Lemondrop

Well, at least now I know why, when I was once almost picked as a juror on a murder trial, I was so damn sure that the cute, puppy-dog-eyed defendant had to be innocent. A new brain-mapping study shows that when viewing an attractive face and when judging good behavior, we use the same part of the brain to process both.

Conversely, when shown someone unattractive, or when judging misdeeds, "the part of the brain known for processing disgust and punishment" is stimulated. We'd get into the science of it -- warning, there's a lot of talk about various cortexes -- but we think the real trouble for most of us lies in the social implications of this bizarre biological tick.

We all know that humans go after physical symmetry in their mates because that outer appeal implies some inner symmetry which makes for good potential baby-making, which means we can pass along our own genes, a goal for which animals are hardwired. Phew.

But when being good-looking often has nothing to do with a person's ethical merit, why do our brains process hotness and integrity so similarly? We're certainly no scientist, but we can unequivocally tell you our cutest past boyfriends have all also been the worst. Thanks, brain! At least this study helps explain why the attractive, popular kids in high school got away with being such ill-behaved party animals.

The moral bottom line is obvious, if difficult to act on: Fight your brain, and stop letting the prettier boys get off so easily when they're being jerks. But most important, give that not-quite-as-cute dude the benefit of the doubt once in a while, OK?