Social Psychology: Attractiveness and Close Relationships

1. Social psychologyAttractiveness and close relationships I Jiří Čeněk

2. Courseschedule – last lectures • 20.3. Rectorsinauguration – NO lecture • 30.3. Nationalholiday - NO lecture • = 13. + 16. + 23.3. Last threenormallectures • 27.3. Presentationoftheassignments • 27.3., 13.00 Firstexam term

3. Content CloserelationshipsI • Need to belong • Attraction • Physicalattraction • Relationshipfactors • Social factors Closerelationships II • Love • Theoriesof love • Relationshipsatisfaction • Problems in relationship

4. Theneed to belong • „Whatisthatmakesyourlifemeaningful?“ • „Whatisneccesaryforyourhapiness?“ • Most peoplemention: „Closerelationshipswith:“ • friends, • family, • romanticpartners. • Basic human motive, 50 % oftimewithothers • We care deeply about what others think of us. • Those with a network of close social ties tend to be: • happier, • healthier, • more satisfied with life than those who are more isolated

5. Attraction • How are peopleattracted to eachother? • Whatcharacteristics are desired in a relationship?

6. Attraction • Work: Interpersonalattractionscale

7. What people do we tend to be attracted to?

8. Attraction • 2 Groups of theories: • Evolutionaryperspective • Men and women are attracted to different characteristics in each other because these foster reproductive success(conception, birth, and survival of offsprings) • Whatcharacteristics are important to men? To women? Why (according to EP)? • Theories based on rewards (direct/indirect) • Minimax principle: Minimizecosts – maximizerewards • Principleofequity

9. Attraction • Principleofequity • Love, truefriendship→ not so bound to exchangebenefits • Equitable long-term relationship → less concern about short-term equity • → Not calculating = Mark oftruefrienship, love!!!

10. Attraction • 3 groupsoffactorsinfluencinginterpersonalattraction: • Physicalattractiveness • Relationshipfactors • Situationalfactors

11. Attraction • Physicalattractiveness

12. Physicalattractiveness • Facialattractivenessas objectivequality • High levels of agreement for facial ratings across ages and cultures • Physical features of the face are reliably associated with judgments of attractiveness • Babies prefer faces considered attractive by adults

13. Physicalattractiveness • „Morphingexperiments“ • Preference ofaveragefeatures • http://www.faceresearch.org/demos/average

14. Physicalattractiveness • Valuingsymmetry • Oneofexplanationsof preference ofaveragephotos • Symmetryisattractive (sign ofhealth)

15. Physicalattractiveness • Baby-facedfeatures(Especiallyforwomen) • roundfeatures, • large eyes, • small noses, • high foreheads, • short chins, • relatively lighter skin and hair  • Seem to have baby-like personality attributes • be more naive, helpless, honest… • https://www.youtube.com/embed/2rALJido4iI

16. Physicalattractiveness • Men more attractivewhenfeaturesresemble maturity and dominance…

17. Thephysicalattractivenesseffect

18. Physicallyatractivepeople: • Greaterlikelyhood to get a job • Higherstartingsalaries • Biggerraises • Frieze (1991), 1-5 pointsattractivenessscale • Witheach point + 2100 (woman)/2600 (man) $ a year • Higherjobsecurity • Betterevaluations • Attractivecriminals – lowerbails, smaller fines • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_gx2Uc95os#t=75

19. Whatfactorsmight cause PAE?

20. Causes??? 4 Possibleexplanations: Aesthetics Stereotypes Socialskills Socialprofits

21. Aestheticappeal • „Welike to lookatthingsthat are visuallyappealing“

22. Aestheticappeal • Researches: • Infantslooklongeratpicturesofattractivepeople, • Peoplerememberattractivepeoplebetter

23. Physicalattractiveness stereotype • = „Whatisbeautifulisgood.“ • Attractivepeoplehave more positive traits. • Percieved as more: • Intelligent, • Sociallycompetent, sociable, • Dominant, • Extroverted, • Happier…

24. Socialskills • „Attractivepeoplehave more socialskills.“ • More + interactions/less – interactions • More help, attention, reward

25. Social profit „Youlookgoodifyourdateisgood-looking.“ • Gieselman et al. (1984)

26. Physicalattractiveness • Attractiveness as a socialnorm • People from different cultures enhance their beauty in very different ways • Ideal body shapes vary across cultures, as well as among racial groups within a culture

27. Physicalattractiveness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrp0zJZu0a4

28. Physicalattractiveness • Bothsexespreferattractivepartners, but formalesattractivity in a dating partner ismore important. • Koestner 1988: Analysisofdatingadvertisements. • 1/3 menrequiresattractive partner • 1/7 femalesonly • More femalesadvertisephysicalattractiveness • Seinfeld: • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qhyowdvtqE

29. Physicalattractiveness • Womenvalue more: • Resources: • Wealth • Possibleaccess to resources: • Status • Education • Othertraits: • Ambitiousness • Character • Womenwilling to marrysomeonewhois not goodlooking, 5 + years, older, betterpaid and educated.

30. Physicalattractiveness Thematchingphenomenon • = Peoplepreferpartnerswho are about as attractive as they are. • Strongcorrespondencebetweenattractivenessofwives and husbands, datingpartners. • Those most similar in physicalattractiveness are most likely to fall in love ormarry. • Coupleswho are not balanced: • Lessattractive partner has to compensate.

31. Physicalattractiveness EvolutionaryPerspective • Gender differences in attractivenessexplained in termsofreproductivestrategy. • Goal: Maximizingreproductivesuccess. Men: • Theoreticallyunlimitednumberofsexualpartners and offsprings. • Lookforfertilewomenwhocanhavehealthychildren (smooth skin, waist-to-hip ratio) Women: • Limited amountofchildren. • Valuepartnersthatcanprovideresources

32. Maximum numberofchildren- Men?- Women?

33. Physicalattractiveness Womanrecord: 69 • Mrs. and Mr. Feodor Vassilyev(1725 - 1765) • sixteen pairs of twins, • seven sets of triplets and • four sets of quadruplets • in a total of 27 births. Man record: 867 • Ismail Ibn Sharif Alaouite sultan of Morocco, • fathered 525 sons and 342 daughters with multiple wives and concubines.

34. Physicalattractiveness Menstrualcycle and attractiveness • Gangestad (2004): Videoswithmen, ratedtheirattractivenessforshort-term (sexualaffair) or long-term mate • Fertiletime: • Preference ofphysicalattractiveness, masculinity, dominance forshort-term partners • Non-fertiletime: • Physicalattractiveness not thatimportant • No differencesfor long-term partners (caringhusbands, nice guys, faithful, access to resources)

35. Physicalattractiveness Sexualbehavior and attractiveness • Schmitt (2001): Easysexualaccessibility vs. Relationshipexclusivity. • Interviewswithresearchconfederates • Short-term partners: • Menprefereasysexualaccess. • Womendifficultsexualaccess. • Long-term partners: • Relationshipexclusivitypreffered by bothsexes.

36. Physicalattractiveness Criticismofevolutionaryperspective: • Womengenerallydontprefermenwhohavestereotypicallymasculinetraits and highlevelsofresources • Green (1994): Androgynouspartners are more attractivethanmasculine • Ickes (1993): Femininecharacteristics are more desirable (prosocialmen – willing to help • Societieswherewomenhave: • Littleaccess to resources: preference forwealthy, well-educated, high status men. • Considerableaccess to resources: no such preference

37. Attraction • Relationshipfactors

38. Relationshipfactors • 3 factors: • Similarity • Complementarity • Reciprocity

39. ?

40. Relationshipfactors • Similarity • Welikepeoplethat are similar to ourselves • Not just attractiveness (thematchingeffect) • Demographiccharacteristics: • Age, • Race, • Religion, • Economicbackgound. • Attitudes, values, interets.

41. Relationshipfactors • Why do welikesimilarpeople? • Peoplewhoshareimportanttraits and values make usfeelgoodaboutourselves • Sharingattitudesreducesthepotentialforconflict. • Similaritywith romantice partner leads to happiness.

42. Relationshipfactors • Complementarity„Do oppositesattract?“ • Little evidence supportingit. • Felmlee (1995): Fatalattractioneffect • Differentqualities in a partner are initiallyarousing and exciting, laterbecome a source ofdissatisfaction.

43. Relationshipfactors • Reciprocity • = believingthatother person likesus • Wealllike to beliked • → we are attracted to thosewholikeus. • → greaterself-disclosure • X Havingsomeone to grow to likeyou → strongerfeelingsofattraction.

44. Attraction • Situationalfactors

45. Situationalfactors • Attractioncanbeinfluenced by situationalfactors such as: • Proximity • Physiologicalarousal • Contrasteffect

46. Situationalfactors • Proximity • People are attracted to thosewho live close to them. • X alsoproduceshostility (murders) • Most peoplemarrysomeonewholivesclose, worksatthesamejob…

47. Situationalfactors • Festinger, Schachter, Back (1950): Propinquityeffect • Friendshipsin a small two-floor apartment buildings • Peopleassignedappartmnetsatrandom • Name 3 closestfriends: 2/3 samebuilding, 2/3 samefloor, most common: nextdoor

48. Situationalfactors • 2 reasons: • More meeting = more knowing = more attraction • Mereexposurephenomenon • The more we are exposed to something, the more welikeit. (4 girls in class experiment) • Application: • marketing + politicalcampaigns

49. Canrelationshipspersistgreatdistances?

50. Situationalfactors • Physiologicalarousal • Excitation transfer (Zillman) • Based on Schachterstwo-factortheoryofemotions