Do good-looking people have higher IQ's?

Beauty and brains are rarely thought of as compatible traits, but perhaps there's more that meets the eye

There appears to be some truth in the saying 'I'm more than just a pretty face' as studies carried out in Britain and America reveal that good looking men and women have an IQ almost 14 points above the norm.

The findings were based on the National Child Development Study and recorded the academic intelligence and physical appearance of 17,419 people throughout their childhood and up to early adulthood. A similar study was conducted using 35,000 Americans.

‘Physical attractiveness is significantly positively associated with general intelligence, both with and without controls for social class, body size and health,’ says Satoshi Kanazawa, a researcher at the London School of Economics.‘The association between attractiveness and general intelligence is also stronger among men than women.’

The study found that in Britain, women who are physically attractive have IQ’s 11.4 points higher than the average, while handsome men have an increased IQ of 13.6 points.

Support for the juxtaposition of beauty and brains is apparent in supermodel Lily Cole and actress Kate Beckinsale both Oxbridge graduates. But Kanazawa insists: ‘Our contention that beautiful people are more intelligent is purely scientific. It is not a prescription for how to treat and judge others.’

Are beauty and brains harmonious attributes? Is it fair that beautiful people are stereotypically branded as unintelligent? Perhaps you have your own experience of beauty and brains that you'd like to share. Post your comments in the box below.

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