TITLE:
Exploring the Persuasive Influence of Physical Attractiveness Premium in the Recruiting Process: A Study Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model
AUTHORS:
Weining Liu
KEYWORDS:
Physical Attractiveness, Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), Recruiter, Attitude, Decision-Making Process, Need for Cognition
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Service Science and Management,
Vol.17 No.1,
February
29,
2024
ABSTRACT: People often wonder why physically attractive individuals seem to enjoy numerous
benefits. In the contemporary landscape, AI-generated characters are gaining popularity,
often selected for their physical attractiveness. This study adopts a persuasion-attitude
perspective, utilizing the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), to uncover the reasons
behind the persuasive impact of physical attractiveness and the subsequent favorable
decisions made by individuals. Employing structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques,
the study conducted a multi-group analysis with a sample of 134 recruiters in the food and beverage industry. The
key findings reveal that while recruiters tend to prefer hiring physically attractive
applicants due to affective information processing, the moderator role of recruiters’
need for cognition can significantly mitigate this stereotype premium. These findings
have important implications for future research and practice. Understanding the
interplay between physical attractiveness, cognitive
processing, and decision-making process can contribute to the development of strategies to promote fair and
objective decision-making processes.