Are Beautiful People More Selfish?

A new study published in the Guardian UK may have celebrities quivering in their designer boots.

According to Santiago Sanchez-Pages from the universities of Barcelona and Edinburgh, and Enrique Turiegano of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, there is a correlation between being "beautiful" and being "selfish".

"As people with symmetrical faces tend to be healthier and more attractive, they are also more self-sufficient and have less of an incentive to co-operate and seek help from others," explained Sanchez-Pages. "Through natural selection over thousands of years, these characteristics continue to the present day."

Basing their claims around the 'prisoner's dilemma' model of behaviour, in which subjects are tested by how co-operative they are, the researchers concluded that beautiful people (those with more symmetric faces) were less likely to co-operate and therefore more likely to be considered "selfish".

As jezebel.com sums it up: "Basically, symmetrical people don't have to be nice, because they can accomplish things on their own through genetic superiority — or just get people to do stuff for them because they're so hot."

Do you agree?