Kind people are considered to be more physically attractive

Researchers in Israel analysed the non-physical factors that can lead to a person being perceived as good looking with generosity and altruism both increasing someone's aesthetic appeal.

10 experiments were conducted on over 4,000 participants and the findings showed those thought of as kind, helpful and generous – characteristics social scientists call "prosocial" traits – were judged to be better looking.

Dr Natalia Kononov, leader of the research at Tel Aviv University, said: "We discovered that people who are kind to others are judged as more beautiful.

"So beauty really isn't just skin deep – being a good person can make you look better too."

She continued: "We did expect to see a connection between prosocial behaviour and attractiveness, but we were surprised by how consistently the effect was held across both men and women, whether they were the ones being judged or doing the judging."

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