Why You Need Ugly Friends

ugly friends make you better looking, why you need ugly friends


We all scour beauty magazines for tips on how to look younger, thinner, more glamorous…and just all round more appealing.  But according to psychologist Anthony Little we should just get ourselves some ugly friends.

Says he, the secret of being alluring is as simple as positioning yourself right next to a less attractive companion. 

Speaking at the British Science Festival, Little, of Stirling University, said ‘You get a contrast effect when you stand beside someone of the same sex.  If your friend is unattractive, that makes you relatively more attractive’. 

Erm…..it’s hardly rocket science is it?

Another tip for bigging up your sex appeal is to create what Little refers to as the ‘Hugh Hefner’ effect i.e. surround yourself with members of the opposite sex.

Says he:  'If you were just looking at Hugh Hefner's physical attractiveness you might not be that impressed with him. But as soon as you see him with beautiful women you might infer other traits, for instance, you might infer he is a multi-millionaire or charming or witty. He somehow becomes more attractive.'

Apparently this same effect extends to the animal world.  When researchers placed a toy female grouse near a male bird, real hens competed to be near him.

Another recent US study revealed that single women view married men as better catches than bachelors.  Said the researchers  'This may be because an attached man has demonstrated his ability to commit and in some ways his qualities have already been "pre-screened" by another woman’.

So next time you moan that ‘all the good men are taken’, bear in mind that the fact a man is taken may well be enough for you to perceive him as ‘good’!

Have YOUR Say

Do YOU think it's a good idea to surround yourself with less attractive people?  Leave a comment below.