Factors Affecting Attraction in Romantic Relationships- Physical Attractiveness and the Matching Hypothesis Flashcards
What are some ways males and females may try to make themselves more physically attractive?
- Going to the gym
- Dressing well
- Wearing makeup
- Wearing perfume
What is the importance of physical attraction?
- Evolutionary explanations of attractiveness state that traits associated with attractiveness act as indications of good genetic information and health, by choosing an attractive partner you are ensuring a healthy partner and healthy child
- Perceived health is important for 2 reasons: the partner is going to be physically able to bear children (women) or provide for the family (men); it also means that there is a good chance that the genes they carry will produce healthy offspring
What are the 2 main theories of physical attractiveness?
- The Halo Effect
- The Matching Hypothesis
What is the Halo Effect?
- People who are deemed to be attractive tend to benefit from favourable perceptions from society
- E.g. an attractive person is more likely to be acquitted of a crime, deemed more trustworthy and sociable than less attractive individuals
- This is important as physical attractiveness is typically the 1st thing we see in a partner
What is the Matching Hypothesis?
- People will seek partners of similar physical attractiveness to themselves
- Means we need to have a realistic judgement of how attractive we are in the 1st instance
- Attempting to ‘punch above your weight’ carries the increased risk of rejection that could damage self esteem
- Additionally, if one feels their partner is more attractive there is likely to be fears that the partner will leave for more attractive partners
If the point is:
A strength of physical attractiveness and the matching hypothesis is that the matching hypothesis has been supported by research.
What is the evidence and link?
Evidence- Walster et al told students that they had been paired with an ideal for a dance which was actually a random person. Couples who were of similar attractiveness to each other tended to rate their partner higher, supporting the matching hypothesis.
Link- This shows that there is empirical evidence for the matching hypothesis, making the theory more credible.
If the point is:
A strength of physical attractiveness and the matching hypothesis is that there is research to support the halo effect as an explanation of attraction.
What is the evidence and link?
Evidence- Palmer and Peterson found that physically attractive people were rated as more political knowledgeable and competent than unattractive people. This halo effect was so powerful that it persisted even when participants knew that these ‘knowledgeable’ people had no particular expertise.
Link- The existence of the halo effect has been found to apply in many other areas of everyday life, confirming that physical attractiveness is an important factor in the initial formation of relationships.
If the point is:
A weakness of physical attractiveness and the matching hypothesis is that it could be argued that a lot of the research in this field tends to use subjective measurements of attractiveness when matching photographs of participants.
What is the evidence and link?
Evidence- Murstein conducted a correlational study with couples whereby judges rated the attractiveness level of each partner using photographs. Significant similarity between partners levels of physical attractiveness were found to support the matching hypothesis, but the ratings of physical attractiveness were not objective, which reduces the internal validity of the findings.
Link- Therefore, it could be argued that there is a lack of a scientific approach in this field and the measurements of the participants attractiveness lacks any real validity.
If the point is:
A weakness of physical attraction and the matching hypothesis is that the theory is oversimplified and is not a comprehensive explanation of why humans are attracted to one another.
What is the explanation, evidence and link?
Explanation- In this case, the complication and multi-faceted behaviour of attraction is broken down to a few simple factors related to the physical attractiveness of the individual.
Evidence- It could be argued that it ignores other environmental and holistic factors, such as the personality of a person you are attracted to, alongside other factors like having common interests, all contribute to general attraction law, it is not just about looks.
Link- Therefore, the physical attractiveness theory is limited in its explanatory power, as it doesn’t take into account other factors.
What are the evaluation points for physical attractiveness and the matching hypothesis?
+ Research to support
+ Also research to support the halo effect as an explanation of attraction
— Could be argued that a lot of the research in this field tends to use subjective measurements of attractiveness when matching photographs of participants
— Theory is oversimplified and is not a comprehensive explanation of why humans are attracted to one another
