 Do attractive people tend to have better partners? Well, isn't that a loaded question? What exactly do we mean by better anyhow? Do we mean richer, more physically attractive, and more successful? Or do we mean a better match to the person they're with? Or does better simply mean more? We're in for a ride, folks, because to give a best possible answer for this question we're going to have to consider and look at how we form relationships and break down an explanation of attraction. So please, after you, let's start this knowledge safari. 1. Where do we meet potential partners? In broad general strokes, we meet potential partners wherever we consistently spend time. The specific where has had a massive change in the last decade. In ye olden days when the internet was a dream, this place of meeting required physically going out all the time. Hello introvert nightmare. Now the internet has brought us virtual places to consistently spend time with others like dating apps, chat rooms, and forums significantly expanding the possibilities. Although there's still a tendency to select and date someone who is within the local area, we now have the opportunity to get to know those who maybe don't party, drink, or join clubs. 2. Is it really all about looks? We'll give you the short answer, but only if you stay to hear the full answer. Feel? The short answer is yes. The real answer, though, is far more nuanced. While some animals may use scent or even sound, humans generally depend on how things look as an initial assessment to decide whether to look further or to reject deeper investigation. It's fair to say that we decide if there is a higher or lower chance of good outcome initially based on looks. An example would be, if you saw a chocolate cake that looked like chocolate cake and next to it was chocolate cake that was made to look like a mound of rotting dirt. It would be more inclined to choose the cake looking cake, even if told beforehand that they had the same ingredients and were baked by the same person. Further down the road, it's been found that we tend to partner up, date, or otherwise have relationships with those who are within the same range of physical attractiveness as ourselves. So really, it's a matter of like attracts like. 3. Looks matter, but only to a point. So to get that initial foot in the door, sure, looks matter as far as signaling that you're probably a decent enough person to get to know. As fun as meeting someone is, we know that the goal is likely not to only know a person superficially for a day or two. To have a partner, you would want something that has some staying power. The traits fueling that staying power are, according to a 2021 study, warmth, intimacy, and loyalty. That's right, it's not driven by a body measurement or cheekbone height. As looks are transient, it can be argued that the warmth, intimacy, and loyalty far outweigh looks and overall importance. This is where that inner beauty really shines and takes its place as the driving force for a lasting, meaningful partnership. 4. When we love, we see the beauty in our partners. Can what you are inside actually manifest outside? To our partners, this does seem to be the case. We could speculate that it's because over time one gets desensitized or normalized to anything, even the hellen of Troy of beauties. The thing that affects us deeply, emotionally, and psychologically will be the intangible traits mentioned before. So if your partner has a beautiful soul, that will affect how they seem through your eyes. In fact, it was found that there's even a tendency to see our romantic partners as more attractive than ourselves. That's true love for you. So in the end, do the pretty people tend to have better partners? It would seem that while they might have more chances to start something, this by no means ensures a better partnership overall. A healthy, strong, and loving relationship depends on so much more than that which is skin deep. So choose a relationship that helps make you a better version of yourself in all aspects. What are your thoughts on the attractiveness factor? Have you heard of any other theories? Please share, discuss, and comment. Thank you for watching, and we'll see you next time.