Factors Affecting Attraction - Physical Attractiveness (relationships)

Question 1

Some AO1:

Shackleford and Larson - symmetrical faces are more attractive = honest set of genetic fitness

People attracted to neotenous (baby face) features = triggers instinct of protection/caring

McNulty - evidence that initial attractiveness continued to be an important feature after marriage for several years

Question 2

What is the halo effect?

Answer 2

Preconceived ideas about personality traits attractive people must have - almost universally positive. A single distinguishing feature (physical attractiveness) has a disproportionate influence on judgement.

Dion - ‘what is beautiful is good’
Found physically attractive people = consistently rated as kind, strong, sociable and successful
Makes them appear more attractive + want to behave more positively towards them = self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 3

What is the matching hypothesis?

Answer 3

More likely to be attracted to someone who has similar characteristics (physical attractiveness, personality)

Individual rates potential partner for attractiveness + compares to their own level of attractiveness, which determines whether they will pursue the potential partner

Couples who are matched are more likely to have happy enduring relationships than mismatched couples in terms of social desirability

Essentially a compromise to avoid rejection from more physically attractive individuals

Question 4

Strengths

Answer 4

+ Research Support for Halo Effect - Palmer and Peterson, physically attractive people = rated as more politically knowledgeable/competent, even when pps knew they had no political expertise it did not matter
-> may also have implications if politicians are judged suitable for office if deemed physically attractive by voters = danger to democracy

+ Evolutionary Explanation - Cunningham et al, women who had large eyes, small nose, prominent cheekbones, high eyebrows = highly attractive by white, Hispanic and Asian men. Attractive features = genetics fitness, so perpetuated similar across cultures by sexual selection.
Therefore, makes sense at evolutionary level

+ Research Supporting Matching Hypothesis - Feingold, meta analysed 17 studies = significant correlation in ratings of physical attractiveness between partners

Question 5

Limitations

Answer 5

• Research challenging Matching Hypothesis - Taylor et al, studied activity logs of a popular online dating site which measured actual date choices and not preferences.
  Found online daters sought meetings with potential partners who were more physically attractive than them
• Individual Differences - Towhey et al, asked pps to rate how much they liked an individual based on their photo + biographical info, also completed questionnaire (MACHO scale) which measured sexist attitudes.
  Found high scorers on MACHO scale = more influenced by physical attractiveness when making judgements on how much they like the individual, but low scorers = less sensitive to this