“Your outer beauty will capture the eyes, your inner beauty will capture the heart.”
Steven Aitchison
When looking for a romantic partner, or a life-long friend what do you value more – a beautiful body or a beautiful mind? If you follow I Heart Intelligence, chances are you chose the latter.
Sadly, in today’s world, physical appearance is put on a pedestal, while having a warm heart and a soul filled with love means little to nothing. When did we lose interest in taking care of our mindfulness? When did having a pretty face became more valuable than having a good heart?
If you too are wondering, take a look at the following three main differences between outer and inner beauty:
1. Inner beauty is seen by many, while outer beauty is subjective.
There are 7 billion people in this world, with 7 billion different opinions about outer beauty. If you are a traveler by heart, then you know how contrasting beauty perceptions are around the globe. What you may find physically attractive can be an absolute eyesore to someone else and vice versa. And this is truly magical because it implies that regardless of a person’s physical features, there is always going to be someone out there who finds them appealing.
On the other hand, inner beauty is a treasure that can be seen by everyone, no matter what you look like. If you are authentic and you a heart of gold, others will see and appreciate you despite their personal views about beauty.
2. Outer beauty drives initial attraction, but inner beauty is what makes it last.
The truth is that outer beauty immensely helps when it comes to making good first impressions. Whether we like it or not, we live in a world where most people do judge the book by its cover. However, many individuals usually don’t bother reading the book.
On the other hand, you have probably been in situations where you judged someone based on their appearance only, and once they opened their mouth, you regretted even starting a conversation with them. This certainly doesn’t mean that attractive people are not intelligent. But, unfortunately, there are many occasions in which outer beauty doesn’t match inner beauty.
However, if you take the time to read the book, you may find out that the gorgeous cover has only a fraction of the actual beauty within. Once you get to know someone’s genuine personality and discover how mesmerizing their mind is, you instantly want to continue bonding with them. This proves that physical appearance means nothing when you have a good soul.
3. Cultivating inner beauty leads to growth, while altering outer beauty may lead to losing your identity.
Nowadays there are many ways you can manipulate the way you look. Plastic surgery and other appearance-altering cosmetic procedures are becoming more and more accessible and affordable. This is absolutely incredible for people who really need body modifications to improve their mental health or to fix other serious physical problems they might be dealing with.
Sadly, with social media being a massive part of our lives, far too many people are struggling with self-image issues not because there is something wrong with them, but because they are convinced they need to look a certain way to be accepted by society. So they delve into the world of plastic surgery and they slowly lose their identities in order to fit in.
In reality, what we should be encouraging is not altering our bodies, but remodeling our mindset. We should become more aware of the way we treat others and ourselves. We should be inspired to learn more languages, so we can dive into different cultures and expand our limits. Instead of spending money on looking like someone else, spend time on becoming the best version of yourself. Because outer beauty fades, but the beauty within is timeless.
What are the most beautiful traits in a person?
As noted by A Conscious Rethink, when asked about what traits they look for in a potential long-term partner, most people name things that have nothing to do with physical appearance. Some of the features we seek the most are Kindness, Loyalty, Patience, Integrity, Empathy, A good sense of humor, and A supportive nature.
All of these traits can be found in anyone, regardless of the outer beauty they possess. More importantly, these are personality characteristics we seek in those we see as our potential life partners, meaning that we value them more than we value a pretty face.
The iconic Italian actress Sophia Loren, one of the most stunning women the world knows, once said:
“Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.”
Do you believe inner beauty is more valuable than outer beauty, or do the two go hand in hand? Let us know in the comment section!
