Intelligence VS Beauty

[B_Spladle]

From reading other people's posts and in life in general, I always hear stuff like: oh she's just rich cause she's beautiful while "insert name here" is rich because he's intelligent and worked hard for his place.

Well, "jacks" intelligence is "given" to him just like beauty is given to "julia".

Jack stayed up late, finished college and so on, julia starves herself to look good, doesnt have time to settle down etc...etc...

Why do people always think that the intelligent person worked harder or did something out of the ordinary? while the beautiful person they say "oh h/she was born with it", well he didnt create his intelligence, he developed it?? well so did h/she they watch what they eat, get surgery, use products etc...

Why does society view those people as better or in a higher place, even though the latter are the ones they are most facisnated by??

You humans are damn wierd:biggrin1:

I think this is a really good post and I have often asked these questions myself.

 

[SR_search4bp]

True physical beauty requires nothing more than soap, water and a comb. How much work is that?

Intelligence is NOT a given, only the potential to BE intelligent if you as an individual choose to apply it.

Beauty changes nothing, intellect, artistry and invention change the entire world.

so true, English... :smile:

you have my personal OK to post more of those kind of statements... lol

 

[LittleKitten]

Don't knock beauty! It is actually a cumulative of average looks... what we see as beautiful is really just a good mix of genes, ideal for breeding. Beauty should not be dismissed lightly, because it's an evolutionary necessity! (I am writing an essay on "Gender Representation in the Media" so this info is fresh in my mind at the mo... :tongue: )

LK
x

 

[D_Sir Dancealot]

Don't knock beauty! It is actually a culmunative of average looks... what we see as beautiful is really just a good mix of genes, ideal for breeding. Beauty should not be dismissed lightly, because it's an evolutionary necessity! (I am writing an essay on "Gender Representation in the Media" so this info is fresh in my mind at the mo... :tongue: )

LK
x

I agree!!!!!

 

[B_Hickboy]

Ah, attractiveness is overdetermined. I have known some exceptionally beautiful and intelligent women who were the most difficult people I've met. The combination of beauty, brains, loving, caring, self-aware, mindful, kind, and good in bed doesn't exist, in my experience. God knows I've looked hard for years.

 

[EnglishGentleman]

I don't think anyone IS knocking beauty, merely expressing it's priority within their own personal boundaries.

My Lady is gorgeous in my eyes - a vision of purity and elegance the like of which I have never had the good fortune to see before...

But...

She would NOT be my lady if her beauty weren't matched by her shimmering intellect and insight, her sensitivity and kindness, her passion and imagination. These qualities are the product of her intelligence, and no amount of surgery, cosmetics or exercise can fake such essentials of a good, worthwhile relationship.

Beauty may open the gate, but intelligence guides us down the path beyond.

 

[SR_search4bp]

beauty is also a certain danger for your own intellect...

I met several really good looking men in my life (not to name them "beautiful") and normally found totally self-centered characters in them - narcisses - who never had the time to develop their intellect... always busy to get the re-assurance of their attractivity... sigh

is that the kind of people you want to genetically multiply?

 

[LittleKitten]

Beauty changes nothing, intellect, artistry and invention change the entire world.

I just wanted to point out, that over the course of several million years, beauty - and the pursuit of it - has changed everything...

And although I would be the first to admit that some good-looking people are also arrogant idiots, there are also quite a few arrogant idiots who are ugly! lol :tongue:

LK
x

 

[prepstudinsc]

People very often will associate beauty with being dumb, which isn't always the case, though. Speaking as a man, I have found that being handsome can often be a hindrance and scare people away. They think that you'll automatically be a narcissistic jerk. I know that those types are out there, but I think that most of us are probably quite normal and intelligent if you get to know us. I, for one, don't bite, can carry on a semi-decent conversation, have some talent, can cook, dress well, have manners, etc. Yeah I do like to look in a mirror, but I can also focus on other people as well! I don't ALWAYS have to be the center of attention--I can have that when I'm performing.

 

[EnglishGentleman]

I just wanted to point out, that over the course of several million years, beauty - and the pursuit of it - has changed everything...

As a student whose concerns include the portrayal of the genders within the media, I would assume that remit includes the differing standards of beauty throughout history, and between cultures we see around us today.

Were we to have conducted this debate merely 60 years ago, the thin, toned look we admire in Western culture today would have been seen as emaciated and unhealthy. Go back a further 200 years and the ideal of beauty was a woman with "healthy" fat layers on her bones.

Beauty is a totally subjective opinion, influenced by culture and peer association. It is proven that one's own tastes and definition of what is physically beautiful are as much determined by our evaluation of a potential mate's immune responses as by their look, deportment or even smell.

The wheel works whether you like it or not. You enjoy the use of your computer even if you don't find it attractive. The words of luminaries such as Gandhi or Martin Luther King speak to whole generations and their descendents even if you don't like their cadence. Those observations are objective.

By these inalienable criteria and countless others, whilst beauty may be an initial sexual attractant, the power of reasoning and invention has truly made the world a better, more comfortable and more easily understood place. Beauty, at best, has helped make babies.

 

[windtalkerways]

What did Forrest say?

Beauty is as beauty does?

 

[GoneA]

Look at how many truly gorgeous people are out there who don't have an ounce of intelligence and how many intelligent people out there who got hit by the ugly stick. If the choice is one extreme or the other, I'll just keep my dog, thank you. In every day life, my reality is that many things work together to make a person both intelligent and beautiful. I don't think that I can choose just one or the other, nor would I want to.

yes actually, i agree completely

 

[LittleKitten]

whilst beauty may be an initial sexual attractant, the power of reasoning and invention has truly made the world a better, more comfortable and more easily understood place. Beauty, at best, has helped make babies.

Sorry, EGM, but you've missed my point completely. The reason why beauty exists at all is not to "make babies" as you put it, but to help ensure that the babies which are made are genetically healthy. Good genes give rise to all the characteristics you champion. Inbreeding, even for highly intelligent people, is not recommended.

As for myself, guys don't mind me being pretty, but most would prefer me to be less smart...:tongue:

LK
x

 

[Chuck64]

As for myself, guys don't mind me being pretty, but most would prefer me to be less smart...:tongue:

I hope that was sarcasm. If not, you need to ditch the boys and find a real man.

 

[javiclee]

some of the least intelligent people i know have faces like a hat full of assholes.

nice personalities though..

 

[EnglishGentleman]

Sorry, EGM, but you've missed my point completely. The reason why beauty exists at all is not to "make babies" as you put it, but to help ensure that the babies which are made are genetically healthy. Good genes give rise to all the characteristics you champion. Inbreeding, even for highly intelligent people, is not recommended.

I'm always ready to learn. Is there anything you can point me towards which could support this idea? since it contradicts all that I have ever read on the topic. I have yet to read in any of the scientific texts which comprise a significant proportion of my reading matter, any theory or hypothesis that equates physical beauty with genetic fitness for any given situation. I have, however, seen countless references which suggest, quite rightly, that physical looks attract more mates, therefore a greater chance of genetic survival, due to an increased number of mating opportunities. The argument you appear to espouse is essentially that of quantity over quality.

I also fail to understand the relevance in this debate of "inbreeding". No-one has suggested that has any bearing on this discussion as yet, so I am confused as to why you mention it. Would you care to enlighten us?

The principles of natural selection do not dictate that aesthetic beauty has any evolutionary correlation to genetic superiority according to my present knowledge. When environments change it is those best adapted, not those who look the prettiest who survive and propagate the species. It is known as the "Red Queen" theory.

For example; during the last ice age which covered most of our planet approximately 10,000 years ago with tundra, it was those who discovered and embraced fire and invented clothing who survived, plus the hangers on who had the good sense to follow their example. Beauty played no part, only innovation and an ability to see beyond that which stared them in the face. Whilst the beautiful people were frantically copulating in the hope they could survive by weight of numbers as they froze to death, it was those with more developed cognitive abilities who lived on and became our ancestors. Who would you rather be around? The person who offered warmth and protection, or the beautiful naked corpse?

If any of our members with a greater academic knowledge on this topic would care to comment, I would be delighted to hear your views.

 

[LittleKitten]

If any of our members with a greater academic knowledge on this topic would care to comment, I would be delighted to hear your views.

Ok, I will try and explain it more clearly for you.

Studies have shown that beauty (either racial or gender) is a composite of average features (there are loads, but try Langlois and Roggmann 1990.) Breeding within a small genetic group compounds dominant genetic traits and ultimately produces fluctuating asymmetry, mental disorders and even infertility (again, so many studies I don’t know where to start, but try Bittles 2002.) Conversely, breeding in a large genetic group produces healthy people with average features. Therefore, evolution has taught us that average features (what we think of as beauty) are best for breeding because they indicate the mate is less likely to suffer from genetic disorders. Pretty cool huh?!

I actually think we are heading towards a global beauty culture where the genetic traits of individual racial groups will be “averaged” to create a standard… just look at all those ads for Gap and Benetton! Cute people!! :smile: Lol xox

Anyway, I’ve just showered and as this thread is getting pretty inbred and ugly I’m off to bed…. nite everyone.

LK
xox

 

[D_Barbi_Queue]

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful.

No, no, no....it goes like this:

Don't hate me b/c I'm beautiful, hate me b/c I'm smarter than you. :tongue:

 

[prepstudinsc]

No, no, no....don't hate me because I'm beautiful and smart. :tongue:

 

[windtalkerways]

Beautiful and smart is ok.

If you're rich, best skip
Dilznick's thread. :tongue: