Saw Woody Allen’s latest movie, Hollywood Ending, on the plane home. Excellent movie, but I was a little embarrassed about being the only person laughing out loud on the plane. Anyway.

I was thinking about how Woody’s love interests in his movies are always the hottest chicks, despite his own appearance. Most people agree that wit and intelligence make up for a less than alluring physique, but I just wonder how strong that effect is. Is there a point where no amount of sparkling personality will bail you out?

A few weeks ago at swing someone told me that when you meet someone for the first time, what they say only accounts for 7% of your first impression of them. In my opinion, this may be due to the fact that when meeting for the first time, most people say pretty much the same things, so there isn’t much distinction between one person and another in that respect. I don’t take it to mean that physique is 93%.

On the other hand, if you include not just looks, but also demeanor, body language, tone of voice, attitude and even smell in physique, then the importance of physical attractiveness climbs dramatically, if you ask me. In my own experience, those factors put together can definitely constitute a deal breaker which no amount of mental compatibility can overcome. Is it just me?

And here’s another interesting question: is the effect the same for both genders? In other words, is physique more important for one of the genders than for the other?