Are Smart Women More Attractive?

Most people have heard dueling versions of attraction narratives—everything from “love at first sight” to “beauty is skin deep.” Where does intellect fit? Does it?

Researchers have investigated this important question and have some answers.

What You See and Perceive

Gabriela Hofer et al. (2021) investigated how perceived abilities to impact mate appeal; specifically, whether intelligent, creative, and emotionally competent people were desirable.

They used a speed-dating study, where within an atmosphere of dimmed lights and low-volume smooth jazz, individuals paired with up to 14 different opposite-sex partners were provided three minutes to get to know each other.

Hofer et al. found that women who had a higher degree of creativity were viewed as more attractive mates, but that intelligence and emotional competence were not significantly predictive of mate appeal.

Perceived abilities had less of an impact, however, when the researchers controlled for physical attractiveness.

Perhaps one of the most interesting findings from a practical perspective is that perceived abilities turned out to be more relevant in terms of attraction than measured abilities.

The Appeal of Intelligence and Creativity

Most people can relate to the empirically validated reality that we are attracted to other people not only by their looks, but their intellect. Indeed, Hofer et al. recognizes that many different cultures value cognitive abilities as among the most desirable traits potential partners can have.

In fact, they note that people often specifically identify intelligence as one of the most attractive traits when they are asked to describe their ideal partner, along with more demand for serious relationships.

They note that the only exception to this rule is for men who are only looking for a sexual encounter—in which case below-average intelligence was rated as acceptable.

Hofer et al. found that although only one measured ability—women’s creativity—was significantly linked with mate appeal, the perceptions of abilities in a speed-dating setting could broadly predict the appeal of potential mates.

They further found that the impact of both perceived and measured abilities was substantially lower after they controlled for physical attractiveness—which suggests that such abilities are less important in assessing initial attraction than previously believed.

Hofer et al. recognize that their results offer little support for the notion that people are drawn to actual competence. Consistent with prior research, they found attractiveness to be the most important predictor of initial attraction—which also turned out to be a stronger predictor of the long-term mate appeal of women than of men.

They did not, however, find that intelligence was a more important role for the long-term mate appeal of men, nor did they find support for the proposition that the link between women’s intelligence and their long-term mate appeal was stronger for more attractive women.

Actually, they found some indication of the opposite, in that at least for one measure of intelligence, less attractive women were actually seen as having a higher degree of long-term mate appeal if they were also smarter.

Hofer et al. note that this finding is in contrast to the belief that men only value a woman’s intelligence if they have a minimum level of attractiveness, or that smart women are disadvantaged further when they are also less attractive.

Beauty as Above and Below the Surface

Apparently, instead of believing that beauty is only skin deep, attraction involves what is both above and below the surface.

Relationships that develop slowly permit couples to get to know each other over time, making them more likely to perceive traits that are likely (or not) to contribute to a successful satisfying relationship.