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.
