You are on a bus at a bus stop watching passengers get on. A middle-aged woman gets on and sits near you. You notice that she looks just like a normal woman about her age. Two bus stops later, an elderly man who is slowly walking with a cane gets on. Immediately, the middle-aged woman jumps up, smiles and gives the man her seat. As you observe the woman now standing, you notice that she is actually quite attractive.

Researchers have found that your experience is common. When a person does something kind and helpful, they will look more physically attractive to us  ….(See complete article below.)

(This posting includes a handout LINK AT THE END OF THIS POST which you are welcome to use with your students.) *

For background information about these articles and for suggestions for how to use them with your students, see  • Introducing “Short, High-Interest Readings”  Also, I’ll be adding more of these articles in the right-hand column: ESL Reading> Short, High Interest Articles for Extensive Readings

Here is the 19th article. You can download the article for your students by clicking on the link at the end. Also included are three optional exercises: True-False Questions; Paraphrasing Exercise; Reflection Exercise.

                                Kindness Makes People Look More Beautiful

You are on a bus at a bus stop watching passengers get on. A middle-aged woman gets on and sits near you. You notice that she looks just like a normal woman about her age. Two bus stops later, an elderly man who is slowly walking with a cane gets on. Immediately, the middle-aged woman jumps up, smiles and gives the man her seat. As you observe the woman now standing, you notice that she is actually quite attractive.

Researchers have found that your experience is common. When a person does something kind and helpful, they will look more physically attractive to us.

When we meet someone new, naturally, the first thing we notice is their physical appearance. At first, we may think that they are average-looking or below average or above average. According to studies, our opinion of their attractiveness can change after we learn more about their personalities. For example, we may find them more attractive if they are friendly or funny. But there is one personality trait that will affect us the most. It is how kind they are. Researchers believe we have this reaction because, in our minds, we would like to have a connection to them.

In the study, participants were divided into three groups:

1. Group 1: They saw a picture of an ordinary person with no information about the person’s personality.
2. Group 2: They saw the same picture, plus a description saying the person was kind and helpful. For example, the description said the person volunteered to help homeless people, tutored low‑income children, or picked up groceries for an elderly neighbor.
3. Group 3: They saw the picture with a description saying the person was smart and funny—someone who gets perfect test scores, fixes difficult computer problems, tells great jokes, and makes everyone laugh.

After viewing the pictures and descriptions, participants rated the person’s attractiveness on a scale from “average-looking” to “attractive” to “very beautiful.”

The results showed a clear pattern: when no description was provided, the person was typically rated as average. When described as smart or funny, their ratings improved to attractive. However, when the person was described as kind and helpful, they received the highest ratings, with most participants viewing them as very beautiful.

To look more attractive to other people, you do not need to join a formal volunteer program or spend hours tutoring a child to make a difference. In fact, we can show kindness many times each day, and it only takes a few seconds.

Simple actions—like holding a door open for someone behind you, letting someone with fewer items go ahead of you in the supermarket line, or giving a warm compliment to a classmate—are powerful acts of kindness. When you choose to be helpful and friendly to the people around you, you aren’t just making the world a better place. Science shows that you are also making yourself look much more attractive to the world.

Short, High-Interest Articles for Extensive Reading © 2026 David & Peggy Kehe.  This page is photocopiable for classroom use.

Here is the link to the article and exercises that you can use with your students: Kindness makes more beautiful ARTICLE AND EXERCISES

David Kehe

*About the free-download materials. During my 40 years of teaching ESL, I have had many colleagues who were very generous with their time, advice and materials. These downloads are my way of paying it forward.