Smile your way to financial success in the law department

A piece in Atlantic, Jan/Feb 2008, Vol. 301 at 24, adds to our understanding of the many ways that pure legal ability is not the only way we assess in-house lawyers

The article explains recent research that shows that the more attractive your smile, the more money you make. The difference is even greater among women than among men. This may be a confusion of cause and effect (See my post of Jan. 25, 2008.).

I have written several times about physical traits that influence our judgments of others (See my posts of Nov. 9, 2006 about the advantages of height; April 7, 2006 about looks and height; and Jan. 8, 2007 on beauty.), but this new one about the “grin dividend” made me smile – self consciously. When you go for your next compensation review, brush, floss, cap and put on a happy face.