Not all of us got where we are because of our looks.

But as we have long suspected, beautiful people have the edge in almost everything.

A researcher concludes that attractive people enjoy many advantages while those who are less attractive often face discrimination.

Daniel S. Hamermesh has published his findings in a new book called "Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are More Successful"

Among Hamermesh's depressing findings:

Beautiful people earn $230,000 more in a lifetime than workers with below-average looks. He said that figure is an estimate based on an average salary of $20 an hour in 2010.

The earnings disparity is greater when broken down by gender. Beautiful women earn 4 percent more and handsome men earn 3 percent more than their average-looking counterparts.

Beauty pays off, researcher finds | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton PA - News