Try GOLD - Free
Physical appearance and Health
The Island
|September 06, 2025
The modern world places enormous emphasis on how people look.
-
From glossy magazine covers to carefully curated social media feeds, physical appearance often takes centre stage in how individuals are judged. Health, on the other hand, is a more complex reality that lies beneath the surface. The question that arises is whether physical appearance and health are as closely connected as many assume. The answer is not as straightforward as it seems.
On one level, appearance can reflect certain aspects of health. A person who is visibly undernourished or severely overweight may be displaying signs of an underlying condition. Similarly, radiant skin, bright eyes and good posture often give the impression of vitality. This is why throughout history societies have equated a healthy look with wellbeing. Yet the danger lies in assuming that outward appearance provides a complete picture of someone’s health. The truth is that appearances can be misleading, and health cannot always be judged from what is visible.
This story is from the September 06, 2025 edition of The Island.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Island
The Island
AI is only as good as the people wielding it
Beyond the now familiar generative AI chatbots, the future of AI more broadly remains unknown.
1 min
October 10, 2025

The Island
Starmer meets Modi on his first visit to India
(BBC) British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his first visit to the country.
2 mins
October 10, 2025
The Island
29 mobile phones recovered from three wards of Boossa High Security prison
Twenty-nine mobile phones were taken into custody yesterday from wards A, C, and D of the Boossa High-Security Prison, which houses some of the country’s most dangerous criminals.
1 min
October 10, 2025
The Island
Minister Herath: SL refrained from calling for vote at UNHRC to save funds
Sri Lanka refrained from calling for a vote at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) as it did not want to waste public funds on a vote it was bound to lose, Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament yesterday.
1 min
October 10, 2025
The Island
The “intelligence” of generative AI is seriously limited
There is little evidence that a superintelligent AI capable of wreaking global devastation is coming any time soon.
1 min
October 10, 2025
The Island
13 bank accounts of Backhoe Saman's wife and her close associates frozen
The CID informed the Colombo Magistrate's Court yesterday (9) that 13 bank accounts belonging to Shadhika Lakshani, the wife of Backhoe Saman, who is currently in remand custody, and her close associates had been frozen.
1 min
October 10, 2025
The Island
Two, including retired Colonel arrested over massive foreign employment scam
Two individuals linked to a large-scale foreign employment scam involving nearly Rs. 200 million have been arrested by the Special Investigations Unit of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE).
1 min
October 10, 2025
The Island
Ravi S. issues denial
The Police Media Division yesterday said that a false news report is circulating on social media claiming that retired SDIG Ravi Seneviratne, the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, told the Parliamentary High Posts Committee that the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks had been identified and that India was behind it.
1 min
October 10, 2025
The Island
Kariapper: "Main conspirator behind Easter Sunday carnage identified"
SLMC MP Nizam Kariapper yesterday said that Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, retired SDIG Ravi Seneviratne, had disclosed that the main conspirator behind the 2019 was identified.
1 min
October 10, 2025
The Island
Leading AI models are rapidly gaining general-purpose capabilities
I strongly believe that artificial intelligence poses an existential threat.
1 min
October 10, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size