Sure, beauty's only skin deep, but when did that stop most of us from believing we'd be happier if we only had the perfect nose, biceps or smile?
Tame your jealousy of that unbelievably fit aerobics instructor, however. While gorgeous people may seem to have it all, being attractive doesn't have much to do with feeling good.
Although those blessed with flawless faces are perceived as more intelligent, caring and social, this "halo effect" doesn't make beauties much more content than average folks, reports University of Illinois psychologist Ed Diener, in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Because eye-catching people get used to being admired for their looks, they come to expect preferential treatment, rather than appreciate it.
And while attractive people do seem to be marginally happier than the rest of us, much of the association stems from the tendency of happy people to enhance their appearance with nice clothes or cosmetics. "It's not that being attractive makes you happy," concludes Diener, "but that being happy means that you make yourself more attractive."
