Originally published in 1986, this book grew out of a symposium held in
1981 at the University of Toronto on physical appearance as a
determinant of personality and social behavior. There is little doubt
that one's appearance has some impact on the way one is perceived and
treated; and presumably, owing to the socially reflected nature of the
self, one's personality likewise will be affected by one's appearance.
The questions arising from these basic observations and assumptions are
many, and the expert contributors were invited to discuss their research
on some of the implications of individual differences in appearance as
they ramify into personality and social interaction. The chapters in
this volume are the outcome of those discussions and cover the areas of
facial attractiveness; physique; impact on social behavior, and
deviance. Still a topic of interest to this day, this book can now be
read and enjoyed in its historical context.