Attractive CEOs raise their company's stock price when they first appear on television, according to a working paper by Joseph T. Halford and Hung-Chia Hsu at the University of Wisconsin. Taller people are richer. In fact, every inch between 5'7'' and 6 feet is "worth" about 2 percent more in average annual earnings. Being better looking than at least 67 percent of your peers is worth about $230,000 over your lifetime. Having blond hair is worth as much as a year of school—for women. Being an obese white woman is particularly punishing for your potential lifetime earnings.
I do agree that we make many unconscious decisions (and some conscious) based on appearance, but any discerning adult knows that there is so much more to a person than just their appearance. I guess this just depends on the person though, since I do have a friend who truly decides whether or not to follow up with someone on a dating site based on looks. She says that if there is no physical attraction, she will not be able to find the "spark" in the relationship. For me, though, people become more beautiful in all aspects as I learn to love them.