Chapter 23 - Attraction

Nurtural Attraction

preference for specific infants vs. others

• large eyes and babyish features

communal attraction

non-romantic interpersonal attraction to friends

Respectful attraction

desire to follow a leader that is charismatic and respected

romantic attraction

thinking someone looks yummy

Attractive qualities

• youthfulness

• unblemished skin

• symmetry

• averageness

• femininity in women, masculinity in men

• positive expressions

• positive behaviours

• combination of these factors is required to attractiveness

• a single deviation from this could make someone unattractive

Prototypes

the average member of a category is often preferred over unique members

• attractiveness ratings are correlated with likeability and familiarity (like the mere exposure effect)

Good genes hypothesis

people with more average, symmetrical, prototypical and youthful appearances are likely better-quality males

• may be better in health and more fertile

• genetic fitness is shown by the ability to develop normally despite environmental stressors

Face space

We group faces of people we see in our day to day lives based on similarities of facial features

Anomalous face overgeneralization effect

Low, but not high, attractiveness is diagnostic of actual genetic traits

• such traits suggest poor health and evolutionary fitness

• basically: we associate less attractive people as having “poorer” genetic traits

• we avoid unattractive people more than we desire attractive ones

Natural selection

Nature determines which genes survive and reproduce, and which genes disappear from the face of the planet

sexual selection

members of the opposite (or same) sex determine a gene’s fate

2 types of sexual selection

• Intrasexual selection - members of the same sex compete in order to win the opportunity to mate with members of the opposite sex

  • intrasexually competitive women sabotage each other if they view someone as a threat

• Intersexual selection - members of one sex select a mating partner of the other sex based on their desirable traits

  • ex. humans prefer facial symmetry and geometry

Stereotypes of Differences in Sexual Strategies

Males

• want sex more often

• are fickle and promiscuous

• drawn to sexual novelty and even sexual aggression

• are undiscriminating in partner choice

• concerned with competition and dominance

Females

• want sex less often

• are devoted and faithful (usually)

• drawn to stability and security

• are cautious and choosy in partners

• less concerned with competition and dominance

Age and sex appeal

• older men can still be viewed as appealing

• women, on average, prefer slightly older men

• men do not typically prefer slightly older women

  • younger women are more likely to be able to reproduce

• In poorer countries, larger age gap between partners creates more economic stability for a family

Advantages of attraction

• first impressions

• mating prospects

• parent and peer favouritism

• education and employment

• judicial outcomes

• electoral success

Attractiveness Halo Effect

People higher in body attractiveness and vocal attractiveness create more positive first impressions

Mating Prospects

• Attractive people become sexually active at an earlier age

• Attractive men tend to have more short-term and not long-term sexual partners

• Attractive women tend to have more long-term partners

Matching effect

Romantic couples tend to be similar attractiveness

Favouritism across situations

• Teachers perceive attractive kids as being better behaved

• attractive people receive lighter sentences when convicted of crimes

• attractive candidates, and candidates with attractive voices, are more likely to win elections

How sex affects what you buy

• more attractive people on product advertisements are more appealing to consumers, and so they are more likely to buy

Does Sex influence what we buy?

• Attractiveness works in certain situations, but not all

• greater effect on men and liberal women

• females respond better to ads that treat women and sex with respect

Cultural Ideals

attractiveness is also culturally influenced

• our view of attractiveness is very Westernized

• larger bodies are viewed as more attractive in areas where food scarcity exists

• specific cultural practices associated with beauty also exist

Self-fulfilling prophecy effect

An expectation or belief about someone/something that influences a person’s behaviour leading that belief to become true

morph

a face or other image that has been transformed by a computer program so that its a mixture of multiple images

Mere-exposure effect

tendency to prefer stimuli that have been seen before over new, unseen ones