Stand with ugly pal to look more attractive!

FORGET witty one-liners – the secret of seduction could be as simple as standing next to an ugly friend.

Researchers have discovered that our judgments of people vary according to the company they keep – and if their companion is a plain Jane or a dull Dave, they seem far more appealing.

Scientists at Royal Holloway, University of London, asked volunteers to rate pictures of different faces for attractiveness.

They were then asked to assess the same faces placed alongside ones perceived to be on the ugly side. The addition of these ‘ distractor’ images led to the original faces seeming more fanciable.

Study author Nicholas Furl said: ‘We live in a society obsessed with beauty and attractiveness, but how we measure and understand these concepts is still a grey area.

‘Until now, it’s been understood that a person’s level of attractiveness is generally steady.

‘However, this work demonstrates that the company we keep has an effect on how attractive we appear to others.

‘Rightly or wrongly, the way people look has a profound impact on the way others perceive them.’

Another experiment showed that introducing a plain face made volunteers home in on the differences between two attractive ones. Writing in the journal Psychological Science, Dr Furl added: ‘The presence of a distractor face makes differences between attractive people more obvious.’

But he pointed out that while being seen with a plain pal may do wonders for your prospects, the ‘ugly friend effect’ can also work against you if an attractive companion casts you in a bad light.