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Ugly kids more likely to become criminals

Categories: Development, Education

Though having an ugly kid may win you a prize in an ugly baby contest, it might also get you a little criminal if he or she doesn't pretty up eventually.

According to a study discussed in yesterday's Washington Post, not only are physically unattractive teenagers likely to have a hard time getting dates, they're also more likely to grow up to be criminals. Two economists tracked the life course of young people from high school through early adulthood to determine that "unattractive individuals commit more crime in comparison to average-looking ones, and very attractive individuals commit less crime in comparison to those who are average-looking."  (The researchers claim to have come up with a relatively objective way of judging attractiveness)

The researchers found that the long-term consequences of being young and ugly were small but generally consistent. Attractive guys were less likely to have committed seven crimes including burglary and selling drugs, while the less attractive were consistently more likely to have broken the law. Very attractive high school girls were less likely to commit six of the seven crimes, while those rated unattractive were more likely to have done six of seven. Other studies suggest that less attractive people have a hard time getting and keeping jobs, which may contribute to delinquency.  

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