Most Filipinos prefer intelligence over body — SWS

The result of the Fourth Quarter 2019 Social Weather Survey, done from December 13-16, 2019, showed that 81 percent of Filipinos preferred a person’s brain than the body, while 19 percent said otherwise. (File photo: Kyle Gregory Devaras/Unsplash)

On Valentine’s Day, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released a survey revealing that the majority of Filipinos were attracted to a person’s intelligence than the body.

The result of the Fourth Quarter 2019 Social Weather Survey, done from December 13-16, 2019, showed that 81 percent of Filipinos preferred a person’s brain than the body, while 19 percent said otherwise.

This latest figure was the same as what was recorded in December 2002, when 81 percent said they were attracted to brains, while 18 percent said they prefer body.

Of this number, 83 percent of women were more attracted to intelligence, slightly higher than the 78 percent among men who also have the same preference.

The proportion of women who chose brains over the body was highest among those with a live-in partner which was at 89 percent, followed by single ladies at 82 percent, and married women at 81 percent.

Happy with love life?

The SWS also looked at the Filipinos level of happiness with their love life. The survey showed that 54 percent of them were “very happy,” while 32 percent were wishing they “could be happier.” Meanwhile, the other 1 percent were living the single life.

The pollster said the majority of men, or 60 percent of them, were “very happy” with their love life, compared to women at only 49 percent.

Compared to single and with those with live-in partners, it noted that married men and women have a happier love life.

Seventy-two percent of married men said they have a very happy love life, followed by those with live-in partners at 64 percent, and single men at 26 percent.

Meanwhile, those of women who said they are very happy with their love life were also mostly the married ones at 58 percent, followed by those with live-in partners at 51 percent, and single ladies at 26 percent.

Money, health, or love?

The same survey also asked its respondents the question, Kung maaari po kayong magkaroon ng isa lang sa mga sumusunod, alin po ang inyong pipiliin: pera, kalusugan, o pagmamahal (If you could have only one of the following, which would you pick: money, health, or love)?

Responding to this, 70 percent chose health, 23 percent chose love, while only seven percent chose money.

Of this data, it was revealed that 72 percent of women preferred health over love and money, higher than the 67 percent of men who answered the same.

The SWS noted the highest number of those women who preferred health above the two other options was seen among the married ones at 76 percent, followed by those with a live-in partner at 72 percent, and those who are single at 65 percent.

However, it was highest among men with a live-in partner at 79 percent, coming second were those who are single at 70 percent, and married men at 63 percent.

On the other hand, the respondents who chose love over health and money were mainly married men at 30 percent and women with a live-in partner at 23 percent.

But to most single men, at eight percent, and single women, at 14 percent, money was of greater importance among the choices.

The SWS conducted the December 2019 survey using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide.

It has a plus or minus three percent error margin for national percentages, and a plus or minus six percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.