Interpersonal Choosing and Attractiveness
editChoosing Friends and Physical Attractiveness
editMuch research has been dedicated to the different aspects regarding physical attractiveness people look at when choosing friends. Studies have shown that a person's level of attractiveness is significantly associated with other's expectations of kindness, intelligence, ability to get along with, and other factors that are attractive in a friendship[1]. When finding friends, the more attractive they are, the more people see them as likable and approachable[2]. Physical attractiveness, along with other lesser variables, is found to be the most important factor when determining good friendship qualities.[3] Studies have also found that the more similarities a friendship has, whether romantic or platonic, in terms of physical attractiveness, plays a role in how friendships are chosen[4].In terms of platonic friendships, men are much pickier at choosing friends based on attractiveness due to the matching hypothesis; matching for attractiveness among male dyads was homogenous, but not among women[4]. For pairs of friends, there were variations among correlations were found but were explained by gender of dyad: the matching effect was obtained only with men[4].
Choosing a Partner and Attractivess: Long-term and Short-Term Correlations
editLong-Term:
editMuch research regarding the length of relationships pays special attention to the variable of physical attractiveness. Initial attraction is important, but in order to remain satisfied in a long-term marriage or consummate relationship, physical attraction is key[5]. Similar to friendships, the self-ratings of attractiveness are similar among couples[4]. Attractiveness matters when choosing a potentially long-term partner[3]; the overwhelming majority of couples choose a partner who has the same, or nearly the same, self-rating of attractiveness[4]. In essence, those who have a similar level of attractiveness have more probability of staying together for a long-term relationship. If a couple does not match on the self-rated attractiveness, then they more likely than not matched on the objective scale of attractiveness[4]. Men who are interested in a long-term partner tend to give priority to the attractiveness to his partner's face, as opposed to the body[6]. Direct tests indicated that partner physical attractiveness played a larger role in predicting the men’s satisfaction than predicting women’s satisfaction[5].
Short-Term:
editAn overwhelming amount of studies have shown that physical attractiveness, especially initial attraction[2], is the most important factor when discussing short-term relationships. Gender seems to create the largest deciding factor on whether or not a relationship will be short-term or long-term. Evolutionary theories show that men place physical attractiveness higher than women do[5][2]. Men who are evaluating a potential short-term partner give higher priority to information gained from her body, relative to her face, than men evaluating a potential long-term partner[6]. Similarly, men, but not women, have a condition-dependent proclivity to prioritize bodily cues in short-term mating contexts[6]. However, the level of attractiveness makes a large difference. Attractiveness ratings--particularly bodily attractiveness ratings -- are significantly related to a person's mating behavior[7] .For women, those who perceive themselves as "more attractive than average" and how are objectively rate as more attracted than average are more likely to look for short-term relationships[7].
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- ^ Clifford, Margaret; Walster, Eilene (1973). "Research note: The effect of physical attractiveness on teacher expectations". Journal of Educational Sociology. 46(2): 248-258.
- ^ a b c Feingold, Alan (1990). "Gender differences in effects of physical attractiveness on romantic attraction: A comparison across five research paradigm". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 59(5): 981-993.
- ^ a b Aron, Arthur (1989). "Experiences of falling in love". Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 6(3): 243–257.
- ^ a b c d e f Feingold, Alan (1988). "Matching for attractiveness in romantic partners and same-sex friends: A meta-analysis and theoretical critique". Psychological Bulletin. 104(2): 226–235.
- ^ a b c Meltzer, Andrea; et al. (2014). "Sex differences in the implications of partner physical attractiveness for the trajectory of marital satisfaction". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 106(33): 418–428.
{{cite journal}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|first=(help) - ^ a b c Confer, Jaime (2010). "More than just a pretty face: Men's priority shifts toward bodily attractiveness in short-term versus long-term mating contexts". Evolution and Human Behavior. 31(5): 348–353.
- ^ a b Perilloux, Carin (2013). "Women's physical attractiveness and short-term mating strategies". Personality and Individual Differences. 54(4): 490–495.