Do pretty waitresses get higher tips? That's what researchers at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration wanted to find out and the answer is surprisingly mixed.

The researchers recruited more than 400 waitresses and asked them to rate their attractiveness and other measurements like bra size and hair color. While we would all expect the hotter waitresses to get bigger tips, the results are a little more complicated.

Blonds, not surprisingly, got larger tips than non-blonds, even though the blond waitresses did not perceive themselves to be more attractive. Also not surprising is that women with big boobs or slender bodies got bigger tips.

But the Cornell researchers also found that tips increased with age. The largest tips went to waitresses in their thirties.

Thick waisted waitresses got just as big tips as curvy ones. This might be because the typical waitresses' outfit obscures a woman's waist and hips, other than at Hooter's, of course.

One factor that the researchers didn't study was how well the waitress did her job. No matter how hot your server might be, you're unlikely to leave a big tip if the food never comes.

[via Jena Pincott]

photo credit: SQL Samson