Attractive people are more productive and have economic advantages over less attractive people said Dr Catherine Hakim, a British sociologist from Civitas London and author of a book “Honey Money: the power of erotic capital” at an EIB Institute seminar.

Erotic capital is a combination of “beauty, social skills, good dress sense, physical fitness, liveliness, sex appeal and sexual competence” she explained. ” Those who possess erotic capital have a big advantage, she says. Not only do “these people smile at the world and find that the world smiles back and remembers them,” but they are likely to have an economic advantage in pay of as much as 10 to 20 %.

Erotic capital matters more today than economic capital (personal wealth), human capital (education) or social capital (network relations). “Should we hire good looking staff? Yes” she says, adding “we overestimate the importance of education”.

Dr Hakim was the first lecturer of the new series of seminars organized by the EIB Institute and titled “Midday goes social”.