Valorização de beleza e inteligência por adolescentes de diferentes classes sociais

Abstract

The study sample comprised 180 adolescents aged 15 to 17 years, being 90 males and 90 females, attending high school and with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Genders and socioeconomic backgrounds were compared as to the values of beauty and intelligence assigned by adolescents to themselves. In a hypothetical and mutually exclusive manner, these characteristics were assessed to check which were the most valued for themselves and possible partners. The results demonstrated that boys with high socioeconomic background assigned higher intelligence scores for themselves. Adolescents of both genders from low socioeconomic background would like to have a higher level of intelligence instead of beauty, whereas adolescents from high socioeconomic background prefer a balance between beauty and intelligence. The girls assigned more value to intelligence in their partners than the boys, which assigned more value to beauty in their partners.