"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the hottest and dumbest of them all?"
I know that is not verbatim the original quote, but it is close to the original.
Brains and beauty are always intertwined.
So often people confess about wanting to be more of the other.
No one is ever happy where they are. Why are we like that?
If given a chance, like a Disney movie, how do you trade?
Is it superficial to want looks over knowledge? Or vice versa?
Let's get deep....
RedditorBroodyBatmanwanted to know who was willing to give up a little bit of brains for a whole lot of beauty, so they asked:
"Would you give up 15-20 IQ points to be really, REALLY ridiculously good looking? Why?"
I want more looks. I'm pretty smart. I could lose a few points. What do I miss? Math? I have a calculator.
Thanks Nan...
Nbc Wings GIF by HULUGiphy"No because according to my Nana, I am already really, really ridiculously good looking." ~ AardvarkAndy
The Hard Way
"I’d give up 15-20 IQ points to just be really ridiculously hard working." ~ garrhunter
"This is the way. 18 years of school and Uni taught me, don’t worry about trying, you soak up enough to get by. Just putting half an ounce of effort and I realised I can do stuff that actually matters to me. There are subreddits that help get disciplined, I know I’m not ready to make progress, but check a few out. If you’re in the right place in your journey, maybe you can make a difference." ~ WetDogDeoderant
Full On...
"Most definitely. I'm not that bright to begin with, so I may as well go full bimbo." ~ ATrulyTerriblePerson
"Being 'smart' hasn’t helped me that much in life, might as well give being attractive a go!" ~ blueboxreddress
ABS
"Can I give up 6 IQ points for 6 pack abs?" ~ toeofcamell
"Actually, IQ can be changed in some extent. It is measured by your ability to resolve different types of problems, so... if you're trained enough, you can actually increase your IQ score. But of course, it'll be frustrating being outsmarted by a natural genius that put no effort to progress while you spend a lifetime developing your capacities. It can go the other way, too: naturally gifted people can regress if they don't train, although it will take more time." ~ Enilemme27
Bianca Says...
bianca del rio GIF by RuPaul's Drag RaceGiphy"No because according to Bianca del Rio, one of the greatest philosophers of our time, beauty fades, but dumb is forever." ~ and-she-did-it
Looks are so subjective. Brains are forever. I'm learning.
Be Better
Olivia Wilde Reaction GIFGiphy"In a heartbeat. Unless it caused me to forget what I already know, I’m at a place in my career where I’m not learning that much, mostly relying on applying previous knowledge, and being ridiculously good looking would make my life better by making people treat me better in general." ~ Wit-wat-4
Calculations...
"No. IQ is already low enough. I can’t lose any more. Appearance doesn’t take long before it fades away anyways haha." ~ Sparkles0_
"One of the ways of calculating IQ is based off of how similar you are to peers of you own age. So test a 2 year old and they can perform at the same level as the average 4 year old and they have an IQ of 200. Or if a 10 year old is a bit delayed and is at the level of a 9 year old then they would have a IQ of 90."
"When this version of IQ is applied to some at age 50+ having a lower IQ would mean that the person is behind the average development of their peers, just in this case that development is actually a deterioration. So if one were to live to 100 and they trade 40 points they would be at the mental level of a 60 year old." ~ TheDotCaptin
Below 0
"Maybe that would push my IQ below zero and create an underflow error, turning my 18 IQ int 32768 IQ, and giving me knowledge of all things in existence, on second hand, I would probably learn something that would make me sad, so i don't wanna." ~ Warm-Swimming5903
Let's Get High
"No. As much as I would love to be ridiculously good looking, I have to remember why I personally dislike smoking weed. I can't freaking think in a straight line when I'm high. It's like I have to search for connections for things to make sense and it's frankly infuriating not being able to communicate my thoughts effectively."
"I would honestly hate to live like that day to day, even if it's not quite that bad. It's maddening when I can't make sense of things that should make sense but my brain just doesn't wrap around it. I wouldn't voluntarily take on more of that. Plus I'm already married and his eyes are already on me as I am, so I don't see any reason to do this." ~ Instant-Noods
Finding Life
Sexy Cat GIF by Team CocoGiphy"I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is." ~ FilsonWhisk
There is no wrong answer, née, preference here. Just be your best you. No matter how you chose.
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Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.
