PSYC 359 1st Edition Lecture 8 Outline of Last Lecture I. Mary AinsworthII. AttachmentIII. The Strange SituationOutline of Current Lecture I. Attraction II. Basics of AttractionIII. Physical attractionCurrent LectureAttractionThe fundamental basis of attraction: a matter of rewards- Proximityo Liking those that are near uso Small distances have a larger influence on our relationships than most people realizeo Best single predictor of who gets together o Does not determine quality of relationshipso Why? You learn lot more about a person if they are close to you  Convenience  Familiarity- More exposure, or repeated contact, with someone usually increases our liking for him or her o One study tested mere exposure effect…being exposed to something more frequently makes you more attracted to them. This study showed that your moreattracted to classmates who always show up to class- Physical attractivenesso There’s a bias for beauty “What is beautiful is good:o We tend to automatically assume that attractive people also have desirable traitso We assume that attractive people are sometimes more socially skilled, happy, and well-adjusted o Attractive people make more money at work, attractive professors get higher ratings o Who’s attractive More similarities across cultures on attractiveness Around the world, women are more attractive when they combine “baby-faced” features such as large eyes, a small nose, and full lips with signs of maturity such as prominent cheekbones, narrow cheeks, and a broad smile Men with strong jaws and broad foreheads seem appealing when women are fertile But women prefer warmer, more youthful features during the rest of the month  Even babies even judge attractiveness and they haven’t learned yet o Interview bettero Cute kids are excused more easily o Parents pay more attention to their more attractive kidso Might be related to hormones o Male attractiveness and birth control  Actors in the 50s were more masculine with strong features  Gradually become more feminine…softer looks and longer hair  Now with Zach Effron and Toby McGuire are very feminine Increase in birth control o Attractive faces in both sexes are also: Average, possessing dimension that are neither too small or too large, and: Symmetrical, with the two sides of the face being very similar to one another  Beautiful faces combine the best features of individual faces in a balanced, well-proportioned whole o MIT Study  Face morphs  Keep morphing faces until you get the average face, and that’s the most attractive o BUT Angelina Jolie and facial symmetry—mirror images of right and left sides She’s not that symmetrical Maybe she’s not that beautiful o Video on makeup and computer imaging changing face o What’s an attractive body?  Around the world, men prefer women of normal weight with a curvy .7 waist to hip ration Women like men with a healthy .9 waist to hip ratio, if they have good incomeso Judgments attractiveness are multifaceted Height—both men and women prefer him to be taller than she is Smell—symmetrical people smell better Hair length—men prefer longer hair to shorter hair on womeno An evolutionary perspective on physical attractiveness Standards of who is and who is not attractive are much the same around the world Babies are born with preferences for the same faces that we find to be attractive as adults People with symmetrical, attractive faces tend to enjoy good physical and mental health People with attractive wait-to-hip ratios tend to enjoy good physical health Good looks matter more to people near the equator, where there are more parasites and pathogens that can endanger one’s health, and ones beauty There are provocative changes in women’s preferences across their monthly menstrual cycles o Culture matters, too Fashions tend to change as a cultures sex ratio does During hard times, when a cultures food supply is unreliable, slender women are less desirable than heavy women Environmental conditions work together with human nature to shape our judgments of who is and who isn’t pretty  Relative issues too—men preferred women less when they just viewed playboy models o The Interactive Costs and Benefits of Beauty Looks have a larger effect on the social lives of men than women;- Unattractive men have fewer interactions wth women than good-looking guys do Attractive people tend to be a little happier than unattractive people are, but they don’t trust other people as much Contrast effects may lead us to underestimate the desirability of many people we meet- Example with three cups of water…which cup to you feel first the hot, warm, or cold? - If you just finished talking to a very attractive person, the next person you talk to may not seem as attractive o The reality Matching is physical attractiveness People tend to pair off with others of similar levels of physical attractiveness  Marital problems have been correlated with matching levels of physical attractiveness Also marital problems when levels of attractiveness decline- “Oh she really let herself go”- Reciprocityo Most of us pursue partners who are likely to return our interesto Desirability=physical attractiveness X probability of acceptance o Most people find it hard not to like those who like themo Balance theory suggests that we prefer consistency and symmetry in our relationships - Similarityo We tend to like those who share our: Age, race, sex, religion, and social class Attitudes and values, and Personalitieso The greater the proportion of attitudes people share, the more they like each othero Opposites don’t attract o Positive correlation between proportion of similar attitudes and attractiono Discovering similarities takes time First influenced by perceived similarity Stimulus-value-role theory suggests that there are three different types ofinformation about new partners that gradually unfold over time Fatal attractions occur when something about a new partner that is appealing and attractive gradually becomes one of the most obnoxious, irritating things about that partnero Dissimilarity might decrease over time- Barriers- Are there differences between what men and women want—we’ll find out- A basic assumptiono We like those who reward us Treat us well, they’re present when positive events