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Beauty, and human attraction to beauty, is impossible to overcome. While sometimes informed by culture, attributes like symmetrical faces are desirable across a

Beauty, and human attraction to beauty, is impossible to overcome. While sometimes informed by culture, attributes like symmetrical faces are desirable across all cultures. And those attributes are often powerfully informed by genetics. Absent absurd handicaps like in the story, people with those attributes will have better lives. Life is not fair. In some ways it’s better that it’s not. Our perception of beauty, and marveling in its wonder, is something that makes us uniquely human.

llanowarelves 4y ago
Even various animals prefer attractive people. It's pretty crazy
- rob74 4y ago
  That doesn't reflect my experience - unless you mean "attractive" by the animal's definition, which in case of a cat might be "someone who feeds me reliably twice a day and cuddles me from time to time".
- waterhouse 4y ago
  That sounds like an interesting result, but I wonder about how such studies were done. Might it be that attractive people are more likely to have certain types of mannerisms or other traits? Did anyone go as far as making people wear clothing or makeup that made them more or less attractive and then putting them in front of the animals?
- MichaelCollins 4y ago
  I've noticed that large energetic dogs seem to respect large and strong people more, and show disrespect to smaller people.
deleted 4y ago
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cainxinth 4y ago
> Life is not fair. In some ways it’s better that it’s not. Our perception of beauty, and marveling in its wonder, is something that makes us uniquely human. I don't know if I buy either of those statements. Taking the second part first, animals probably can perceive 'beauty': https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/202107/beauty-is-more-skin-deep-and-helps-animals-survive https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/2021... And as for the first part, yes, life isn't fair, which is partially why human societies make rules that attempt to alleviate some of that arbitrariness. The story of Harrison Bergeron is an example of human rules run amok. It should encourage us to create better rules, not abandon them entirely and return to the law of the jungle.
- slowmovintarget 4y ago
  "I'm glad life isn't fair. If it were, it means we deserve everything that happens to us." -- paraphrasing a quote from Babylon 5 Principles are superior to rules, but the best we can do in government is making rules. Best they be few, and of high quality.

llanowarelves 4y ago

Even various animals prefer attractive people. It's pretty crazy

rob74 4y ago
That doesn't reflect my experience - unless you mean "attractive" by the animal's definition, which in case of a cat might be "someone who feeds me reliably twice a day and cuddles me from time to time".
waterhouse 4y ago
That sounds like an interesting result, but I wonder about how such studies were done. Might it be that attractive people are more likely to have certain types of mannerisms or other traits? Did anyone go as far as making people wear clothing or makeup that made them more or less attractive and then putting them in front of the animals?
MichaelCollins 4y ago
I've noticed that large energetic dogs seem to respect large and strong people more, and show disrespect to smaller people.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

cainxinth 4y ago

> Life is not fair. In some ways it’s better that it’s not. Our perception of beauty, and marveling in its wonder, is something that makes us uniquely human. I don't know if I buy either of those statements. Taking the second part first, animals probably can perceive 'beauty': https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/202107/beauty-is-more-skin-deep-and-helps-animals-survive https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/2021... And as for the first part, yes, life isn't fair, which is partially why human societies make rules that attempt to alleviate some of that arbitrariness. The story of Harrison Bergeron is an example of human rules run amok. It should encourage us to create better rules, not abandon them entirely and return to the law of the jungle.

slowmovintarget 4y ago
"I'm glad life isn't fair. If it were, it means we deserve everything that happens to us." -- paraphrasing a quote from Babylon 5 Principles are superior to rules, but the best we can do in government is making rules. Best they be few, and of high quality.