Physical attractiveness: Factors affecting attraction

• Shackelford and Larsen found that people with symmetrical faces are rates as more attractive. It is thought that this is a signal of genetic fitness that cannot be faked (which makes it an 'honest' signal). The associated 'robust' genes are likely to be passed on and therefore symmetry is perpetuated
• Explanations based on physical attractiveness are evolutionary ones- we have evolved a liking for attributes that signal high quality
• Neotenous (baby face) features are thought to trigger protective and caring instincts, related to the formation of attachment in infancy- this is also an evolutionary explanation because features hat strengthen attachment are adaptive
• What is the work for baby face features?

  Neotenous
• Who found that symmetry is more attractive?

  Shackelford and Larsen
• Attractiveness is important after the formation stage of a relationships- for example, McNulty et al. found that initial attractiveness continued to be an important feature of the relationship after marriage
• Halo effect:

  We hold preconceived ideas about the attributes of attractive people. We believe that all their other attributes are overwhelmingly positive
• Study into the halo effect:

  Dion et al. found that physically attractive people are consistently rated as kind, strong, sociable and successful com[ared to unattractive people
• Matching hypothesis:

  The hypothesis states that we choose partners that are of the same level of attractiveness to ourselves. To do this we need to assess our own value to a potential partner
• Why developed the theory of matching hypothesis?

  Walster et al.
• Matching hypothesis:

  Evolutionary theories suggest we should seek the most attractive mates. However, we have to also balance the potential for being rejected because the partner we aim for is 'out of our league' in terms of attractiveness. So we compromise by 'matching' attractiveness
• Strength: research support for halo effect

  Palmer and Peterson found that physically attractive people were rated more politically knowledgeable and competent than unattractive people. This has implications and suggests politicians might be elected merely because they are considered physically attractive by enough voters. This shows that the halo effect can be observed in real-life situations
• Limitation: not everyone considers physical attractiveness important

  Those who scored highly on the MACHO scale (sexist attitudes) were more influences by physical attractiveness when judging likeability from a photograph and basic biographical data. As low scorers were less sensitive to this influence, it would seem that there are individual differences in the importance places upon physical attractiveness. This suggests that the effects of physical attractiveness can be moderated by other factors and may not be as significant a consideration in relationship formation for all partners
• Strength: cultural consistency in what is attractive

  Cunningham et al. found large eyes, small nose and prominent cheekbones in females were rated as highly attractive by white, Asian and Hispanic males. Wheeler and Kim found that Korean and US students judges physically attractive people to be more trustworthy, mature, concerned for other people and friendly. This consistency suggests physical attractiveness is culturally independent and may have evolutionary roots
• Limitation: online dating research

  Taylor et al. found online daters sought dates with partners who were more attractive than themselves and did not consider their own level of attractiveness. This research involved actual dating choices (meeting people online is becoming increasingly popular) yet it does not support the matching hypothesis. It may therefore be that the matching hypothesis no longer explains preferences regarding physical attractiveness in a useful way