physical attractiveness - factor affecting attraction

physical attractiveness

an important factor in the formation of romantic relationships specifically how appealing we find a person’s face

symmetry

a sign of genetic fitness that cannot be fakes which makes people with symmetrical faces ore attractive

baby face

neotenous features are thought to trigger protective and caring instincts making people more likely to want to reproduce with them

beyond the formation stage

attractiveness is important after the formation stage of a relationship and even after marriage

Halo effect

if a person is considered attractive, we believe all of their other attributes are overwhelmingly positive

research support - evaluation

Palmer and Peterson suggest that politicians may be elected because they are considered physically attractive rather than their morals/values

cultural consistency - evaluation

Cunningham found large eyes, small nose, prominent cheekbones in females were rated as highly attractive by white, Asian, and Hispanic communities

deterministic - evaluation

people who have sexist attitudes are more influenced by physical attractiveness when judging likability from a photograph on the Macho