Most of the time, it’s better to be attractive than it is to be non-attractive. Much to the chagrin of this barely average-looking guy.

Attractive people have a certain pull. I once spent three hours over at a female friend’s house setting up her internet. She showed up in my office one day, gave me the sweetest smile she could muster, and I was putty in her hands. It’s obvious I’m not the only guy who has fallen for it.

But for most of us who aren’t model material, our looks aren’t so important. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating that you should walk around wearing a burlap sack after not getting a haircut for a year, but for most normal looking people, an investment into our appearance only has psychological benefits.

I’m pretty sure you don’t believe me, but it’s true. Here’s why you should think twice before you go for that facelift.

It’s business

You know how you can’t turn on the TV or flip open a magazine without seeing an ad for some miracle makeup that will make the fellas swoon and all the ladies jealous?

Every time you buy a beauty product, you’ve fallen into the trap.

The fact is that most people are pretty average looking, who, at least physically, fit in pretty well with their peers. Sure, we have to take care of ourselves, but all the beauty industry is doing is selling you unnecessary products by exploiting your insecurities. There aren’t many people who have the power to resist that, but at least asking yourself the question before buying the latest beauty product will be helpful.

You’re your own worst critic

Like anyone else, whenever I look in the mirror I mostly see flaws. My belly is too big. I have bags under my eyes. No matter how much time I spend on my hair, there’s always one or two strands out of place.

Then think of your reaction when you see someone else with a slight hair problem. Do you stress on it? I know I sure don’t. If I even notice, I’m only going to focus on it for a second or two before my brain moves onto something else. Your minor physical defects just don’t matter that much too other people.

Other things are more important

I once worked with someone with a large birthmark on her face. We’re talking about the size of a dime, and it was dark, too. There was no covering this up with makeup.

After about the second day, nobody even talked about the birthmark. The reason? She was such a great employee. She impressed everyone with her abilities. She learned our systems quickly. She was a team player. By impressing everyone with her skills, she very quickly turned everyone’s attention to all the more important things she bought to the table.

Even if she was just mediocre, we still would have stopped talking about the birthmark. It’s just a dumb birthmark. Even immature guys like me realize that.

It becomes a crutch

There are plenty of reasons why you might fail at something. Your appearance will almost never be one of them.

By focusing on your appearance, you can easily use it as a crutch to explain why you’re not succeeding at work. Most people don’t get promoted because there’s someone more qualified or because they have a poor work ethic or attitude. By focusing on your appearance, you create a convenient excuse to not own up to your real problems.

Do you really want to impress them anyway?

Here’s my mantra. If someone is going to look down on me because of the way I look, I’m not really that interested in what they think.

Again, I’m not saying you should ignore your appearance. You should wear clothes that are at the level of your peers and make sure you brush your teeth and don’t stink, but there’s no reason to go nuts. Besides, have you ever met someone who’s obsessed with their appearance? They are the worst. Don’t fall into that trap. Avoid the draw of overly investing in your appearance. Looking great is good, but there are more important things than what people see when they first look at you. Being an awesome person will trump looking great every time.