Can you be happy just because you have a shapely body, a perfect nose or a bewitching smile? Looking great may be elating when you are with others, but is it the same when your are alone? Perhaps not, says renowned psychologist Ed Dierner. “Although those blessed with flawless faces are perceived as more intelligent, caring and social, this ‘halo effect’ does not make beauties more content than average folks.” You may be much admired if you are a beauty. But that may not ensure that you feel good. This is proved by the miserable lives of extraordinary beauties like Elizabeth Taylor, Rekha and scores of others. Elizabeth Taylor, once the most beautiful Hollywood star, failed to maintain a steady relationship and married several times.

Rekha was considered among the most beautiful stars of Bollywood but it did not give her a happy married life. The message is that beauty alone is not a guarantee for happiness. There are as many unhappy beauties as there are unhappy average-looking people. Beauty is not a guarantee for happiness, but happiness is a certain guarantee for beauty. Says Ed Diener: “It’s not that being attractive makes you happy, but being happy means you make yourself more attractive.”

Happy people have a better sense of beauty than unhappy ones. They are positively conscious of their appearances, clothes and cosmetics. They keep themselves neat and clean and their body language is positive. They are also sociable and cheerful, which enhances their attractiveness.

Recent studies have shattered the myth that a man is attracted more by a woman’s physical appearance than by her personality traits. It has been found that people are attracted and fascinated by happy faces rather than by beautiful faces. A beautiful face is a gift of nature, but one has to make personal efforts to make it a happy one.

Women’s physical beauty is only a small part of overall beauty; inner beauty constitutes the major portion. It comprises a manners, etiquette, behaviour, intelligence, sense of humor, cheerfulness, sociability, compassion and family or personal values. These traits make a lasting impact. They also decide her personal, marital, family and social life, including her happiness or discontent.