I know there is a tangible link between height and intelligence, and height is considered an important physical trait in male attractiveness. I’m curious if there is overall a broader link between physical attractiveness and intelligence. Just based on my experience contrary to popular assumption, some of the smartest kids in school were often times the most attractive ones too.

I’ve been able to find a couple studies which do establish a link between intelligence and attractiveness:

This brief research note aims to estimate the magnitude of the association between general intelligence and physical attractiveness with large nationally representative samples from two nations. In the United Kingdom, attractive children are more intelligent by 12.4 IQ points (r = .381), whereas in the United States, the correlation between intelligence and physical attractiveness is somewhat smaller (r = .126). The association between intelligence and physical attractiveness is stronger among men than among women in both nations. The association remains significant net of a large number of control variables for social class, body size, and health.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160289610001315

While this may seem surprising when we reflect on the genius manifested in average-looking men like Bill Gates and Albert Einstein, the article said, “The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, conducted by a team of researchers at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, is one of the very few social science datasets that take biological and genetic influences on human behavior seriously.” As a result, those conducting the studies are said to “routinely measure both the intelligence and physical attractiveness of its respondents.” The article explained how respondents took an IQ test called “the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test” and then their physical attractiveness was measured objectively by an interviewer. The results? “‘Very attractive’ women are on average more intelligent than ‘very unattractive’ women by about 6 IQ points. Similarly, ‘very attractive’ men are on average more intelligent than ‘very unattractive’ men by about 8 IQ points,” the article said.

http://clevelandbanner.com/stories/wright-way-intelligence-linked-to-beauty,28926

Now I’ve read before that the link between intelligence and attractiveness can have different variables to it that may effect the results. Smarter people are more likely to be richer, and richer people have access to resources that can make them more attractive.

Another study I found says intelligent men are more likely to have attractive partners:

Intelligent men are more likely to get a good looking wife – a new study has found.

The study, published by the American Psychological Association, looked at the link between attractiveness and intelligence.

“We predicted that more physically attractive women would have more intelligent husbands, but that a man’s physical attractiveness would not predict his wife’s intelligence,” the study predicted.

The researchers found both men and women valued intelligence and physical attractiveness in partners, but men placed physical attractiveness at a higher value.

“Women may place greater emphasis on intelligence because it indicates the ability of a potential mate to acquire resources, which makes intelligence a valued trait.”

Women who were considered “below average attractiveness” often married men who were less educated, the study found.

Anyways, I find this topic interesting and was wondering if anybody else had observed what I’ve seen? In my experience the Chads at my school were often the smartest guys too. The attractive guy who has nothing going from and is just skating by on his looks definitely exists too but weren’t the majority at all.