Ugliness & Misery: Seeking the Positive

[Cyrus]

I'd pick the girl only if she's cool. I'm not a fan of talking to hollow rocks.

There are plenty of good looking girls out there, so I won't waste my time with one that is stupid.

Amen brother.

 

[Astronuc]

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-09-27T233029Z_01_N27417408_RTRUKOC_0_US-LOOKS.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsArt-L3-Science+NewsNews-4

TORONTO (Reuters) - When someone is "easy on the eye," it could also be because they are easy on the brain, according to a new international study.

Scientists from universities in the United States and New Zealand analyzed previous studies and conducted new research to find that attractiveness could be linked to ease of mental processing.

The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, looked at previous research that found people rated images of standard-looking objects or people as more attractive than variations of these things.

They also tested people by showing them a prototype image made up of dots and geometric patterns and variations of it to see which people liked the most.

Piotr Winkielman of the University of California, San Diego, who led the research, said the less time it took to classify a pattern, the more attractive it was judged.

"We show that this preference for the prototype is a function of the prototype being particularly easy to perceive," Winkielman told Reuters on Tuesday. "So the easier the better."

People get paid to study beauty?

And the article goes on to talk about chili.

 

[Artman]

This thread reminds me of that line by some comedian (sorry I can't think of who it was), that goes something like this:

He would say, "One out of every three people is ugly. So look at the person on your right, and on your left, and if they look okay to you..."

The thing with how a person looks is that it can have an effect on the way they percieve themselves, effect their confidence and their self esteem.

 

[Artman]

Know what the difference is between an gorgeous woman and an ugly woman?

A gorgeous woman beats men off with a stick.

An ugly woman uses her hands.

 

[zoobyshoe]

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-09-27T233029Z_01_N27417408_RTRUKOC_0_US-LOOKS.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsArt-L3-Science+NewsNews-4

TORONTO (Reuters) - When someone is "easy on the eye," it could also be because they are easy on the brain, according to a new international study.

Scientists from universities in the United States and New Zealand analyzed previous studies and conducted new research to find that attractiveness could be linked to ease of mental processing.

The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, looked at previous research that found people rated images of standard-looking objects or people as more attractive than variations of these things.

They also tested people by showing them a prototype image made up of dots and geometric patterns and variations of it to see which people liked the most.

Piotr Winkielman of the University of California, San Diego, who led the research, said the less time it took to classify a pattern, the more attractive it was judged.

"We show that this preference for the prototype is a function of the prototype being particularly easy to perceive," Winkielman told Reuters on Tuesday. "So the easier the better."

People get paid to study beauty?

And the article goes on to talk about chili.

This is Mies van der Rohe's Less Is More.

People study what appeals to people all the time, primarily for sales purposes. They want to design and make products that people want to buy. A city planner, for instance, might take the results of this study and realize that visually simpler signs will be more appealing and make the city more tourist friendly. It's not useless information.

 

[ViewsofMars]

There are no ugly people. There is beauty in everyone.

 

[ViewsofMars]

. . continuing on with my last post. Except for serial killers!

 

[imiyakawa]

Well aside from the obvious ugliness is on the inside whatever is on the outside doesn't matter.

Well for adherents to the physicalist perspective I don't see why an ugly inside is no more subjective/intheeyeofthebeholder than an ugly outside, both are constructions of the brain.

 

[DanP]

I think physical attractiveness is in the eye of the majority, not in the the of the beholder.
It's certainly useful to be a good looking person. In all avenues of life.

 

[Kajahtava]

One nice thing about ugliness is affirmative action. A really ugly girl once said she wanted to 'play with me' (yeah, long time back), I almost said yes, until I realized I only said yes because she was ugly, because I always said no to that quaestion; thus I said no.

But it's with respect to some observer, not in the absolute.

Edit, I would probably be less so inclined to say yes if I had the feeling she was considered handsome by most standards, that feeling I hadn't.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

One nice thing about ugliness is affirmative action. A really ugly girl once said she wanted to 'play with me' (yeah, long time back), I almost said yes, until I realized I only said yes because she was ugly, because I always said no to that quaestion; thus I said no.

But it's with respect to some observer, not in the absolute.

Edit, I would probably be less so inclined to say yes if I had the feeling she was considered handsome by most standards, that feeling I hadn't.

Yes. "I find you somewhat repulsive but you seem nice and it sort of makes me feel guilty to think that so maybe I will be nicer to you than I would be otherwise so I do not feel as guilty."
I do the same with elderly people and mentally handicapped people. Normally I feel no qualms blowing someone off. Being disturbed by people I have no desire to talk to trying to have a conversation with me really annoys me.

 

[Kajahtava]

Yes. "I find you somewhat repulsive but you seem nice and it sort of makes me feel guilty to think that so maybe I will be nicer to you than I would be otherwise so I do not feel as guilty."
I do the same with elderly people and mentally handicapped people. Normally I feel no qualms blowing someone off. Being disturbed by people I have no desire to talk to trying to have a conversation with me really annoys me.

Hmm, since you obviously only went to this thread because you saw my name and have been following me around for some time, http://blog.nihilarchitect.net/archives/250/on-altruism-reversed/ might be a read for you, especially the part on the frogs.