President Trump's victory in the general election last November came as a surprise to many people, including the president himself. In the months since then people have written countless articles trying to identify exactly what made the president so successful during the election. Finally, one researcher from Finland might have put his finger on the secret to Trump's success.

Jan-Erik Lonnqvist is a social psychology professor from the University of Helsinki. Last month, he published a study in the journal Personality and Individual Differences with a surprising conclusion. He found that conservative voters value good looks in their candidates much more than liberal voters do.

Lonnqvist's study, which included research on voters in the United States, Europe, Finland and Australia, found that attractiveness is a very important quality for more conservative voters, but not for liberals.

As a result, right-leaning candidates from all over the world seem to focus more on small details, like making sure their hair is combed just right.

This year, Republican voters had a huge list of 16 presidential candidates to narrow down, so maybe appearance was a helpful way to narrow down their choices.

The political arena isn't the only place where looks matter. Studies have shown that attractive people have more success at work, and are even paid more than their colleagues.

Scientists think part of this may have to do with self-confidence. They say being attractive may give someone a more positive, friendly attitude, which makes them more successful.

One study by Harvard and Rice University found that good looks can help land a job interview, which certainly fits with this new research.

After all, a presidential election is pretty close to a long, televised job interview!

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