Bad Conversation Topics When Surrounded by Throwable Objects 17

TOPIC: Do individuals viewed as more attractive live easier and/or happier lives than individuals viewed as less attractive?

Simple, but ultimately unsatisfying, answer: No and Yes.

This “no and yes” answer is actually anything but simple, but for those of you who prefer to peruse blog articles with a little less diligence than others, I like to provide a quick and painless payoff.

For the rest of you, the ones who prefer to delve into a topic with a little more fervor than the average bear, I also like to provide a more “meaty” reply to the questions, the questions I pose to myself and seriously ponder on numerous occasions. My musings are constantly revised and edited, transforming and evolving with deeper experiences and knowledge of human social interactions; however, as the evidence and information I use to form these perceptions of human nature generously expand, causing one to believe the ratio of difficulty to form a solid hypothesis concerning said natures would also increase, my replies remain rather simple in structure, leading me to constantly reaffirm my self-postulated belief human nature is not as complicated as we assume or as the elite researchers or average gossip columnists would like us to believe to validate their sizable grants or sell copies/accumulate clicks of their latest articles of entertainment malarkey.

I am not discussing this topic to place blame on individuals viewed as more attractive or paint individuals viewed as less attractive as victims, or vice-versa; besides self-employment of a strategical coping mechanism, I am discussing this topic for self-enlightenment, maybe to spread a little awareness, or simply because I need to realize a basic truth about myself. 

I know some of you might wonder why I reversed the typical “yes and no” to the above “no and yes” answer; candidly explained, I prefer parallel structure to random chaos and as I will explain the reason why the answer to this post’s topic question is “no” first, I chose to list the answer accordingly.

To model a tenet of writing painstaking and justifiably taught and reinforced at each level of schooling, I’ll initiate my first response as such: Individuals who are viewed as more attractive DO NOT live EASIER lives than individuals who are viewed as less attractive. No one, not even the most intelligent and practiced theorists, could ever pose a counter argument with success. Every single individual in this world suffers with personal angst, created by their life experiences and situations, and every single individual in this world struggles to problem-solve issues arising in their specific and unique lives. The severity levels of this angst or these issues are irrelevant: The personal ability to manage angst and overcome issues varies as does the effects of this angst and these issues on each individual. The best example I can offer to illustrate this position is the difference between typical childhood and adulthood drama: childhood drama would appear pointless and nonconsequential to an adult, as would an adulthood problem appear to a child; however, each problem in their distinct worlds holds specific importance and significance to the child and the adult. The identical premise equally applies to individuals viewed as more attractive and individuals viewed as less attractive.

One might say the above assertion would also hold true for whether or not individuals viewed as more attractive live happier lives than those individuals viewed as less attractive; however, I will venture to argue individuals viewed as more attractive generally DO live HAPPIER lives than individuals who are viewed as less attractive (barring any tragic accident or life-altering event). 

But Victor, how can you claim the first part of this post’s topic question as unquantifiable and individually unique, and then claim the second part as quantifiable and common? 

Although basic human “wants” differ between every individual, basic human “needs” do not: Assuming Maslow’s first two levels of need are met (physiological; safety), the most basic human needs (simplifying them for purposes of discussion) are approval, inclusion, love, and esteem (basically encompassing Maslow’s third and fourth levels of need). Therefore, I believe it is safe to conclude individuals who receive higher degrees of approval, inclusion, and love develop higher degrees of esteem: Enter individuals viewed as more attractive. 

Based on the evidence above, the premise individuals viewed as more attractive live happier lives than individuals viewed as less attractive logically holds true. Macro-statistically society affords individuals viewed as more attractive with a greater number of romantic and career opportunities than individuals viewed as less attractive, allowing individuals viewed as more attractive to actively construct larger and stronger foundations and structures of approval, inclusion, love, and esteem early in life before maturation even occurs. Micro-statistically society affords individuals viewed as more attractive with friendlier and more agreeable interactions and outcomes on a daily basis. As human nature dictates, most people will present more offers of aid and the very “best” of their personalities and moods to individuals viewed as more attractive as opposed to individuals viewed as less attractive. On a daily basis minor issues and interactions dictate our levels of happiness (because happiness is not a constant state but an ever-flowing intermittent wave) and, although individuals viewed as more attractive might experience angst and problematic issues as frequently as individuals viewed as less attractive, would not everyday stress, anxiety, and disappointment become a little less difficult to balance or accept if daily interactions and outcomes were slightly more favorable?

Think of this part of the topic in this manner: Two people with identical levels of angst and issues live in the same building with the same rent and apartment size; however, person number one (an individual viewed as more attractive) lives in an apartment with a the only window overlooking a beautiful, flowered park with the rising sun showering its warmth daily (friendlier and more agreeable daily interactions and outcomes); person number two (an individual viewed as less attractive) lives in an apartment with the only window facing a dreary, dilapidated brick wall blocking whatever rays of the setting sun an empty space would have allowed to shine (less friendlier and less agreeable daily interactions and outcomes).

Which one of the above individuals do you believe will experience more intermittent happiness while living in these apartments?

Attractiveness isn’t everything, but if you have it, please don’t take it for granted around someone who doesn’t by dismissing their infrequent moans of woe (since their moans of woe have to be infrequent; a less attractive person needs to maintain certain levels of affability if they so desire to experience more frequent residual splash from the intermittent wave of happiness discussed above).