Topic 18: Attraction and Intimacy Flashcards
What is attraction?
Positive feelings regarding another person
Why are we attracted to some but not others? What factors impact attraction?
Because it depends on:
- Physical attractiveness
- Proximity and Familiarity
- Reciprocacy
- Similarity
Why does physical attractiveness matter?
Because:
- attractive people are assumed to be more intelligent, friendly, better adjusted, confident etc. = called the halo effect (what is beautiful is good)
- attractiveness influences hiring, voting and jury decisions
What makes a person physically attractive?
- culture has an impact but humans seem predisposed to find certain features more attractive:
- characteristics linked with attractiveness may signal genetic fitness and fertility
- ancestral humans who preferred fit and fertile mating partners were more likely to leave offspring (who would have inherited those preferences)
- universal attractiveness such as symmetrical faces considered more attractive as linked with genetic quality and health.
How do individuals differ in how they favour attractiveness?
Depends on self monitoring which is how much you care about how you present yourself to others.
High self monitors pay more attention to partner’s external qualities
Low self monitors pay more attention to partner’s internal attributes.
How does proximity and familiarity impact relationships?
- People tend to like those in close proximity and who are familiar.
- Repeated exposure to a stimulus increases positive feelings even when exposure is subliminal. (mere exposure effect)
- Familiarity can also lead to contempt/greater dislike. For people that you dislike to start with, exposure and contact can increase feelings of dislike. - also true of people you find physically unattractive, disagreeable personality.
What is reciprocity?
We tend to like those who like us. - promotes attraction
What examples of similarities promote attraction?
similar music tastes, political views, hobbies.
greater similarity = greater attraction.
However, opposites can attract.
What is the evolution of sex difference in selectivity?
- Because female mammals invest more for reproduction, they are expected to be choosier (parental investment theory)
- Studies have shown that men desire more sexual partners
- men are more open to uncommitted sex
- when choosing partners for uncommitted sex, men are less selective
- women value good financial prospects more highly
- women value ambition and industriousness more highly
men prefer younger partners, women prefer older partners (by 2-3 years)
What is sociosexuality?
Willingness to engage in sex outside of committed relationships
What is passionate love?
Experience involving feelings of euphoria, intimacy and intense sexual attraction
Lasts only a couple months to a year.
What is companionate love?
Also called compassionate love
An experience involving affection, trust, concern for a partner’s wellbeing
Slower to develop, more long lasting
Necessary for relationships to last a long time
Are couples that have idealistic or realistic perceptions of their partners more satisfied?
According to research, couples that have idealistic perceptions of their partners are more satisfied.
The idealistic perceptions have self-fulfilling effects.
What are relationship maintenence mechanisms?
Idealistic perceptions of your partner.
When you’re in a relationship, you regularly see attractive alternatives and relationship maintenance mechanisms may help you stay committed to your partner.
How can we measure closeness of relationships?
Through the Inclusion of other in self scale (IOS)
