Factors affecting attraction: Physical attractiveness

• Physical attractiveness is an important factor in the formation of romantic relationships. It applies to how appealing we find a person's face, as people are often drawn to aesthetic features in potential partners.
• The halo effect refers to the idea that people assume attractive individuals possess positive personality traits, such as being kind, intelligent, or sociable.
• The Halo Effect:

  • Dion et al. (1972) found that physically attractive people were rated as more sociable, successful, and kind, suggesting that appearance influences first impressions and attraction.
  • This belief makes them more attractive to us, so we behave positively towards them - self-fufilling prophecy
  • This means that attraction is not just about looks but also about the assumed characteristics associated with attractiveness.
• The matching hypothesis theory (Walster et al., 1966) suggests that people choose romantic partners who are similar to them in physical attractiveness to avoid rejection.

  • Rather than aiming for the most attractive partner, people select someone within their own "league."
  • This ensures a balance between desirability and realistic expectations in relationships.
• The evolutionary theory suggests that physical attractiveness is an indicator of good health and reproductive fitness.

  • Men prefer women with youthful features (e.g., large eyes, full lips, small nose) as these suggest fertility.
  • Women prefer men with strong jawlines and symmetry, which indicate good genes.
• Shackleford and Larsen (1997) found that people with symmetrical faces are rated as more attractive. This is because it may be an honest signal of genetic fitness.
• A limitation of the matching hypothesis is that there is contradictory research. Walster et al. (1966) conducted the Computer Dance Study, where participants were randomly paired for a date. The results showed that people preferred more attractive partners, regardless of their own attractiveness level. This contradicts the idea that people aim for similar attractiveness levels, suggesting that other factors, such as personality and confidence, may be more influential in attraction.
• A limitation is that not everyone values physical attractiveness equally. Towhey (1979) conducted a study where participants completed the MACHO scale, which measured attitudes towards relationships and sexism. Then, participants were asked to rate how much they would like an individual based on a photograph and some biographical information. The findings showed that participants who scored highly on the MACHO scale were more influenced by physical attractiveness than lower scorers. This suggests that individual differences play a role in attraction, reducing the theory's generalisability.
• A strength of evolutionary explanations of physical attractiveness is that they are supported by cross-cultural research. Cunningham (1986) found that men from different cultures were attracted to similar facial features in women, such as large eyes and high cheekbones. This suggests that certain traits are universally attractive due to their association with fertility and good health, strengthening the biological basis of attraction as it can be applied cross-culturally.
• A strength of the matching hypothesis is that there is research support for its claims. Feingold (1988) conducted a meta-analysis of studies on real-life couples and found a significant correlation between the physical attractiveness of partners, supporting the idea that people tend to pair up with others of similar attractiveness levels. This suggests that matching on attractiveness is an important factor in real relationships, increasing the ecological validity of the theory.