Metadata

• Authors: Natalie T. Faust, Iris W. Hung
• Publication Date: April 2, 2025
• Journal/Source: OnlineFirst
• URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672251327605

Abstract

Beauty has pervasive implications for success in various domains of life. Given this broad and visible nature, whether and how a belief in the improvability of this important human attribute influences judgment and decision-making is largely unknown. We found that beauty implicit theories can produce strong cross-domain impact on risk-taking behavior. Using both hypothetical choices and real behaviors in one cross-country survey and nine experiments, including three supplementary studies (N = 4,015), we found that (a) incremental theorists, who believed that beauty is malleable and improvable, took greater risks than entity theorists, who believed that beauty is fixed, and (b) an incremental belief of beauty heightens a sense of optimism that one will achieve positive outcomes in various domains of life, which consequently promotes risk-seeking behavior. These findings demonstrate that domain-specific implicit theory (i.e. beauty in our case) can affect behavior beyond that domain (non-beauty related risk-taking).

Key Findings

• Incremental theorists, who view beauty as malleable and improvable, tend to take greater risks compared to entity theorists who perceive beauty as fixed.
• An incremental belief in the improvability of beauty enhances optimism for positive outcomes in various life domains.
• Domain-specific implicit theories of beauty have the potential to influence behaviors outside of beauty-related contexts, particularly in risk-taking propensities.

Notes

• The research involved a cross-country survey and nine experiments (including supplementary studies) with a total sample size of 4,015 participants.
• The studies emphasize the broader implications of implicit beliefs on decision-making and behavior across unrelated domains.