Beauty, Eh!

Never judge a book by the cover ... so we're told, cause you never know what's lurking beneath the covers. But how often do we actually heed those words? Everyday we practice our prejudices -- even when we know better, our subconscious betray us. Biologically, there may be something there. The way someone looks, usually is a good indicator for what we can expect from them. It has served our species well in the past. We are prejudiced. We can't help it.

We are attracted to the beautiful. They are showered with love, while the ugly are avoid. And while beauty may be subjective, there are definitely quite a number traits that we all agree on as being beautiful. Those are usually associated with how healthy a person appears to be: skin and hair for example are very susceptible to illness. Studies also show that the beautiful are also smarter -- scoring better at general intelligence than those less attractive. So prejudices aside, your first take on someone may actually be an accurate judge.

Which sorta explains my household. There are a bunch of really beautiful people in my house -- and damn smart too. Go figure! :)

Related reading:

• To those that have, shall be give -- the Economist article that prompted this post.
• Intelligence tests with higher g-loadings show higher correlations with body symmetry: Evidence for a general fitness factor mediated by developmental stability -- Mark D. Prokosch, Ronald A. Yeo, Geoffrey F. Miller; Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
• Facial attractiveness -- Randy Thornhill and Steven W. Gangestad.