What's Behind Her Smile? Health, Looks, and Self-Esteems

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gallego, Francisco A.; Philippi, Cristian Larroulet; Repetto, Andrea
• 署名单位: Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile; Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile; University of Cambridge; Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7782
• DOI: 10.1257/app.20210248
• 发表日期: 2024
• 页码: 359-388
• 关键词: oral-health; GENDER; beauty; validation

摘要

This paper examines how improving dental health affects economic, social, and psychological outcomes. In a randomized experiment, we provide a low-income group free dental care, including prostheses, and find significant and persistent impacts on men's and women's dental and self -perceived mental health. For women, treatment generates improvement in self-esteem, a higher likelihood of smiling when photographed, short -run improvements in employment and earnings, and improvement in partner interactions. We find no impact for men in these dimensions. Heterogeneity analyses suggest that treatment effects on labor market outcomes are larger for women with more severe visible dental issues at baseline. ( JEL D12, D91, I12, J16, O12 )