Benno Torgler