Prefer to be beautiful to having brains?

[charlmarascoxo]

I was asked - would you rather be beautiful and have below average intelligence or would be rather be clever and be dull looking/plain jane.

I went with beauty.

It seems to me that in society having beauty is quite highly valued and life is perhaps easier because you are more accepted. Most people however chose brains over beauty. So perhaps I am in the minority?

I don't think being at the extreme of either leads to happiness. People on the genius scale are often full of self doubt and over analyse everything and are never satisfied with their current situation

Likewise I imagine that being stunningly beautiful can get in the way of normal social interaction.

A good mix of both is preferable. There is a correrlation between face symmetry (proxy for beauty) and IQ anyway, I read an interesting piece in the nat geo a few years ago. Being attractive means people respond better to you and your interactions become easier.

I am quite clever. Very clever compared to the whole population I suppose. I am also reasonably attractive. I am tall, slim, nice face and nice hair. Def not stunning but I am nice looking.

I bloomed late, at about 20 I suddenly 'grew into my looks' and boy did life become a whole lot easier. Social interactions became much easier, boys wanted to talk to me, more girls did too, it was easier getting part time casual work at uni (and I was told by a guy at one job that the manager had only Interviewed be because he thought I was 'fit').

As other people have said it is well documented that being attractive makes a lot of things easier. But you don't need to be stunning, a plain face can be an attractive face if you are presented nicely and are confident and happy in yourself.

My DP is ridiculously clever. Scarily clever! He Often thinks it would be nice to be stupid and just accept life the way it is!

Looks fade.

Brains sharpen. Intelligence has the potential to become wisdom.

Beauty? not worth the paper it's written on.

Jux, my brains are definitely not what they were!

Intelligence fades with age. And the ability to assimilate new knowledge and skills fades rapidly.

What is deemed as beautiful is a social construct, or are we honestly stating, looking at fashion magazines etc, that white people are the most attractive?

Also, Josie Jump mk1 left to study fashion design and now makes her own knitwear.

It depends on what you mean by beautiful,women that are truly beautiful are at any age,not just when they are young.

It would depend on how beautiful an how intelligent.

Personally i think intelligence is overated,i just want to be happy!

Knitwear! Is that what the kids are calling it these days! :o

I am clever. I would frankly rather have been beautiful.

Really mother?

Yes, but I have massive Issues about my looks. And I have put up with an awful lot of crap treatment from blokes because I'm always aware I'm lucky to get anyone to put up me.

That's so shit I'm sorry you feel like this

I am pretty clever, though .

Oh god no. I'd rather be intelligent than beautiful. I was listening to a conversation between two women about their friend who had come away with the statement that, "Holland is in Sylvania (sic), you know, like Scotland is in GB."

They were laughing but said, "She is soooo pretty though."

My judgy pants were hoiked right up. Pretty damn ignorant I thought.

Brains. You could end up with a really good job to fund plastic surgery

I don't know... I think a working brain would help right about now!

Brains.

One of the things I like about being plain and dull is the ability to pass under the radar. I was desperate to stand out and be different as a teenager, now I am relieved to blend in and be as un-noticeable as possible.

I only feel particularly out of place when in a group of women who talk about dieting or exercise DVDs or make up or clothes. I mean, I wear clothes and jewellery and perfume, (and make up occasionally), but I always feel like an outsider in those situations and not a 'proper' woman. The world of fashion and beauty is a complete mystery to me.

Binks, I am curious by what you say about tortured genius.

I work in the City with some of the brightest minds in the business (not mine, I hasten to add). I reckon they are smart because they are constantly thrown into new situations, able to digest vast chunks of information in an instant, coming up with answers by drawing connections in different fields, presenting the answer in a simple and convincing manner and getting people to respect them as an expert and trust their judgment.

There is no evidence that these people are contorting themselves with existential issues. If anything, they can cut through the chase whilst others are floundering in the morass of detail. I would not say they are particularly intellectually curious (perhaps they don't have the time) except in their field of expertise.

It could be that they are only clever, not super intelligent. But I think overthinking issues is as much a function of personality as it is raw intelligence.

I don't want to blend in. And I would quite like my idiocies excused by 'she is soooooo pretty, though', rather than having to be painstakingly accurate about everything.

mother - that is awful, but there are plenty of men out there that are more interested in brains and personality than looks. I'm sure you'll encounter one that is to your tastes too soon enough.

I agree. ' she is sooooo pretty ' is just infuriating.

Oh, I live with a man who considers me the most beautiful woman in the world . (And I have come across quite a few blokes who fancied me in the past.) Like I say, I have Issues.

Dances, I think most men, being visual creatures, will initially be attracted to looks. Brains and personality come later, if they figure at all.

As someone who is both smoking hot and incredibly intelligent I would say brains get you further, but looks probably make the journey more pleasant.

I am actually mingling and dumb as a box of rocks.

blueshoes!

Yes it's true my wife is vair beautiful, but she's also intelligent and funny and a wonderful person. If she wasn't, she wouldn't be my wife!

I've known a lot of beautiful women in my life, but I only ever pursued the ones I could engage with mentally and emotionally. A beauty with no brains is a huge turn off.