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My wife dyed her hair blonde once and noted a noticable change in how she was treated. She described it as people being nicer to her but also sort of taking her
by api 9y ago
My wife dyed her hair blonde once and noted a noticable change in how she was treated. She described it as people being nicer to her but also sort of taking her less seriously. She also got hit on a lot more. She went back to her normal brown pretty quickly.
It's not just the obvious things like race. There are thousands of little prejudices. For guys I've read studies from sales about how men with broader shoulders or more prominent chins land more deals.
I find this stuff profoundly depressing. We are not really intelligent beings, just clever apes.
- hasenj 9y agoIt's only depressing if you've been told lies all your life to the contrary of reality. For most people these things are rather obvious. It's why business men wear suits instead of plain t-shirts (or worse, hoodies).
- api 9y agoOh sure you can hack these things. That's why the woman in the article dyed her hair brown and got glasses. It's depressing that it's necessary. If two people present something to me I should be evaluating the something, not the shoulder girth of the people presenting it. But inside my head there is a monkey that doesn't know what geological epoch this is.
- hasenj 9y agoWell, these are signals. Our minds are programmed to send signals and expect others to do the same. These signals helps us understand where we stand with people and where people stand in relation to us and each other. You might think we don't need these signals anymore, but I think you would be gravely mistaken to assume that. Instead, it's better to (re-)learn these things and adopt them. Think of it as a form of power. By understanding the instincts that drive human behaviour, you can hack it, by controlling how you present yourself in different situations. I don't think it's something to complain about.
- api 9y agoWhat if the signal is something you can't control? Sucks to be you then, eh?
- changchuming 9y agoWhat can you really control though? Your genetics and your environment determine who you are. Nature and nurture. We all have to make do.
- tomp 9y agoPrejudices? I don't understand why you find it surprising or depressing that people treat those they're attracted to better. Even in professional settings, "personality fit" is often placed very high. Inasmuch as being friendly and being attractive are both equality irrelevant to getting things done, and both make people feel better around you and hence like you more, they're pretty much equivalent.