Physical attractiveness and the general factor of personality: replication and extension

Abstract

A significant positive correlation between physical attractiveness and the general factor of personality (GFP) has been found. This association was replicated in the current study with longitudinal analyses revealing that physical attractiveness in both childhood and adolescence is predictive of the GFP in adulthood. It is posited that the results are due to mediated pleiotropy with attractive individuals responding positively to preferential treatment. The results may extend our understanding of the development of individual differences in the GFP. However, future research in which both attractiveness and personality are measured at several points is needed to disentangle the dynamics effects between the two variables.