Study: Attractive people have better immune systems

Beauty isn’t just in the eye of the beholder, it’s also deep within

THAT’S according to a new study that found attractive people have better immune systems than those less pleasing to the eye.

The research, published by the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, stems from 159 students at Texas Christian University who were recruited to have their blood tested and photos taken.

The participants were shot from the neck up and, similar to a passport photo, asked to keep a “neutral facial expression.” The women were also not allowed to wear makeup.

Then, 492 separate volunteers were asked to rate the facial attractiveness of the participants based on the pictures.

The researchers collected their ratings and crossexamined them with the blood test results.

Traits traditionally linked to attractiveness — symmetrical face, clear skin, prominent cheekbones, bright eyes, and red lips — may be signs the body is better at fighting infection, the study of blood tests found.

“People who go out to a bar looking to talk to someone attractive are often dismissed as being shallow and told, ‘It is not all about looks,’” Summer Mengelkoch, who led the study, told the Daily Mail.

“But they are really just following their instincts to find a high-quality mate.”

The researchers believe that people are drawn to a goodlooking person not only for their appearance, but because our brains are programmed to seek out healthy partners.

The blood of the participants who were deemed more attractive had higher rates of phagocytosis, “the process by which specific white blood cells ingest foreign particles like bacteria,” and “lower plasma bacterial growth, which indicates that attractiveness may be related to anti-bacterial immunity,” according to the study.

The study’s authors stated, “perceptions of attractiveness may play a more important role in guiding the choice of partners with high-functioning immune systems.”

That said, Mengelkoch added, there may be hope for those who are considered — or consider themselves — less appealing when it comes to their looks. Medically speaking, of course.

“With modern medicine, infections are not as deadly as they used to be, so perhaps it’s OK if people lower their standards and start to give people who are less attractive a shot,” said Mengelkoch.