Lecture_14_Relationships and Attraction Flashcards
(46 cards)
The importance of relationships is evident from…
The damaging consequences of loneliness
Consequences of Loneliness
- Predicts depression, anxiety, and heart disease
- Has health risks comparable to smoking and drinking; higher than obesity
- Is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes, including heart disease.
- Motivates reconnection with others
The Forces of Attraction
- Familiarity
- Similarity
- Being liked
- Physical attractiveness
Familiarity
Mere exposure leads to liking
Mere Exposure
Repeated exposure to as stimulus increases our liking for that stimulus
- Subliminally presented stimuli: This means the stimuli were presented without the participant’s awareness
- Does not depend on conscious awareness or memory
Proximity
Proximity influences liking through familiarity
- Proximity leads to familiarity, which subsequently increases liking
- Proximity = propinquity
- The people we see and interact with most frequently are most likely to become our friends and lovers
Similarity
“Similarity as a social glue”
- Matching interests, values, attitudes, backgrounds,
or personalities
Types of Similarity
- Similar opinions and personalities
- Similar experiences and interests
- Looking similar
- Genetic similarity
Similar Opinions
- Demographically similar, e.g., a shared rural background
- Shared their attitudes and values, e.g., similar majors or political view
Similar Personalities
- Gay men high on stereotypically masculine traits desired partners who were logical - a stereotypically masculine trait
- Gay men high on stereotypically feminine traits desired partners who were expressive, which is a stereotypically feminine trait
- Similar personality characteristics are preferred by heterosexual couples and for the people we befriend
Shared Interests and Experiences
- Students are more likely to befriend people in this classroom because of the initial similarity that brought you here and now proximity
- People who select the same situations also share experiences, which are unique from those of others who chose different situations
- Create new relationships and strengthen existing relationships
- Promote platonic (non-romantic) and romantic attraction
Similar Appearance
- Physical similarity influence the distant of seating choices: wearing glasses, the same hair color
- Similarity in attractiveness
Genetic Similarity
Our genes are more similar to our friends’ genes than the genes of strangers
- Humans do not recognize this genetic similarity
Criticism of Similarity
- Perceived similarity
- False beliefs
- Degree of similarity
Perceived Similarity
“Perceived, not actual similarity”
- Perceived similarity does not always reflect reality
False beliefs
- Feeling similar to significant others – meaning important people in our lives - is so important to us that we sometimes develop false beliefs about our similarity to them
- Intentionally become similar to each other
Degree of similarity
We don’t always value similarity to the same degree
- Long-term: similarity is more important in long-term, committed relationships
- Short-term: people sometimes go out of their way to look for someone different
- Difference -> feel more adventurous and reduce the likelihood that the relationship becomes more serious
Being Liked
“We like being liked”
- Knowing someone likes us increases our attraction to that person
- Just knowing someone likes us is so powerful that it can sometimes compensate for an absence or lack of similarity
- Nonverbal: Maintaining eye contact, leaning towards them, and listening attentively
Friend Ranking
The first person would rate the second person as their closest friend as the second person rate them as their closest friend
- Better than:
- Positive traits (caring, intelligence, attractiveness, and popularity)
- How long they were friends (in years)
- How often they see each other
- Perceived similarity
- Benefits received
- Ratio of benefits received to help given
Physical Attractiveness
Particularly important when it comes to first impressions
- Predict the degree the others want to meet again
- Maybe only under no serious situation
How important is attractiveness to men and women?
- Men and women PAY EQUAL ATTENTION to others’ attractiveness -> Eliciting sexual desire
- Men VALUE attractiveness more than women: Attitude > behavior measure
- Homo = Hetero
Cross-cultural Similarity in Perceived Beauty
- Despite differences in the facial features of people from different parts of the world
- People agree about what an attractive face looks like
The Evolutionary Preference for Attractive Faces
- Infants whose perceptions of attractiveness would not be shaped by the media, prefer the same photographs as adults
- Symmetry: Markers of reproductive fitness, good health, and good genes
- Average faces:
*We do not find people who are average looking attractive - We find people with average features and
proportions attractive
Cheerleader Effect
The attractiveness of a person in a group is influenced by the presence of other group members
- Our visual system represents the individuals and the group as whole
- Our perception of individuals in the group is affected by our perception of the group as a whole.
- Groups are attractive for the same reason that averaged faces are attractive
