explain the importance of physical attractiveness in relationships
- men find this important for short term and long term female partners
- males look for health, fertility, glossy hair, big eyes, small nose and reproductive value
- important for females, especially in short-term (less in long term)
- females look for strong, big males who have facial symmetry (sign of genetic fitness)
- may vary across cultures
what do people learn from physical attractiveness
- seen as immediate/accessible way to rate each other
- people tend to agree when rating others especially males rating females but aren’t competent at rating themselves
- people who are attractive create preconceived ideas about their personality and a favourable positive impression is formed
- universally seen as more sociable, optimistic, successful and trustworthy
what is the Halo effect
- when the general impression of a person is incorrectly formed from one characteristic alone (physical attractiveness).
- people behave positively towards physically attractive people and this creates the self fulfilling prophecy (the physically attractive person behaves even more positively because of the positive attention they receive)
- physically attractive people are more desired as dates than less attractive ones
positive evaluation of the Halo effect (3)
+ research shows that physically attractive people were rated as more politically knowledgeable and competent, halo effect still persisted after participants knew person wasn’t an expertise in politics. can be dangers for democracy if politicians are judged suitable based of physical attractiveness
+ also applies to friendships, job interviews and meeting people for the first time so physical attractiveness is a key factor when judging people
+ research suggests it is consistent across range of cultures as asian/hispanic males saw large eyes, small nose and prominent cheek bones as attractive but american/korean students saw attractive people to be trustworthy, mature and friendly. stereotypes are strong in both collectivist/induvidualist cultures
negative evaluation of the Halo effect (1)
- it isn’t that important, participants rated how much they like someone based on picture and biological info and then did a MACHO scale (sexist attitudes). if they scored higher on the MACHO scale, they were more influenced by attractiveness therefore influence of physical attractiveness can be moderated by factors such as personality and attitudes of the person judging
what is the matching hypothesis by Walster
- when initiating relationship, people seek partners who have the same social desirability
- physical attractiveness is a major determining factor as it is an accessible way to rate someone (have to assess their own value and then target someone similar)
- select best available candidate, more success if in their ‘league’
explain preferences, realistic choices and reality
- preferences
- prefer relationship with someone attractive
- more likely if they are attractive themselves - realistic choices
- people approach others in similar levels of attraction to avoid the risk of rejection and insecurity - reality
- most settle for attainable relationships with those in their ‘league’
positive evaluation of the matching hypothesis (2)
+ data from correlational studies supports this, so it can be applied when looking at physical attraction in real life/experiments. studies involved psychologists judging couples in terms of attractiveness and findings how matching hypothesis is a very strong factor
+ strong evidence amongst long-term committed couples rather than casual daters especially when the relationship was being formed in the first place
negative evaluation of the matching hypothesis (2)
- ‘complex matching’ theory suggests a very attractive person forms a relationship with an unattractive person. often there will be a rebalance of traits, where less attractive person has traits to make up for lack of physical attractiveness which can help relationships form (e.g. money, high status, personality)
- logs of an online dating site studied (measured actual date choices and not preferences) and showed online daters wanted to meet with people more attractive and didn’t consider own attractiveness so it shows that it doesn’t work in the real world as people go for more attractive people
explain the study by Walster and Walster on the matching hypothesis
- 177 males and 170 female students from uni of Minnesota in USA
- fill questionnaire about IQ and personality and were old they would be matched with ideal partner for evening dance
- each judged on physical attractiveness by 4 judges when doing questions
- pairings done randomly by computer
- asked how much they liked their date and if they wanted to see them again
- followed up after 6 months with questionnaire
what were the results of the study by Walster and Walster on the matching hypothesis
- physical attractiveness was a big indicator when deciding if they wanted to see their date again, especially if their date was MORE attractive than themselves
- shows lack of support for matching hypothesis
- people often ‘aim higher’ especially men
- personality and IQ did not affect amount of liking
negative evaluation of the study by Walster and Walster (3)
- lacks ecological validity as they were paired artificially and no real rejection occurred so it isn’t realistic in how the matching hypothesis would operate in everyday life and therefore isn’t strong evidence
- culturally biased
- 4 judges would have subjective opinions so isn’t a good measure of attraction
