Factors affecting attraction in romantic relationships (physical attractiveness) Flashcards
What does physical attractiveness appear to be and what are examples?
a key factor in attraction in romantic relationships.
Examples = physical attractiveness include facial and body symmetry, as well as a favourable hip to waist ratio for females.
what is a appearance indicate?
Appearance indicates a person’s level of genetic fitness and fertility therefore physical attractiveness is linked in with good evolutionary
choice of a mating partner (Singh, 2002).
Who is more likely to report physical attractiveness as important in attraction?
Men are more likely than women to report appearance as important in attraction in long- term relationships, but both men and woman consider appearance important for a short-term partner e.g. a one-night stand (Buss, 1989
What has research found about physically attractive individuals?
Research has found that physically attractive individuals create a halo effect.
what is the halo effect?
This is a cognitive bias which causes people to assume the attractive person has positive traits (e.g. a pleasant personality), therefore further heightening romantic attraction.
What does the matching hypothesis suggest?
that we are attracted to those individuals who closely
match our perceptions of our own level of physical attractiveness. This involves making a realistic judgement about our own ‘value’.
what did Walster (1966) suggest about our choice of partner and what happens as a result of this?
-suggested our choice of partner is a ‘compromise’ as we balance out the
desire to obtain a physically attractive partner against the wish to avoid being rejected by
someone ‘out of our league’
-As a result, people have the tendency to seek partners of a similar level of attractiveness
to themselves because by opting for partners of similar desirability, an individual can maximise their chances of a successful outcome.
