interpersonal attraction and relationships Flashcards
interpersonal attraction
evaluation one person makes of another along a dimension that ranges from strong liking to strong disliking
relationship
regular social encounters over periods of time
Landy and Sisal 1974
gave students pictures of people who were either:
- good looking
- average
- unattractive
they were asked to rate there’s people on various dimensions
they found that without any information other than appearance, participants attributed more positive traits to the more attractive individual
Langlois et al 2000
attractive children are more likely to receive higher grades, higher level of intellectual competence and be more popular and better adjusted
attractive adults are more successful in their jobs, physically healthy with more sexual experience, they hade more self confidence and self esteem with higher intelligence and mental health
beauty
averageness effect - humans have evolved to prefer average faces to those with unusual or distinctive features
rhodes 2006
men found women in red to be more sexually receptive and so perceived them as more attractive and desirable
hour glass figure = health and fertility
symmetry
physical attractiveness
matching hypothesis - the tendency for people to pair up with others who are equally physically attractive
complex matching - occurs when people are able to attract partners more physically attractive than themselves by offering compensatory assets
halo effect - tendency to rate those we perceive as physically attractive more favourable in terms of traits and characteristics
faces
face shape as close to average proportion are seen as physically attractive
symmetry isn’t as important as first thought
masculinity/femininity is important
bodies
waist to hip ratio is related to health and fertility - a greater chance of conception
shoulder to hip ratio is related to upper body strength and resource acquisition
mental attraction
assertive mating - coupling based on resemblance to each other on one or more characteristic
personality - similar interests and attitudes in friends and romantic relationships determine attraction
trustworthiness
social penetration model - intimate topics
reciprocal liking
proximity
we form relationships more often with those who are physically close to us
familiarity
proximity leads to increased proximity
we like what we are exposed to more often
moreland and beach - four women attend class, either 0, 1, 5 or 15 times and were rated at the end of the semester
similarity
newcomb measured similarity in attitudes of students before starting uni
assigned similar and dissimilar students to live near each other all friends to start
eventually similar students became friends
similarity attraction hypothesis
sharing attitudes and liking someone
linear relationship between attractiveness and similarity
choose company of others similar to us
differences can lead to avoidance and dislike
equity
people are happiest in relationships that are equal - Adams 1965
mutual exchange of resources
economic theory
homans 1961
relationship governed by cost reward ratio
minimise cost and maximise reward
evolutionary approach
men and women look for different traits in long/short terms patterns to enhance reproductive fitness
short term:
men - willing to sleep with them
women - masculinity and health
long term:
men - youth, attractiveness and commitment
women - resources, status and power
attachment theory
bonding between infant and caregiver last through life and affect adult relationships
love
a combination of powerful emotions, thought and attractions that are associated with intimate relationships
love and evolution
natural selection favours mechanisms to increase survival of offspring
love may have been shaped by selection to maintain relationships
our partners look more attractive than they our to us
relationship dissolutions
Leninger
new life
alternative partner
expectation of failure
lack of commitment
factors that contribute to a ongoing relationship
personal dedication
moral commitment
constraint commitment
males have greater reproductive success with serial monogamy - Jokela et al
females can secure healthier offspring via short term reationships - penton - voak et al
