The real beauty of a ready smile

Beauty or brains? Brains or beauty? I think most of us would be perfectly content with a modicum of both – but what would we wish for our children? That’s an altogether more vexed question, especially in this day and age when parents are, quite rightly, expected to be enlightened. When Lord Fellowes cited beauty as the passport that opens life’s doors, his remarks were met with a rather predictable backlash of how-very-dare-he fury.

He stood accused of holding outward appearances in higher regard than intelligence, but what the 67-year-old creator of Downton Abbey meant was that good-looking people are given more opportunities, which might sound controversial, but is rooted in scientific fact.

Senior economists have found that handsome men in all jobs, from manual labour to top executives, earned up to 22 per cent more than their averagelooking colleagues. But, interestingly, being beautiful confers no such advantage on a woman; unless, perhaps, an actress, singer or musician.

There are, of course, the likes of Lily Cole, 29, a supermodel turned actress with a double first from Cambridge, and actress Natalie Portman, 35, who has a degree from Harvard and is fluent in five languages. But these women are very much in a class of their own.

And drilling down into the research about what sets apart the beautiful – of both genders – from the rest isn’t a perfect Disney princess nose or a strong jawline, but confidence. Their looks gain them affirmation and this affirmation feeds into their behaviour; they radiate self-esteem and that, in turn, is rewarded in a virtuous circle.

But even the homeliest-looking of our offspring can fake it, just by smiling. One US study has revealed that the rush of endorphins released when we smile makes us appear not just more likeable, but more competent.

And research carried out in the UK in conjunction with Hewlett-packard calculated that, chemically speaking, receiving a smile can be as stimulating as eating 2,000 bars of chocolate or receiving a £16,000 windfall.

Beauty may open doors, but it’s brains and a ready smile that ensure you stay inside.