Factors affecting attraction

• What is Self Disclosure?


  Revealing personal information about yourself
• Social Penetration Theory

  • Greater disclosure between individuals leads to a greater sense of intimacy and the development of romantic feelings as people prefer those that disclose intimate details
  • Happens generally when sufficient trust has been built and it states we tend to reveal intimate details to people we like to let them learn about our inner self
  • This involves the reciprocal exchange of information between partners
• Breadth and Depth of Self Disclosure

  • Breadth and depth increases as commitment increases
  • People disclose lots of information at the start but it is mostly superficial and low risk information
  • The breadth of topics we discuss is narrow at this point as many topics are “off-limits” in the early stages of a relationship
  • Revealing too much at this point could threaten the relationship as the other person feels put off before the relationship has any chance to establish itself
  • Moderate levels of self-disclosure in the early stages are seen as most effective
• Reciprocity of Self Disclosure

  • As well and breadth and depth there needs to be a reciprocal element to disclosure
  • Once you disclosed something hopefully your partner will respond with their own intimate feelings
• Self Disclosure AO3: Research Support

  • Have been supported with researchers finding strong correlations between several measures of satisfaction and self-disclosure within heterosexual relationships
  • Men and women who used self disclosure reported to believe their partners did the same and rated themselves as more satisfied and committed to their relationships
  • Research has found the reverse is also true with less intimate couples self disclosing less often also and this research support for self disclosure suggests it is important and has validity
• Self Disclosure AO3: Cultural Differences

  • Have limited validity to only heterosexual couples or western society as self disclosure leading to a more intimate relationship is not true across all cultures
  • Researchers found sexual self disclosure was more open in western cultures than it was in collectivist cultures such as China
  • Japanese women preferred a lower level of conversation than Japanese men which is the opposite of self disclosure patterns in western society
  • The importance of self disclosure as an aspect of attraction is moderated by the influence of culture
• Self Disclosure A03: Real World Application

  • Research into self disclosure can help people who want to improve communication in their relationship
  • Self disclosure can improve intimacy and strengthen bonds
  • 57% of homosexual men and women said self disclosure deepened their relationship
  • This can help improve relationships such as couples therapy to save relationships to increase satisfaction
• Self Disclosure AO3: Correlational Issues

  • Self Disclosure research is correlational
  • It is assumed that greater self disclosure creates more satisfaction
  • However a correlation cannot tell us this as correlation does not mean causation
  • There may be another third variable
  • This reduces the validity of self disclosure
• Physical Attractiveness


  Refers to how appealing we find someone
• Why is physical attractiveness important?

  • Symmetrical faces are found more attractive
  • This is because it shows genetic fitness so people will want to mate with them
  • Baby face features are also more attractive because these trigger a caring instinct which is a valuable resource for females wanting to reproduce
• The Halo Effect

  • Physically attractive people are consistently rated as kind, strong and successful compared to unattractive people
  • This means people are more likely to behave more positively towards them
• What is the Matching Hypothesis?


  The belief we do not go for the most attractive person but instead find someone who 'matches' us in physical attractiveness
• Research on Matching Hypothesis: Computer Dance

  1. Males and females were invited to a dance and were rated for physical attractiveness by objective observers at the start and completed a questionnaire about themselves
  2. They were then paired up with someone based on the data
  3. This did no support the hypothesis as people wanted to be with people more attractive than them
• Physical Attractiveness AO3: Research Support for Halo Effect

  • Physically attractive people were rated as more knowledgeable and competent than unattractive people
  • The halo effect persisted even when PPs knew these “knowledgeable” people had no particular expertise
  • This raises implications particularly when applied to politics as it endangers democracy if politicians are deemed suitable based on their physical attractiveness
• Physical Attractiveness AO3: Individual Differences

  • There are individual differences and not all people place importance on physical appearance
  • PPs did a questionnaire designed to measure sexist attitudes and results found that those rated highly on the questionnaire were more greatly influenced by physical attraction while lower scorers were less influenced
  • This study also raises real world applications as challenging sexist attitudes can be key to influencing mate choice e.g in Japan where relationships are reportedly more difficult to form
• Physical Attractiveness AO3: Evolutionary Explanation

  • The evolutionary process may support physical attractiveness
  • Features of physical attraction were consistent across cultures
  • Female features such as large eyes, prominent cheekbones and high eyebrows were rated as attractive by white, Hispanic and Asian males
  • Korean and American students judged physical attractive people to be more trustworthy, caring and friendly demonstrating that the stereotype for attraction is evident across collectivist and individualistic cultures
• Physical Attractiveness AO3: Real Research into dating

  • The activity logs of a popular online dating site was recorded
  • Real world test of the matching hypothesis as it measured actual date choices and not preferences
  • Research found that online daters sought meetings with people more attractive than them
  • Undermines the validity of the matching hypothesis
• Physical Attractiveness AO3: Complex matching

  • The matching hypothesis does not consider complex matching where someone may be with someone more attractive than them as they offer other desirable qualities
  • This may explain how an older man may be with a more attractive younger woman
  • Matching hypothesis is oversimplified
  • Arranged marriages occur when someone may be selected due to having qualities beyond looks
• Filter Theory


  A series of different factors reduces the range of available partners you may come across
• What are the 3 filters in the filter theory?

  1. Social Demography
  2. Similarity in attitudes
  3. Complementarity
• Social Demography

  • Refers to a wide range of factors which influence our partner choice
  • This includes location, social class and religion
  • The outcome of this is finding someone culturally or socially similar because of accessibility
• Similarity in attitudes

  • Partners may share important beliefs and values
  • Similarity in attitudes was important for short term relationships
  • Partners need to agree over basic values and can encourage self disclosure
• Complementarity

  • Meeting the needs of your partner
  • People complement each other when one partner has something the other person lacks
  • The need for complementarity is more important for long term couples
  • Opposites attract and it makes partners feel whole
• AO3 Filter Theory: Research Support

  • Researchers conducted a longitudinal study in which couples completed questionnaires to assess similarity of attitudes and complementarity
  • Results found closeness was associated with similarity of values but only for couples who had been together short term
  • Closeness was associated with with complementarity and applies to people who had been in long term relationships
• AO3 Filter Theory: Social Change

  • Demographic factors reduces the people we can be with
  • Dating apps and social media have made it easier to communicate with people that you never would have before
  • This invalidates the filter theory as the first filter is not valid due to change in society
• AO3 Filter Theory: Problems with complementarity

  • Complementarity may not be central to all long term relationships
  • In long term relationships opposites tend to attract
  • However lesbian couples of equal dominance were satisfied and they had a mean time of more than 4 years
  • Similarity of needs may be associated with long term satisfaction in some couples