Love is Blind is a new reality show from Netflix, and it raises an interesting question. The show places 30 single individuals in a living and dating facility. The couples cannot see one another, and they only interact with potential mates by talking through a frosted glass. Will the couples fall in love without seeing one another’s appearance? Will the relationships last?
We live in a culture which places a high premium on appearance. An individual is judged on his or her looks or popularity. Leaders and potential spouses are chosen based on looks. Online dating apps use a single photo as the first layer of filtering. If someone doesn’t like your photo, they scroll to the next person. Many decisions are based on appearance.
A guy asks a girl to go on a date based on her appearance. An interview candidate receives points based on his appearance. The old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” may be true, but I believe there is a better way. You see, one picture cannot tell a whole story.
What would happen if society readjusted our focus from the person’s appearance to the person’s heart? What would happen if we concentrated on our girlfriend’s emotions and feelings rather than her breast size? Here are four ways our culture would be improved.
1. There would be a rise in self-esteem.
As a society, we would stop beating ourselves up because we were not pretty enough. We would stop comparing ourselves to others’ social media appearance. Self-esteem would rise as we would be more confident in ourselves.
2. New friendships would be cultivated.
We would not be turned off by someone’s outward appearance; rather, we would take time to get to know our neighbor and may discover he is a cool person.
3. Marriages would last longer.
Psychologists state the key to a long and happy marriage is a deep emotional connection. While dating, if more time was spent connecting emotionally, the relationship would be built on a better foundation.
4. Society would be more at peace.
An increase in self-confidence and happier relationships would bring more peace to the world. Bullies would have friends so they would not feel the need to bully. The color of our skin would no longer cause friction. Peace would result as we looked through appearance to the heart.
Action –
Will you join me in setting a goal to pay less attention to appearance and more attention to heart? How do you believe making this shift would change our culture?
—
This post is republished on medium.
—
—
Photo credit: Shutterstock