Physical Attractiveness

• Halo Effect


  Physical attractiveness tends to have a disproportionate effect on our judgement of a person's other attributes (personality). People who are seen as being highly physically attractive are presumed to have positive psychological characteristics
• Matching Hypothesis (Walster 1966)


  Individuals seek partners whose physical attractiveness matches their own. A partner who is more attractive may cause anxiety and a less attractive may lower our self-esteem.
• Evolutionary Characteristics

  Humans have evolved to be attracted to certain characteristics because they predict the best reproductive outcomes. We are likely to choose a physically attractive partner due to our genetic predisposition.
• Physical Attractiveness Evaluation:

  (P) Strong evidence

  (E) Dion (1972)

  (E) found people rated as physically attractive were also kind, strong, sociable and successful compared to those rated as unattractive

  (L) As Halo Effect predicts, we judge those seen as most attractive as having the most positive psychological charactistics
• Physical Attractiveness Evaluation:

  (P) Supporting Evidence

  (E) Walster and Walster (1969)

  (E) found in their computer dance study of 400 US students, partners who rated each other to be of similar physical attractiveness liked each other more and were more likely to see each other again

  (L) suggesting couples who perceive to be of similar attractiveness are more satisfied
• Physical Attractiveness Evaluation:

  (P) Halo effect is more influential than Matching Hypothesis

  (E) Taylor (2011)

  (E) online daters were more likely to meet with potential partners who were more attractive than themselves

  (L) Suggesting, when dating, we are more likely to select a partner we perceive as more attractive