People Want Leaders to Look Healthy

Dutch researchers say that it is more important for potential business or political leaders to look healthy than to appear intelligent. Their statement is based on the response of 148 adults who were asked to choose a new CEO by looking at photos of individuals made to look more or less intelligent or more or less healthy. The researchers found that participants chose a healthier look 69% of the time. Lead author Dr. Brian Spisak adds, “Here we show that it always pays for aspiring leaders to look healthy, which explains why politicians and executives often put great effort, time, and money in their appearance.”
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, November 2014