A new study from Tel Aviv University (TAU) shows that people who make an effort to improve their appearance — whether this effort is real or imagined, in the physical world or on social media — act more kindly towards others and are twice as likely to donate to charity.

The surprising study was led by Dr. Natalia Kononov, who completed her doctorate under the supervision of Professor Danit Ein-Gar at TAU’s Coller School of Management and is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. The study, conducted in collaboration with Professor Ein-Gar and Professor Stefano Puntoni of the Wharton School, was published on September 5, 2024, in the International Journal of Research in Marketing.

“When we enhance our appearance and feel beautiful — for example, after a fresh haircut — we behave in a more socially-conscious manner,” Professor Ein-Gar explains. “Because we feel as though all eyes are on us, we’re drawing attention to ourselves and so we strive to act better.

“It’s easy to criticize the selfie generation, constantly beautifying themselves and sharing polished photos, but we demonstrate a side effect of this behavior that can benefit society. People who feel good about their appearance can channel that feeling into good deeds.”

To test their hypothesis, the researchers conducted a series of experiments, some in virtual settings and others in a laboratory. In one lab experiment, 50 participants were asked to use a filter to enhance a selfie they had taken. A control group of 50 other participants, meanwhile, was asked to enhance a photo of an object in the room.

“After viewing their enhanced photo, each participant collected an envelope with their payment in cash,” Professor Ein-Gar says. “Next to the payment envelope, there was a donation box so participants could voluntarily donate some or all of their payment.

“We observed that members of the experimental group, who saw themselves as more attractive, donated up to twice as much as those in the control group. It’s enough to imagine ourselves as more attractive — even just envisioning a more polished digital version of ourselves — to encourage prosocial behavior. This insight has significant practical implications.

“Until now, research has focused on the appearance of the donation seekers — whether the recipient or the fundraiser — and indeed, more attractive fundraisers have been found to raise more money. Our study introduces another relevant factor: the donor’s appearance. This opens the door to innovative strategies for streamlining charity campaigns, such as partnering with cosmetic companies, hairdressers, and beauty salons, for everyone’s benefit.”

One of the most surprising experiments was conducted virtually, on Facebook. Clicking on a link randomly directed users to one of two “know yourself” questionnaires. The control group’s questionnaire asked about preferred architectural styles, while the experimental group’s questionnaire included questions about fashion styles and was designed to make respondents imagine themselves at their most attractive moments, such as envisioning themselves dressed up for a fancy social event.

At the end of the questionnaire, a seemingly unrelated pop-up appeared with a link to a donation page. About 7% of respondents who answered the “beauty” questionnaire clicked on the donation link, compared to approximately 2% of those who answered the architectural questionnaire — a particularly impressive figure, considering the average click-through rate on Facebook links is just 0.9%.

“Our society is obsessively focused on physical appearance while simultaneously criticizing this superficial behavior,” says Dr. Kononov. “People who are appearance-focused are often judged harshly, but we show that this behavior can have positive spillover effects that benefit others. Social mechanisms may evolve to create some balance, where behaviors that serve the individual are accompanied by byproducts that contribute to the greater good. “