Chapter 3: AttractionThe Fundamental Basis of Attraction: A Matter of RewardsProximityPhysical AttractivenessReciprocitySimilarityBarriersSo, What Do Men and Women Want?AttractionA basic assumption: We like those who reward us…either because they treat us well, or simply because they are present when positive events occur.Direct rewards: Support, provide status and resourcesIndirect rewards: being around beautiful people, funny, competencyEEA: all humans  patterns of attraction and mate selection: tied to human reproductionProximity: Liking Those Near UsWe tend to like those who live and work near us.Greatest predictor of who gets together (where we live influences friends we make)Small distances have a larger influence on our relationships than most people realize. (Often overlooked)Why? – People become more attractive over time.Proximity effectStudy with women coming into classroom repeatedly, students liked them the more frequently they came in.Doesn’t determine quality of relationshipProximity Benefits:Convenience: easier to enjoy the rewards they have to offerFamiliarity: increased exposure increases our liking for someoneMere exposure, or repeated contact, with someone usually increases our liking for him or her.Mere Exposure EffectEvidence: (study) familiarity increases affinity/attraction - did not breed contempt – (although must be neutral or positive upon first exposure).Frequency: effected by # of times exposed, not length (amount) of exposurePower of Proximity: it accentuates our feelings about others (thus if you don’t like someone, increased contact/exposure will only accentuate that)Physical Attractiveness: Liking Those Who Are LovelyThere’s a Bias for Beauty:“What is Beautiful is Good” HypothesisIn general, we tend to assume good looking people are more likeable, better people than those who are unattractive. (among these other traits):Assumed to be: Kind, strong, outgoing, nurturing, sensitive, sexually warm and responsive, interesting, poised, sociable, exciting date and good character.Also perceived to have happier futures, more successful social/professional life, more fulfilling lives and more prestigeBenefits to being good looking (promoted more often, make more money, etc.)Who’s attractive?“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.Birth control  has played a role in changing women’s preference in men (more softer pref.)Most women find the masculine face on the right to be more attractive when they are fertile, but they consider the more feminine face on the left to be more appealing during the rest of the month.Attractive faces in both sexes are also:Average, possessing dimensions that are neither too large or too small, andSymmetrical, with the two sides of the face being very similar to one anotherImplies genetic health  for reproduction.Beautiful faces combine the best features of individual faces in a balanced, well-proportioned whole.Look what happens when 2, 8, or 32 real faces are morphed together in composite images. “Average” faces are attractive faces.What’s an attractive body?around the world, men prefer women of normal weight with a curvy 0.7 waist-to-hip ratio.women like men with a healthy 0.9 waist-to-hip ratio, if they have good incomes.Mens judgment of women more influenced by their WHR than breast sizeBeauty Benefits:Children scolded lessLess sentences in court of lawEducational attainmentIncome and occupational prestigePays more for men not womenBabies naturally biased to look at beautiful people longerPeople with symmetrical faces tend to have symmetrical bodies  more fertileCulture matters too (time/era)In bad economies, prefer women healthy not smallDespite change in body weight over time, waist to hip ratio has stayed the same ~0.7 (thus, ratio more important than weight)Judgments of attractiveness are multifaceted:Height (men are preferred to be taller than women)Smell (matters more to women than to men)Hair length (long hair on women is preferred by men  indicates fertility)Physical AttractivenessFairly consistent across cultures although culture does matter.Cultures differ in several aspects but people all over the world still tend to agree on who is and who is not attractive.Evolutionary Perspective on Physical AttractivenessGood looks ensure good health and geneticsPeople around equator invest more in good looks as a result of their high rate of disease, pathogens, etc.More to do with human nature than to do with cultural expectationsWho Has a Bias for Beauty?Men  youth/beauty most important (women  less worried about mens looks, more concerned about resources)high self-monitorspeople who care about their appearance to others care a lot more about their partner’s looksThe Interactive Costs and Benefits of BeautyLooks have a larger effect on the social lives of men than womenAttractive people tend to be a little happier than unattractive people, but less trustingContrast Effects: may lead to underestimating the desirability of the people we meetUnrealistic media portrayals interferes with our judgment of attractivenessCorrelations to attractiveness: (based on culture) NOT objective measures of personality, intelligence, etc.Nature of stereotype: what is good (varies from culture to culture)Attributional Problems: to being good lookingAttractive people always questioning others motives to be around themPressure to Maintain: Can be seen as a burden to maintain looksAttractiveness not related to overall happiness in general.Physical Attractiveness – the realityMatching in Physical AttractivenessThe Matching Hypothesis: People tend to pair off with others of similar levels of physical attractiveness and similar in certain characteristicsStudy: Marital satisfaction (more similar, more successful)Marital dissatisfaction (greater decline in success due to greater dissimilarity)Reciprocity: Liking Those Who Like UsMost of us pursue partners who are likely to return our interest.Physical Probability ofDesirability = Attractiveness X AcceptancePlaying hard to get: be selective when playing hard to getToo hard to get  less attraction (no one wants to get rejected)Needs to be probable to not get rejected: Be