Replace Magic Potions with Cognitive Solutions: An Article by Vivian Diller, Ph.D.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/face-it/201010/replace-magic-potions-cognitive-solutions

Beauty is much more than skin deep according to psychologist Vivian Diller. By using some simple cognitive tips, we can change the way we think about beauty and how we perceive ourselves. Beauty is both objective and subjective- pretty women have been known to feel ugly while less traditionally attractive women have been known to have a confidence in their looks that influences the way others see them. Diller points out that "self-image is fluid and timeless"; how you see yourself is constantly changing and if you only try to fix yourself externally you will never feel truly beautiful. She points out that one's identity is composed of many different factors and to define yourself entirely by your looks will ultimately lead to unhappiness- substance does in fact count for something. Beauty, while obviously influenced by physical factors, has much more to do with psychology than one would expect.

This article is especially important in today's society where physical beauty is valued over all else (except for perhaps money). I thought this article was effective because unlike other articles that seem to spit cliches about inner beauty at you while lacking any hard evidence, this article admitted to the importance of physical attractiveness but also showed psychology's influence over beauty. By changing how we think about beauty we can begin to affect how we see ourselves.