Beauty and Popularity in Friendship Networks—Evidence From Migrant Schools in China

This study examines whether physical appearance helps children gain popularity in their friendship networks using data from China’s migrant schools. Negative Binomial models, using appearance scores (created by a facial-recognition program incorporating numerous individuals’ appearance preferences) to predict children’s network centrality, yield statistically significant and positive appearance effects. The results hold even after netting out influences of children’s physical, cognitive, and mental development, family background, and school quality