Physical Attractiveness

• What are the 4 theories of Physical Attractiveness?

  • Neotenous features
  • Symmetrical Face
  • The Halo Effect
  • The Matching Hypothesis
• What are Neotenous Features?

  • Features that trigger a caring instinct
  • As explained by Bowlby's theory of Attachment
• What is the Symmetrical Face?

  • People with symmetrical faces are rated as more attractive
  • Symmetry is an honest signal of genetic fitness
• What is the Halo Effect?

  • When one distinguishing feature influences our judgement of a person's other attributes
  • Attractive people are more likely to be rated as kind, strong, sociable, and successful
• What is the Matching Hypothesis?

  • We don't seek the most physically attractive person, instead we are attracted to individuals who match us in terms of attractiveness
  • This compromise is necessary because of a fear of rejection and to avoid insecurity and jealousy
• Research to support the Halo Effect:

  • Palmer and Peterson
  • Asked Ps to rate attractive and unattractive people in terms of how politically competent and knowledgeable they are
  • It was found that attractive people were consistently rated higher on these characteristics compared to unattractive ones
  • This has implications for the political process as if politicians are judged as suitable just because they are attractive by enough voters it can lead to big backlash
• Research against the Matching Hypothesis:

  • Walster et al
  • Computer Dance
  • 376 male and female Ps
  • 4 independent judges assessed each students physical attractiveness as a measure of social desirability
  • Ps filled in a questionnaire to provide info about similarity and the pairing was done randomly
  • The most liked partners were also the most physically attractive rather than taking their own attractiveness into account

  HOWEVER:

  • Berscheid replicated the study but this time the Ps were allowed to choose their partner
  • This time partners chose people who matched them in physical attractiveness
• Research into Physical Attractiveness:

  • Murnstein
  • Field Study
  • Photographs of the faces of 'steady or engaged' couples were compared with random couples (e.g. pairs who were only together for the photo)
  • The real couples were consistently judged to be more similar to each other in physical attractiveness than the random pairs
• Research support for Evolutionary Processes:

  • Cunningham et al
  • Found that women who had features of large eyes, prominent cheek bones, small nose and high eyebrows were rated as highly attractive by white, Hispanic and Asian men
  • What is considered physically attractive is consistent across cultures
• Research challenging the Matching Hypothesis:

  • Taylor et al
  • Studied activity logs of popular online dating site
  • Real-world test of matching hypothesis
  • Found that online daters sought meetings with potential partners who were more physically attractive than them
  • This undermines the validity of the matching hypothesis