matching hypothesis - physical attractiveness - factor affecting attraction

matching hypothesis

theory that we are attracted to people that match our level of physical attractiveness

firsts stage

social desirability

second stage

couples who are matched are more likely to have a happy relationship

third stage

a person chooses their partner by comparing their attractiveness to our own

supporting evidence - evaluation

Feingold studies real life couples and found a strong correlation between their rating of attractiveness

mixed support - evaluation

Walster’s initial study found students prefer people more attractive than them

beta-bias - evaluation

men rate their relationships as more satisfying when female partner is physically attractive when women don’t