Study Says 84% of Women Would Rather Be THIS Than Beautiful
by Erin Jahns
Would you rather be smart or beautiful? Clinique asked, and women around the world responded. As part of a recent study in partnership with Nielson, entitled “The Truth About Happiness: What Women Want,” Clinique asked over 8000 women age 18 and older across the globe a variety of questions, all centered around the relationship between beauty and happiness—ranging from what age women feel the most beautiful to what we would rather be than attractive. So, directly from the mouths of women, what ranked first: beauty or brains?
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According to women from 15 countries around the world, 79% would rather be smart than beautiful, with 84% of U.S. women picking brains over beauty. Additionally, the majority of women globally don’t feel that beauty detracts from esteem in the workplace; only one in three women feel that a beautiful woman is not well respected.
Amid an extremely appearance-oriented culture, we couldn’t be more excited that women are proudly wearing their intelligence as one of their most beautiful features—and Spanish women lead the pack, at an extremely impressive 90%! However, not all cultures are in full agreement, with South Korea having the lowest percent, at 61, and China following suit at 71.
So we know that the majority of women would rather be smart than beautiful, but what do they believe would make them happier? Unsurprisingly, the answer isn’t unanimous, with perspectives depending on location and age. American women believe that making more money, losing weight, and having more self-confidence would lead to greater self-happiness, while women in Saudi Arabia feel that being more religious/spiritual, having a better education, and making more money would. Interestingly, all 18 countries, excluding Saudi Arabia and Japan, chose making more money as the highest potential contributing factor for increased happiness, regardless of age—millennials through baby boomers all believe that a larger paycheck could potentially lead to greater contentment. Interesting stuff, no?
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