New research challenges the notion that good looks are the key to happiness. It turns out that an attractive appearance leads to more risky behavior among young people. The more attractive a teenager is, the greater the likelihood that they will party and drink more alcohol than others.
According to Professor Colin Peter Green at the Department of Economics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), this means that the risk of developing alcohol problems later in life increases. In the study 'Beauty, underage drinking, and adolescent risky behaviors', Green and his colleagues from Germany and the United Kingdom focus on underage alcohol consumption. The goal has been to investigate how beauty can lead to risky behavior.
The researchers have looked at six types of risky behavior: drinking, binge drinking, smoking, substance use, unprotected sex and unwanted pregnancy. Much of this is risky enough in itself, but can also cause problems later on in life. For example, teenage pregnancy can negatively affect both education and income, and drinking at an early age may lead to alcoholism.
There is a direct correlation between appearance and what behaviors teenagers choose to engage in. This applies to both sexes, but especially the most attractive girls are more likely to drink, and drink more, than their less conventionally attractive friends. Our main finding is that young people who are perceived to have the most pleasing appearance generally drink more and mor.
