Do attractive people really have higher IQs?

[NaeturVindur]

Ok, we studied this effect in social psychology a bit, so here's the deal:

There's something called the "halo effect" or the subconscious belief that what is beautiful is good. When we see someone who has positive physical features, we tend to assume they have various other positive features: nice, funny, outgoing, ..., and Intelligent. Well, the assumption isn't necessarily true, but it is often assumed. Because it is so often assumed, it tends to become manifest due to the effects of self-fulfilling prophecy (if you treat someone as though they are a certain way, they are more likely to actually act that way). So (and this effect has been shown in school children) if you treat someone as having higher than normal intelligence, they're more likely to pay attention while being taught, more eager to learn, and thus become more intelligent.

The thing is, being intelligent takes a good deal of work, and both of these effects aren't very powerful. They both have effects, but not much. So, there will be some correlation, but it won;t be strong. The Halo effect becoming manifest is much more obvious in the out-going-ness and like features, as those take considerably less effort and are much more susceptible to these kinds of effects.

 

[mauve]

I'd be interested to see how they measure physical attractiveness.


While beauty is subjective, it is usually possible to get a group of people to come to a general agreement on a person. It is inter-subjective.

True, I heard from another source that the person is rated and there will be a consensus whether or not the person is attractive.

Yea I know someone who is absolutely gorgeous, but she is as thick as pig shit

Don't we all
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My only thought on this that ~might~ support the premise is that people who are better educated are more likely to know how to properly take care of themselves which translates both into proper diet, proper exercise, and proper personal care, all of which translate very directly into increasing the odds so and so will be fit, healthy, and therefore attractive.

So I think it's more the reverse... intelligent people are probably more likely to maintain their attractiveness, not that attractive people are somehow more intelligent.

Yes, that is one of the ongoing theories. Like i said, so many things wrong with the study.

I might take into consideration that attractive people are more confident and such because they're generally treated as valuable right off the bat - as far as guys go. Less attractive and normal people can tend to doubt themselves and feel self-conscious, and then doubt their answers on the tests. Then mark down different answers. I'd say that pure intelligence probably doesn't have any major correlation with attractiveness, but confidence does - and confidence affects how we act. Get a normal person in a room full of attractives and they'll feel pressured. Get a normal person in a room full of uggos and they'll feel amazingly confident.

It's a cycle, isn't it?



ALL of those shows are scripted drama factories, I'd bet it was made up.

Very true.

Handsome is as handsome does.

What is attractiveness, really? Personally, I don't care about what the outside holds as long as I can hold a long, intelligent, and enlightening conversation.

Behold, Chris Langan, "smartest man in the US". Is he beautiful? You be the judge.

YouTube - Chris Langan Part 2

Exactly. This forum is proof that such intelligent people do exist and they can carry insightful conversations Thanks for the vid.

+1.

Also, agreed with ~jet's post. More intelligent people have more capacity to improve or take care of their personal beauty and grooming, thus increasing their attractiveness.

Albeit really, attractiveness themselves really is relative. :| Even physical appearances can be slightly changed with makeups and haircuts and fashion choices. Or are we talking about composition of the face, the golden ratio, that kind of thing?

Nope not the golden ratio in this case, ratings and a consensus.

I think this study is full of s**t. If you are in college, look around your higher classes. Look at the people at the top of the class. Sure, there will be some pretty people but there will also be some incredibly ugly people. I don't think there is a correlation between beauty and intelligence but there is a correlation between beauty and annual earnings that I've heard of.

As far as measuring beauty, there is an actual way to do it. There was a plastic surgeon who was struggling with doing consistent facial reconstructing on burn victims and stuff. I don't remember the name of the doctor but John Cleese interviewed him in his 4 part documentary "Faces" (on netflix on-demand watch). The doctor did like 10 years of research to find a map that would consistently let him make more beautiful facial reconstructions. He ended up with a facial map based on the "Golden Ratio" that shows roughly what an ideal face would look like.

So, beauty could be measured on how much one's face fits into the map. Some of the people that matched perfectly were Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie.

Interesting. I agree, my school's recent top scorers were just average-looking anyway.

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[invisible]

yes, it's true, i am both intelligent and beautiful.