Lihi Segal-Caspi and Sonia Roccas of the Open University and Lilach Sagiv of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem investigated whether the “what is beautiful is good” actually holds up.

The study from the Israel Science Foundation found that women who were rated as attractive were perceived as having more socially desirable personality traits, such as extraversion, openness to experience, and conscientiousness, just as the researchers hypothesized.

But when the researchers looked at the targets’ actual self-reported traits and values, they found the opposite relationships.

Women who were rated as attractive were more likely to endorse values focused on conformity and submission to social expectations and self-promotion.

The most beautiful journalist in the business, Samantha Brick has debated the topic today, and believes that less attractive people are actually less interesting than their easy-on-the-eye counterparts:

"It's ironic because actually in my experience these personality failings are more likely to be found in the 'uglies'."

Debating against Brick, Shona Sibary holds that her own unfortunate facial traits of "buck teeth and squinty eye" led her to develop a more outgoing personality.

"I'm sure there are many beautiful women out there who will argue that they not only look fabulous, they have depth of character, too. No doubt...we are about to find out that Samantha Brick is one of them."

"And that's fair enough, because actually, Samantha dear, we're not so different. You're hardly Brigitte Bardot - you just seem to believe you are. Which just goes to show that a little inner confidence can go an awfully long way."

Brick retaliates:

"These less fortunate individuals - allow me to be blunt - too often bore us with their tedious, life-hindering hang-ups. Be it their weight, big nose, failing career or underwhelming partners, they seem to have no shortage of problems."

"And when they see others gliding through life and daring to be beautiful, that's when they really become ugly."

"You see, far from being less superficial, ugly (read 'insecure', for the most part) individuals detest anyone better looking than they are — hence all that soul-devouring scorn."

Ouch. Depressing lives, scornful, insecure, AND ugly? Bricks really do pack a punch.

Perhaps this proves the theory as held by the study, that beautiful people may "tend to focus more on self-promotion than independence and tolerance"...