Attraction and Affiliation

Overview of Lecture

• Explores perspectives on the body and attraction.
• Discusses how individuals affiliate and make friends.

Physical Attraction

• Bodily First Impressions: The initial attraction often derives from physical features.
• Personal Attributes: Societal norms dictate what is considered attractive, often varying across cultures.

Sheldon’s Somatotypes

• Theories about body types and personality connections, influencing perceptions of attractiveness.

Pervasive First Impressions

• Studies show that first encounters heavily influence long-term views on attraction and relationships.

Beauty Trends and Body Ideals

• Trends in beauty standards evolve continuously.
• Influenced by media representations of idealized body types.

Facial Attraction

• Facial Symmetry: Preference for symmetrical faces linked to health indicators.
• Evolutionary psychologists suggest symmetry is attractive for procreation purposes.
• Average Faces: People prefer faces that represent a familiar average within a population.

Key Studies on Attractiveness

• Cunningham (1986): Investigated correlations between facial features and perceptions of attractiveness.
• Detected links between neoteny (juvenile features) in female faces and perceived attractiveness.
• Maturity traits (strong cheekbones, narrow cheeks) also important for attraction.

Cultural Influences on Facial Preferences

• Youth and Fertility: Traits such as large eyes and small noses are favored in many cultures.
• Variations in preferences even exist across different cultural groups (e.g., Polynesian preferences for rounded features).

Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR)

• Critical factor for male attraction to women, often culturally mediated.
• Studies show a common preference for a WHR of around 0.7 (hourglass figure).
• Cultural differences exist, with some cultures finding larger ratios more attractive.

Evolutionary Perspectives on Attraction

• Attraction viewed as a genetic survival tool for maximizing reproductive success.
• Female preference for resourceful males, while men often prefer younger, healthier females.

Consequences of Attraction

• Highly attractive individuals often experience biases in social judgments:
• Males and females judged as more honest, more employable, and receiving lighter sentences in legal settings.

Establishing Friendships

• Factors influencing friendships include:
• Propinquity: Physical proximity facilitates interaction and familiarity.
• Similarity: Friends often share common interests and attitudes.
• Reciprocity: We tend to like those who show an interest in us.

The Role of Technology in Friendships

• Online relationships remove traditional variables like proximity, leading to different dynamics from in-person relations.
• Early impressions may be misleading due to lack of physical cues, but can transition into real-life meetings.