Ugly people are more bullied at work, study shows

Those who have lost out in the looks department were found to be treated cruelly and made fun of at work more often than their better looking colleagues.

Researchers at universities in the US concluded that physical attractiveness plays as great a role as personality in how a person is treated in the office.

Timothy Judge, professor of management at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business in Indiana, and Brent Scott from Michigan State University surveyed 114 workers at a health care facility, asking them how often their co-workers treated them cruelly, including saying hurtful things, acting rudely and making fun of them.

Using digital photos, the workers' "attractiveness" was then judged by others who did not know them.

Prof Judge said: “We find that unattractive individuals are more likely the subject of rude, uncivil and even cruel treatment by their co-workers.