AO3 - Physical Attractiveness

• Research to support the evolutionary processes involved in physical attractiveness was conducted by Cunningham et al. It was found there are many similarities across cultures when studying physical attractiveness. Large eyes, prominent cheekbones, small nose and high eyebrows were rated attractive by Hispanic and Asian males as the features display genetic fitness. Therefore, it is possible to generalise findings from western cultures to non-western cultures as they have displayed similarities when investigating evolutionary explanations of physical attractiveness.
• Research to contradict the matching hypothesis comes from Taylor et al. They studied the activity logs of a popular dating site. This was a real-life test of the matching hypothesis because it measured actual date choices and not just preferences. Online daters sought meetings with potential partners who were more physically attractive than them. Therefore, lowering the validity of the matching hypothesis as a factor that affects attraction in romantic relationships, as it contradicts the prediction about matching attractiveness.
• However, choosing individuals for dating could be considered as different from selecting a partner for a romantic relationship. Just because individuals may seek more attractive potential partners on dating sites, does not mean they are actually successful in becoming a romantic relationship. In addition, many studies have found a significant correlation in ratings of ‘matched’ physical attractiveness in established romantic relationships. Therefore, there is support for the matching hypothesis and physical attractiveness as a factor affecting attraction in romantic relationships.