Beauty or Brains

[NeverAmI]

Well in terms of IQ they have correlation that after a certain point the individual becomes very unproductive so the most valuable IQ's to society are within a certain range.

Although it is not conclusive of whether the IQ is really an accurate measurement for intelligence, but there is still a correlation between IQ and productivity to some extent.

 

[DoveAlexa]

I was reading an article on the Prometheus society (very high IQ's like over 160) and it showed that also those gifted people born to other gifted and productive people become productive as well, but if they are born to normal people they tend to become bitter and unproductive, even destructive.
http://www.prometheussociety.org/articles/Outsiders.html
Long stuff but all very important. It also seems like there is a certain point you reach in IQ where you just can't be happy in your world .

 

[Gaze]

Thats an interesting point. I've seen a few studies claiming that genius intellegence makes no difference in overall income relative to an average person, and more just guile and aggressiveness is what gets people ahead. However, being stupid its certainly harder to be making enough of an income to sculpt your face from ugly to beautiful. Though there are plenty of dumb sexybombs making tons of money like [insert any porn star here].

Porn stars are pretty smart - they approach it as a business and market/promote the sexy, innocent, "dumb" image as a persona because they know it sells. Porn star imaging is staging and performance. Being overtly or visibly intelligent is not necessary. You can be a porn star with a 160 IQ, but yet it doesn't really matter does it, because as long as you know how to make money from your image by promoting something which sells, then what else is necessary.

Of course, the ethical/moral questions are something else.

 

[BlinkandThink]

The options are strange. Why would someone choose to be an ugly genius over an average-looking genius? So that their genius is taken more seriously? If you're average, it's not that difficult to tone down your looks ... much easier than improving them.


And I don't know what I'd pick. I'm a woman, so I imagine my life would be easier as an average-brained beauty, so I'll just go with that one. If I were a guy, I'd go with average-looking genius.

 

[DoveAlexa]

The options are strange. Why would someone choose to be an ugly genius over an average-looking genius? So that their genius is taken more seriously? If you're average, it's not that difficult to tone down your looks ... much easier than improving them.


And I don't know what I'd pick. I'm a woman, so I imagine my life would be easier as an average-brained beauty, so I'll just go with that one. If I were a guy, I'd go with average-looking genius.

2 sets of questions hence the multi choice poll. I'd have made 2 separate polls if I could have.

 

[Odyne]

I have 3 questions for the boards:

1. Would you rather be butt ugly and a genius, or beautiful but spectacularly stupid? [poll]

2. Would you rather be average in looks but a genius, or average in brains but beautiful?[poll]

3. If you were both very good looking and a genius, which would be harder to suddenly have to live without, to lose: your genius and all the gifts of insight and ability this gets you, or your looks which grants you social benefits and positive attention. [no poll]

What value does society place for both beauty and brains? Is one considered better than the other to have, more valued?

2. I'd rater be average in looks but a genius.

3. If I had to give up on one of them. It'd be looks. Because I can still gain social acceptance with my wisdom and insight. Many great leaders have been able to reach out to people because of their brains, charisma, and personality. Not their looks.

 

[Gaze]

2. I'd rater be average in looks but a genius.

3. If I had to give up on one of them. It'd be looks. Because I can still gain social acceptance with my wisdom and insight. Many great leaders have been able to reach out to people because of their brains, charisma, and personality. Not their looks.

Quite true. It's easy to forget that many smart, successful people are not very attractive but they know how to market what they have through their dynamism, personality, likeability, and attitude. So, looks isn't everything.

And looks can be a deterrent to achievement or success, since people are sometimes less likely to take you seriously if you're too attractive. You may have to work harder to prove yourself because of it. Actually, in some cases, a woman who is brilliant but not considered very attractive is more likely to be taken seriously (for her smarts) than a woman who is very attractive with above average intelligence. The irony.