Are surgeons really better looking?

January 3, 2007

The BMJ essentially plays Are You Hot? with physicians:

They selected a random sample of 12 surgeons and 12 physicians from the hospital plus four external controls (well known film stars who played surgeons or physicians). All subjects were matched by age (52 +/- 7 years) and sex (all men), their height was recorded and they were asked to submit a digital picture.

Pictures of all subjects were then randomly organised and shown to an independent group of eight female observers (all in the same age group as the study subjects). Observers used the “good looking score” to classify each participant (ranging from 1, ugly to 7, very good looking).



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{ 1 comment }

1 Anonymous January 3, 2007 at 11:06 pm

“There are several potential explanations for these findings, say the authors. For example, surgeons spend a lot of time in operating rooms, which are cleaner, cooler, and have a higher oxygen content than the average medical ward, where physicians spend most of their time. They also often wear clog-type shoes that adds 2-3 cm to their perceived height. In contrast, physicians have a tendency to hang heavy stethoscopes around their necks, which bows their heads forward and reduces their perceived height”

Now THAT is science!

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