Lesson 3 - FAA: Physical attraction Flashcards
Why is physical attraction important?
There is a general agreement of what makes a person attractive across cultures.
Shackelford and Larsen (1997) used the evolutionary theory of selection to explain this, as they found that people with symmetrical faces were more likely to be rated as attractive, as this was an honest sign of genetic fitness. The same goes for people with ‘baby faces’ as it triggers a protective and caring instinct which people are attracted to.
The Halo Effect
- Dion et al (1972) investigated attractiveness stereotypes and found that attractive people were more likely to be rated as kind, sociable, strong and successful compared to unattractive people. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy, which means that we tend to behave positively towards them as we believe they have nice characteristics.
Physical attractiveness has a disproportionate influence on our judgements
Strengths of halo effect
- Palmer and Peterson (2012) found that physically attractive people were rated as more politically knowledgeable and competent than less attractive people. This study has real life implications as politicians who are physically attractive may be viewed as better and this can lead to more votes.
- Cunningham et al (1995) found that females with large eyes, small noses, and prominent cheek bones were rated as physically attractive across white, asian and hispanic males. Therefore the halo effect is present in different cultures.
- Kim (1997) found that USA and Korean students judged physically attractive people to be trust worthy, mature and friendly, and this was less evident for unattractive people. Therefore, the halo effect has cross cultural validity
Weaknesses of the halo effect
Towhey conducted a study that argued the importance of the halo effect. Male and female participants were asked to rate how much they liked an individual based on a photo and some biological information. They also completed a MACHO scale which measured their sexist attitudes and behaviours. Those who scored high on the MACHO scale were more influenced by physical attractiveness. Those who scored low did not value it very much, therefore there are other factors that can affect judgement, like personality and values.
The matching hypothesis
The idea that we do not choose the MOST attractive partner, but we are attracted to a person with a similar level of attractiveness to ourselves. Therefore we account for our own attractiveness value when looking for a partner.
Walster and Walster (1969)
Suggests that we look for partners not just on account of similarity between our physical attractiveness, but also personality and intelligence. So, you may not always look alike, but if you have a matching personality and intelligence level, you will be attracted to each other
The computer dance
Study by Walster et al
- Consisted of 177 males, 170 female participants from the University of Minnesota
- They had to complete a questionnaire about IQ and personality and were told that based on their answers, they would be allocated an ideal partner for an evening dance. The allocation was done randomly by a computer.
- Each person was rated on physical attractiveness by 4 independent judges.
- After the dance, the participants were asked how much they liked their date and if they wanted to see them again.
- They were followed up 6 months later with a questionnaire.
- The hypothesis was NOT supported
- The most liked partners were the most physically attractive rather than a similar level to the participant. Personality and IQ did not have an effect.
- HOWEVER, when Berschied et al (1971) replicated the study but this time each participant was able to select their partner from people of varying degrees of attractiveness. This time participants tended to choose partners who matched them in physical attractiveness.
Therefore we tend to seek partners whose attractiveness matches our own, possibly out of a fear of rejection
Strengths of matching hypothesis
- Research support for it for example Walster’s study. It uses a large sample of around 350. This increases the validity of the study and we can say that we tend to choose partners who are similar to us in attractiveness. This is useful in marriage websites in helping people find partners
- Feingold (1988) carried out a meta analysis of 17 studies and found a significant correlation in ratings of physical attractiveness between romantic partners meaning that in the real world, people tend to have partners based on their level of attractiveness
Weaknesses of matching hypothesis
It is not supported by real-world evidence on dating. Taylor et al (2011) studied the activity logs of a popular dating site. This was a real world test of the matching hypothesis. He found that online daters wanted to date people more attractive than them. This undermines the validity of the matching hypothesis.
