Does the attractiveness or lack whereof of fellow Mahaloans (on their photos) affect your judgement of their answers or questions?

Very rarely but in one type of case yes. Only when they have chosen an abusive or profane avatar, which is not too often but it happens and at that point I commit the username to memory and report the user to staff where hopefully they will be asked to change the abusive avatar image. I do from that point forward sort of add a stigma to that user where when I see their name, regardless of avatar, I am wary of participating in their questions or commenting on their answers for fear of getting caught up in a real trolly scenario or another abusive encounter.

I don't care because everyone I know is different. I admit I may be less inclined to take diet tips from someone who's large obese head barely fits in the avatar box but really, the pictures don't matter to me. If it's something unique, it helps it stand out more to me.

While most of us probably think these things don't influence us much if all, the likelihood is that we do subconsciously form ideas about people from their avatars and their usernames. That's why companies go to such trouble to design a logo, and pick just the right font for a message, and pore over photographs of people that are going to be in their ads. Watch the effect that flashing a small Apple logo for such a short time that people don't even consciously register it has on people... youtube.com/watch?v=iFBnv1dkUmk I'm the same here.It doesn't really influence me on a conscious level.

But to give to an example, when I first saw @buddawiggi's username and whatever his avatar was at the time, I got the feeling he was in high school. No doubt that would color how I read his answers and how I interacted with him. Recently I learned that the username actually comes from his high school nickname.

That example also shows that after a while once you get to know a person, those subliminal impressions can get more or less erased. One final point... there are certain kinds of avatar that do get consciously flagged. For example anything featuring a scantily clad woman I assume is mostly likely some kind of a scam fishing for the gullible until proven otherwise.

:) EDIT: Btw I didn't address the specific point of *attractiveness* that you mentioned. I'd say what would subconsciously influence me on Mahalo is more whether a person looks intelligent or looks friendly and helpful.

Not that many actually use their real visages so I really don't know if it would make a difference or not but I'd say probably not. BTW, Polymath, you're looking pretty good with that big smile and cute bowl cut, yourself.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.