Attraction: Fall 2024

ATTRACTION C H A R L E N E F. B E L U FA L L 2 0 2 4  ATTRACTION ▪ Positive emotional and/or proximity seeking behavioural response to someone OVERVIEW: WHAT LEADS TO ATTRACTION #1 Target Factors # 3 Situational Factors Who is attractive? Proximity...

ATTRACTION C H A R L E N E F. B E L U FA L L 2 0 2 4  ATTRACTION ▪ Positive emotional and/or proximity seeking behavioural response to someone OVERVIEW: WHAT LEADS TO ATTRACTION #1 Target Factors # 3 Situational Factors Who is attractive? Proximity Arousal #2 Perceiver Factors Scarcity Gender/Sex (& why) “Cheerleader Effect” Similarity Matching OVERVIEW: WHAT LEADS TO ATTRACTION #1 Target Factors # 3 Situational Factors Who is attractive? Proximity Arousal #2 Perceiver Factors Scarcity Gender/Sex (& why) “Cheerleader Effect” Similarity Matching  PART I: TAR GET FACTOR S: WHO IS ATTRACTI VE? FOR THE FIRST BIT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT DESIRABILITY, NOT CONNECTION! PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS Key determinant of romantic attraction for men, women Relationship initiation!!! On dating apps, women are more selective in who they rate attractive, but message people they did not perceive as attractive Men rated many women attractive but only messaged the most attractive BUT WHO IS PHYSICALLY ATTRACTIVE? Q: Is beauty in the “eye of the beholder”? A: Not really. Notable agreement about who is attractive across groups and cultures Even babies stare longer at faces that adults find attractive  WHAT DO WE FIND PHYSICALLY ATTRACTIVE? ▪ Symmetry  Right Left Normal Mirror Mirror  Right Left Normal Mirror Mirror WHO IS ATTRACTIVE? Individuals with most average faces WHO IS ATTRACTIVE? Why symmetry and averages? → Familiarity → Signs of developmental stability / good genes ATTRACTIVE PERSONALITY Universal personality features Personality affects perceptions of physical attractiveness Humourous Unstable Increase in rating Initial Personality attractiveness Decrease in rating information rating Lewandowski et al., 2007 OVERVIEW: WHAT LEADS TO ATTRACTION #1 Target Factors # 3 Situational Factors Who is attractive? Proximity Arousal #2 Perceiver Factors Scarcity Gender/Sex (& why) “Cheerleader Effect” Similarity Matching THEORETI CAL IM PORTAN CE OF ATTRACTIV ENESS?  SEX DIFFERENCES: EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE If a man has sex with 100 women in one year, how many children can he have? If a woman has sex with 100 men in one year, how many children can she have? SEX DIFFERENCES: EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE Parental investment theory Sex that invests more in offspring will be choosier Men need only find a fertile mate Women need a partner who will invest resources in offspring HOW TO SOLVE THESE ADAPTIVE PROBLEMS Men sensitive to fertility cues –Youth & physical attractiveness –Waist-to-hip ratio Women sensitive to cues of social status –Older age & dominance SEX DIFFERENCES: ATTRACTIVE BODIES A 0.7 waist- to-hip ratio is most attractive in women  SEX DIFFERENCES: ATTRACTIVE BODIES Waist-to-hip ratio associations with attractiveness among men Karremans et al., 2010 SEX DIFFERENCES: ATTRACTIVE BODIES Men: –Waist-to-hip ratio of 0.9* (if have resources) –Shoulders –Height CHALLENGES TO THE EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE 1) Culturally determined aspects of attractiveness 2) Same-sex attraction follows similar patterns to other- sex attraction (e.g., waist-to-hip ratio) 3) Assumption that women relied on partner for resources 4) Does not replicate in speed-dating studies  SOCIAL ROLE THEORY Different role adoption by men and women Socialization to encourage role-consistent traits Male role often associated with status and power Female role associated with caretaking (Eagly & wood, 1999) EXAMINING SOCIAL ROLE THEORY In cultures where women have greater access to power (e.g., higher employment), gender differences in preferences are minimized Women show less of a preference for older partners Men show less of a preference for younger partners  SIMILARITY ▪ Opposites attract = false ▪ Liking for those similar to us ▪ Perceived similarity RECIPROCAL LIKING ▪ We like those who like us* and we dislike those who dislike us ▪ *especially if we’re liked by someone generally selective  MATCHING HYPOTHESIS ▪ People tend to pair up with others who are equally physically attractive ▪ Self-esteem plays a role PAIRING GAME Ellis & Kelley (1999)  WHEN MATCHING IS MINIMIZED  As length of acquaintance increases, consensus about other people’s desirable qualities DECLINES  Couples showed a greater degree of matching to one another the less they knew each other before starting a relationship Eastwick & Hunt, 2014; Hunt et al., 2015