Physical Attractiveness Flashcards
How does physical attractiveness affect romantic relationships for men
They place a great deal on it short term +
long term
How does physical attractiveness affect romantic relationships for women
More important short term than long term
What is considered physically attractive varies across
Culture & time
What’s the halo effect
when the general impression of a person is incorrectly formed from one characteristic alone (e.g. physical attractiveness). Physically
attractive people are often seen as more sociable, optimistic, successful and trustworthy. People tend to behave positively towards people who are physically attractive and this creates a self-fulfilling prophecy where the physically attractive person behaves even more positively because of the positive attention they receive.
What did Palmer find about physically attractive people being more knowledgeable
physically attractive people were
rated as more politically knowledgeable than unattractive people. The halo effect was so powerful that it persisted even when participants found out that the physically attractive person had no expertise in politics
MACHO scale sexist attitudes & behaviour eval (-)
asked male and female participants to rate how much they liked an individual based on a photograph. Participants also completed a MACHO
scale which measured sexist attitudes and behaviour. It was found that
participants who scored highly on the MACHO scale were more influenced by
physical attractiveness. Those who scored low on the questionnaire did not
value physical attractiveness. Therefore, the influence of physical
attractiveness is moderated by other factors (e.g. personality)
What’s the matching hypothesis
When initiating romantic relationships, individuals seek partners that have the
same social desirability as themselves. Physical attractiveness becomes the
major determining factor as it is an accessible way for each person to rate the
other person as a potential partner before forming a relationship. Most people
would prefer to form a relationship with someone who is physically attractive
but in order to not be rejected, many people will approach others who are of a
similar level of attractiveness to themselves.
Matching hypothesis (+) meta analysis
Fangold (1988) found supportive evidence for the matching hypothesis by
carrying out a meta-analysis of 17 studies using real-life couples. He established
a strong positive correlation between the partners’ ratings of physical
attractiveness, just as predicted by the matching hypothesis.
Waltzer 752 random match at a dance party
Invited 752 first-year students at the University of
Minnesota to attend a dance party. They were randomly matched to a partner;
however, when students were picking up their tickets, they were secretly
judged by a panel in terms of physical attractiveness. At the dance party, and
4 to 6 months later, students were asked whether they found their partner
attractive and whether they would like to go on a second date with them.
Contrary to the matching hypothesis students expressed higher appreciation of
their partner if the partner was attractive, regardless of their own level of
attractiveness
What’s complex matching
Sometimes a very physically attractive person forms a relationship with an unattractive person. Often a rebalance of traits will occur, whereby the less physically attractive person has some other traits to make up for their lack of physical attractiveness (e.g. being rich, having a high status or great personality). This is called complex matching whereby a very attractive person forms a relationship with an unattractive person
