What's More Important? Good-Looks Or Intelligence?

[arwalden]

Poll question: What's More Important? Good-Looks Or Intelligence?

Or, assuming that you're average looking with average intelligence... which of the two would you choose to IMPROVE with your magic wand?

Or, assuming that you're ALREADY good-looking AND intelligent... which of the two would you most hate to lose?

[Misunderestimator]

1. Intelligence

[terrya]

2. Intelligence. It isn't even close for me.

One CAN get plastic surgery to change your looks. Witness shows like "The Swan", for instance.

I would hate to lose my intelligence far more than my looks.

[Magrittes Pipe]

3. Smart AND pretty.

:loveya:

[StopTheMorans]

6. exactly, i love voting both to polls that are binary

:evilgrin: no offense to allen obviously:)

[arwalden]

10. Binary Polls...

... if the're good enough for CNN, then they're good enough for me. (At least I come up with better questions!) :hi:

-- Allen

[Bonhomme Richard]

4. In the real world Good Looks for the typical...............

management job. Oh yeah, and smart enough to parrot whatever the boss says. It certainly is not intelligence.

[Misunderestimator]

9. Oh, sometimes intelligence has a lot to do with it...

I agree that SOME management jobs require parroting of the boss, but sometimes you get lucky and don't have an asshole for a boss. I've never been a good parrot myself.

[Bonhomme Richard]

12. I'm afraid good looks opens more doors therefore.............

more opportunities. What happens after that may have more to do with intelligence, or parroting, depending on the situation.

Of course, this is a generalization.

[Misunderestimator]

14. I don't think it opens more doors... it just opens doors more widely.

And that's true ANYWHERE, not just management jobs. Don't you agree? There is always a combination of factors in getting and maintaining a job. Some of those factors outweigh others. Some people have all of them in spades. Some people have only intelligence and some only beauty. I would think that the superficial aspects effect whether someone is hired at McDonalds more than they would effect hiring a manager. That said... I work with a whole bunch of ugly managers... some of them are smart and some of them are stupid. I also know a few attractive ones... some are smart and some are stupid. :shrug:

[Bonhomme Richard]

16. And that's true ANYWHERE, not just management jobs. Don't you agree?

Yes I do agree that it can happen in any employment situation. Maybe my viewpoint is a bit jaded since my background is sales and image could very well be more important than intelligence. When I use the term intelligence I'm assuming the individual isn't dummer than a box of rocks. All other factors being equal.

[Misunderestimator]

18. And I guess maybe my viewpoint is a bit jaded...

because I'm in management :) I'm sure that not being unattractive helps but I like to think that my intelligence is much more valued... and it seems to be. I agree with you on sales jobs... attractiveness is highly valued, as it was in my prior career as a performer. It's a symptom of our society and the importance we place on attractiveness, and it's not confined to any one profession. If the job puts you in front of a lot of people it seems to be a bigger factor... whereas if you don't come in contact with many other people (science, research...) it doesn't come into play very much.

[Bonhomme Richard]

21. I have both a sales and management background and I............

used to fight that sort of discrimination but I wasn't the norm and it was usually a battle with others in management.
Hah, left it all and started my own company.

[BillZBubb]

5. No contest: Good Looks!

Almost everyone can see. Almost no one will think. Therefore, good looks comes out miles ahead.

[HamstersFromHell]

7. Intelligence

Without that, you're just another Freeper.

[Glenda]

8. Intelligence...

they can always put a bag over their head.

:loveya:

[Jamastiene]

11. I already have intelligence, but

I'd trade it any day of the week for looks. Looks will get you way more out of life than intelligence. You can be the smartest person in the world, but if the fact that the real world revolves around looks is in the way, intelligence will just betray you.

[Stop_the_War]

13. I vote for "both"

[SarahB]

15. Intelligence.

Good looks alone always fades. Well, eventually a mind can, but not necessarily. It's kind of the foundation for who a person is. The rest is just icing on the cake so to speak.

[redqueen]

17. Intelligence, no question.

Appearance is meaningless.

[WI_DEM]

19. A kind and compassionate heart

beats intelligence and spectacular looks every day.

[Spider Jerusalem]

20. Intelligence.

Only a shallow fool would vote for looks, as far as I'm concerned...looks fade, eventually, and then what are you left with?

[drumwolf]

22. if you want to make things even more challenging and interesting...

put in a third option: SOCIAL SKILLS.

Well, OK, some people might make the case that "social skills" is a subset of the broader umbrella category of "smarts," but it is definitely NOT the same as having great intellect.

[steve2470]

23. (joking) looks, you can get places with that, that you can't

with intelligence :-)