Interpersonal Attraction

Outline

  • Evolutionary Approaches to Sex and Attraction

  • Social Psychology Approaches to Attraction and Love

Evolutionary Approach

  • Parental Investment Theory (Trivers, 1972)

    • Suggests that the reproductive investment of parents determines mating behaviors.

    • Typically, females produce fewer offspring than males, leading to different strategies in mating.

  • Opportunism vs. Choosiness

    • This concept explores the balance between being opportunistic (seizing mating chances) and being selective (choosing partners based on specific criteria).

  • Are Men Always Opportunistic?

    • The theory questions if men are inherently more opportunistic in their mating strategies compared to women.

  • Evidence for Gender Differences in Opportunism?

    • Examines research studies that provide evidence for variations in sexual behaviors and preferences between genders.

Partners Desired Per Unit Time

Buss & Schmitt, 1993

  • A graph illustrating the number of partners desired per unit time related to time periods in relationships:

    • The x-axis represents time (from 1 month up to 30 years and life).

    • The y-axis represents the number of partners desired.

    • Data shows differing patterns in desires between men and women over time frames.

Timing of Sexual Intercourse

Buss & Schmitt, 1993

  • A graph depicting the willingness to have sexual intercourse over time:

    • The x-axis represents time durations (from 1 hour to 5 years).

    • The y-axis shows the willingness for intercourse, displaying variance between male and female responses.

Clark & Hatfield (1989) Field Experiment

  • A survey of sexual willingness in various scenarios:

    • Providers of dates, apartments, and sex to participants were analyzed for acceptance rates between genders, represented in a bar graph format.

Evolutionary Perspective on the Ideal Mate

  • Likelihood of Reproductive Success

    • Indicators that individuals seek partners who enhance their reproductive success.

Cues for Women

  • Traits typically preferred by women in potential mates that indicate good genes, resource availability, etc.

Cues for Men

  • Attributes that men generally look for in women, typically involving youth and health indicators.

Social Psychology Approach

  • Reward Model

    • This model suggests that interpersonal attraction is driven by rewarding interactions and experiences.

What’s Rewarding?

  • Propinquity

    • Physical proximity increases chances for interactions and relationships to develop.

  • Familiarity

    • Prior exposure to someone increases comfort and likability.

  • Similarity

    • Shared interests or traits enhance attraction.

  • Attractiveness

    • Physical attractiveness often serves as an initial catalyst for attraction.

The Pratfall Effect

  • ARONSON (1966)

    • Investigated how minor flaws or mistakes can affect attractiveness.

    • Independent Variables (IVs):

    • Contestant’s competence (high/low)

    • Pratfall occurrence (yes/no)

    • Dependent Variable (DV):

    • Attractiveness rating of the contestant.

Results from Aronson's Study

  • High Competence:

    • No Pratfall → High attractiveness.

    • Pratfall → Attractiveness increased compared to those who haven't made a mistake.

  • Low Competence:

    • No Pratfall → Low attractiveness.

    • Pratfall → Attractiveness decreased.

What About Love?

Outline

  • Two-Factor Theory of Emotion Reminder

  • Two-Factor Theory of Love Research

  • Response Facilitation Theory

Dutton & Aron (1974) Field Experiment

  • Investigated how physiological arousal could enhance attraction:

    • IVs:

    • Arousal level induced by environmental factors.

    • Gender of attraction target.

    • DVs:

    • Instances of sexual imagery in TAT stories.

    • Percentage of participants calling for “more information.”

Results from Dutton & Aron

  • A graph showing how high vs. low arousal affects sexual imagery and call frequency for targets of different genders.

    • High arousal increases sexual imagery significantly compared to low arousal scenarios.

Does Arousal Always Increase Attraction?

WHITE ET AL. (1981)

  • Conducted experiments to check connections between arousal and attraction ratings:

    • IVs:

    • Level of arousal (high/low)

    • Attractiveness of the target (high/low)

    • DV:

    • Attractiveness ratings given by participants.

Results from White et al.

  • A graph illustrating how participants rated attractiveness in correlation to arousal levels under various attractiveness conditions.

    • High arousal generally leads to higher attractiveness ratings across categories.

Where Does This Leave Us?

  • Response Facilitation Theory of Love

    • Proposes that emotional and physiological responses may facilitate perceptions of love and attraction.

A Little Dating Advice…

  • Arousal appears to enhance reactions to others’ attractiveness.

  • Moral of the Story:

    • Being aware of one’s emotional state can enhance interactions and perception of attractiveness.