Within the community there is a common saying, LMS(looks money status) but what is each of their effect, and can they make up for each other?
In short: the effects are limited, and you can kind of interchange them, but in very specific context and never in the initial attraction phase, especially in the modern age.
This is going to present a structured breakdown of each factor’s significance, and then examine cases of poor looks but high status versus highly attractive with minimal resources.
WHY LOOKS MATTER (and Why They Matter First)
-Evolutionary Signaling
Physical attractiveness conveys biological information:
Facial symmetry -> developmental stability
Jawline strength -> testosterone expression
Clear skin -> immune competence
Eye area visibility -> youth and vitality
These traits are pre-rational which means your brain notices them before your conscious mind registers anything.
ONLINE DATING INTENSIFIES THE LOOKS BIAS
Dating technology now acts as a sort of visual filter for the global mating pool.
-Decisions on Tinder occur in 0.3-0.6 seconds (Prause & Heiman, 2020)
-83% of visual interest on apps is determined by factors from the photos (Sumter & Vandenbosch, 2019)
-Attractive men receive 4-10x more matches regardless of their job, bio, or lifestyle
The result:
Looks=the hard gatekeeper. No looks means no opportunity to showcase money or status on dating apps.
WHY STATUS MATTERS (As a multiplier, not the base)
-The Preselection Mechanism
Women rate men as more attractive when:
-other women desire them
-they’re photographed in a high status social context
-they appear confident, respected, or admired
A University of Toronto study found that men’s attractiveness rose by 27-47% by being placed in high status social environments (Dixson et al., 2017)
STATUS DOESN’T REPLACE LOOKS, IT AUGMENTS THEM
Status boosts
-perceived dominance
-social proof
-risk taking ability
-competence
But status requires the initial exposure. A low look man with high status still needs women to notice him before status can sway their opinion.
WHY MONEY MATTERS (But Mostly for Long Term, Not Attraction)
-Evolutionary Role
Money serves as a modern equivalent for
-resource stability
-provisioning ability
-future security
But research repeatedly shows that financial traits are less effective for generating raw attraction than physical traits.
MONEY≠ATTRACTION
Money = Stability, comfort, and longevity
In early stage mating
-money barely influences interest
-wealth signaling can even reduce attraction if over done
Only extreme wealth (top 1%) begins to function similarly to status, not attractiveness.
CASE STUDIES TYPE A: Low Looks+High Status and Money
these will be straight copy and pasted verbatim
Study A1: Townsend & Levy (1990)
Average and unattractive men with high-income/high-status indicators were preferred over attractive men with low status.
BUT → this effect applied to long-term interest, not immediate sexual attraction.
Study A2: Sadalla et al. (1987)
High-status roles increased desirability but did not significantly improve ratings of raw attractiveness. Women admitted status influenced “relationship potential,” not “sexual spark.”
Study A3: Wealthy Men Dataset (University of Munich, 2019)
Wealthy low-attractive men had relationship success rates similar to average-looking men. But struggled heavily in initial approach scenarios, unless the status or money was obvious and visible.
CONCLUSION OF CASE A
Status/money can increase commitment interest, perceived maturity, and raise social
desirability.
But they cannot override an unattractive face, generate strong sexual attraction, create dating app success, outcompete a high attractive person in the initial stage.
CASE STUDIES TYPE B: High Looks+Low Status and Money
Study B1: Walster et al. (1966)
Physical attractiveness was the strongest predictor of romantic interest—even surpassing personality and socioeconomic variables.
Study B2: Dating App Behavior (Sumter & Vandenbosch, 2019)
Attractive men with:
Study B3: Fugère et al. (2015)
Attractive men rated:
CONCLUSION OF CASE B
High looks generate instant attraction, outperform money and status in the initial stage, allow sexual opportunities despite socioeconomic deficits, and create more social forgiveness.
SYNTHESIS: THE HIERARCHY
TIER 1: LOOKS -> HARD CAP
-Determines who notices you
-Controls early stage attraction
-Affects every stage downstream
TIER 2: STATUS -> AMPLIFIER
-Boosts attractiveness only after looks open the door
-Enhances desirability and competition
TIER 3: MONEY -> STABILIZER
Good for:
-Long term relationshios
-Lifestyle improvements
-Reducing stress
But weak for early stage attraction unless paired with looks.
THE VERDICT:
Can Status and Money Beat Looks?
Short term, no, never, absolutely not, it’s all cope. Looks. Are. King.
Status and money can compensate in specific contexts, mainly long term and offline environments. But they cannot override poor facial aesthetics.
LOOKS ARE PRIMARY SELECTOR
STATUS IS THE MULTIPLIER
MONEY IS THE STABILITY TRAIT
YOU CANNOT OUT STATUS YOUR FACE. YOU CANNOT OUT MONEY YOUR BONE STRUCTURE.
LOOKS ARE KING
PS I know everybody knew this I just wanted to show how much each trait mattered and what each trait did by itself. Thanks for reading.
In short: the effects are limited, and you can kind of interchange them, but in very specific context and never in the initial attraction phase, especially in the modern age.
This is going to present a structured breakdown of each factor’s significance, and then examine cases of poor looks but high status versus highly attractive with minimal resources.
WHY LOOKS MATTER (and Why They Matter First)
-Evolutionary Signaling
Physical attractiveness conveys biological information:
Facial symmetry -> developmental stability
Jawline strength -> testosterone expression
Clear skin -> immune competence
Eye area visibility -> youth and vitality
These traits are pre-rational which means your brain notices them before your conscious mind registers anything.
ONLINE DATING INTENSIFIES THE LOOKS BIAS
Dating technology now acts as a sort of visual filter for the global mating pool.
-Decisions on Tinder occur in 0.3-0.6 seconds (Prause & Heiman, 2020)
-83% of visual interest on apps is determined by factors from the photos (Sumter & Vandenbosch, 2019)
-Attractive men receive 4-10x more matches regardless of their job, bio, or lifestyle
The result:
Looks=the hard gatekeeper. No looks means no opportunity to showcase money or status on dating apps.
WHY STATUS MATTERS (As a multiplier, not the base)
-The Preselection Mechanism
Women rate men as more attractive when:
-other women desire them
-they’re photographed in a high status social context
-they appear confident, respected, or admired
A University of Toronto study found that men’s attractiveness rose by 27-47% by being placed in high status social environments (Dixson et al., 2017)
STATUS DOESN’T REPLACE LOOKS, IT AUGMENTS THEM
Status boosts
-perceived dominance
-social proof
-risk taking ability
-competence
But status requires the initial exposure. A low look man with high status still needs women to notice him before status can sway their opinion.
WHY MONEY MATTERS (But Mostly for Long Term, Not Attraction)
-Evolutionary Role
Money serves as a modern equivalent for
-resource stability
-provisioning ability
-future security
But research repeatedly shows that financial traits are less effective for generating raw attraction than physical traits.
MONEY≠ATTRACTION
Money = Stability, comfort, and longevity
In early stage mating
-money barely influences interest
-wealth signaling can even reduce attraction if over done
Only extreme wealth (top 1%) begins to function similarly to status, not attractiveness.
CASE STUDIES TYPE A: Low Looks+High Status and Money
these will be straight copy and pasted verbatim
Study A1: Townsend & Levy (1990)
Average and unattractive men with high-income/high-status indicators were preferred over attractive men with low status.
BUT → this effect applied to long-term interest, not immediate sexual attraction.
Study A2: Sadalla et al. (1987)
High-status roles increased desirability but did not significantly improve ratings of raw attractiveness. Women admitted status influenced “relationship potential,” not “sexual spark.”
Study A3: Wealthy Men Dataset (University of Munich, 2019)
Wealthy low-attractive men had relationship success rates similar to average-looking men. But struggled heavily in initial approach scenarios, unless the status or money was obvious and visible.
CONCLUSION OF CASE A
Status/money can increase commitment interest, perceived maturity, and raise social
desirability.
But they cannot override an unattractive face, generate strong sexual attraction, create dating app success, outcompete a high attractive person in the initial stage.
CASE STUDIES TYPE B: High Looks+Low Status and Money
Study B1: Walster et al. (1966)
Physical attractiveness was the strongest predictor of romantic interest—even surpassing personality and socioeconomic variables.
Study B2: Dating App Behavior (Sumter & Vandenbosch, 2019)
Attractive men with:
- no bio
- no job
- poor lifestyle signals
- zero socioeconomic flex
Study B3: Fugère et al. (2015)
Attractive men rated:
- low income
- low education
- low resource potential
CONCLUSION OF CASE B
High looks generate instant attraction, outperform money and status in the initial stage, allow sexual opportunities despite socioeconomic deficits, and create more social forgiveness.
SYNTHESIS: THE HIERARCHY
TIER 1: LOOKS -> HARD CAP
-Determines who notices you
-Controls early stage attraction
-Affects every stage downstream
TIER 2: STATUS -> AMPLIFIER
-Boosts attractiveness only after looks open the door
-Enhances desirability and competition
TIER 3: MONEY -> STABILIZER
Good for:
-Long term relationshios
-Lifestyle improvements
-Reducing stress
But weak for early stage attraction unless paired with looks.
THE VERDICT:
Can Status and Money Beat Looks?
Short term, no, never, absolutely not, it’s all cope. Looks. Are. King.
Status and money can compensate in specific contexts, mainly long term and offline environments. But they cannot override poor facial aesthetics.
LOOKS ARE PRIMARY SELECTOR
STATUS IS THE MULTIPLIER
MONEY IS THE STABILITY TRAIT
YOU CANNOT OUT STATUS YOUR FACE. YOU CANNOT OUT MONEY YOUR BONE STRUCTURE.
LOOKS ARE KING
PS I know everybody knew this I just wanted to show how much each trait mattered and what each trait did by itself. Thanks for reading.
