A new special report called the “The Beauty Advantage” on Newsweek.com says that the quest to look good isn’t just “a vain pursuit” and that beauty can affect your career and life.

In today’s economy looking good is something that can’t be dismissed as frivolous, according to the article.

“Economists have long recognized what’s been dubbed the ‘beauty premium’—the idea that pretty people, whatever their aspirations, tend to do better in, well, almost everything,” writes Jessica Bennett in the online article. Economist Daniel Hamermesh says a good-looking man will make some $250,000 more during his career than his least-attractive counterpart.

Here are a few other statistics the article cites to make this point:

• Handsome men earn, on average, 5 percent more than their less-attractive counterparts (good-looking women earn 4 percent more)
• Attractive people get more attention from teachers, bosses, and mentors
• Babies stare longer at good-looking faces

It’s not a surprise then that some may turn to plastic surgery. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 13 percent of women (and 10 percent of men, in a Newsweek survey), say they’d consider cosmetic surgery if it made them more competitive at work.

Newsweek also surveyed 202 corporate hiring managers and found that 56 percent of them said that qualified but unattractive candidates are likely to have a harder time getting a job. Over 50 percent advised spending as much time and money on “making sure they look attractive” as on perfecting a résumé.

Hiring managers also rated nine character attributes from one to 10 (with 10 being the most important). The results? Looks came in third, below experience and confidence, but above where an applicant went to school and five other attributes.

You can find a variety of online essays, photo galleries, and interactive features on the “beauty advantage” at Newsweek.com.