Physical Attractiveness, Dating Behavior, and Implications for Women

Spreadbury, Constance Lizotte; Reeves, Joy B.

doi:10.1002/j.2164-4918.1979.tb05406.x

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The qs in row 4 indicate cross-domain similarity between corresponding experimental effects and physical attractiveness correlates only for character, but that was because attractive- Driver, 1989Driver, 1989Fanelli, 1981Fanelli, 1981Feingold, 1982Feingold, 1982Feingold & Mazzella, 1991, in press Feingold & Mazzella, 1991Goldman & Lewis, 1977Goldman & Lewis, 1977Hagelauer, 1976Hill, Rubin, & Peplau, 1976Peplau, Rubin & Hill, 1977Peplau et al, 1977Kolko, 1983Kolko, 1983Sprecher, McKinney, DeLamater, & Hatfield, 1981DeLamater & McCorquodale, 1979;Sprecher et al, 1981Mathes, 1974Mathes & Kahn, 1975Mathes, 1974Mathes & Kahn, 1975Murstein, Chalpin, Heard, & Vyse, 1989Murstein et al, 1989Murstein & Holden, 1979Murstein & Holden, 1979Nancy, 1982Nancy, 1982Prisbell, 1982Snyder, Simpson, & Gangestad, 1986Snyderetal., 1986Spreadbury & Reeves, 1979Williams, 1977Williams, 1980Williams, 1983Williams, 1983Wright, 1983 Gender…”

Section: Extraversionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Good-looking people are not what we think.

Feingold

1992

Psychological Bulletin

950

656

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Meta-analysis was used to examine findings in 2 related areas: experimental research on the physical attractiveness stereotype and correlational studies of characteristics associated with physical attractiveness. The experimental literature found that physically attractive people were perceived as more sociable, dominant, sexually warm, mentally healthy, intelligent, and socially skilled than physically unattractive people. Yet, the correlational literature indicated generally trivial relationships between physical attractiveness and measures of personality and mental ability, although good-looking people were less lonely, less socially anxious, more popular, more socially skilled, and more sexually experienced than unattractive people. Self-ratings of physical attractiveness were positively correlated with a wider range of attributes than was actual physical attractiveness.Do good-looking people differ from unattractive people and, if so, why? Now consider self-perceptions of physical attractiveness. Do people who view themselves as physically appealing different from their counterparts who hold modest opinions of their own physical appearance and, if so, why? This article examines and integrates theories and empirical findings from the physical attractiveness literature to address these interesting questions. Conceptualization and Measurement of AttractivenessWhat is physical attractiveness? Social scientists, like laymen, believe that beauty is denned by social consensus (Berscheid & Walster, 1974;Hatfield & Sprecher, 1986). Accordingly, researchers measure physical attractiveness by use of judges, with each judge asked to provide an independent rating of the physical attractiveness of each subject, a procedure strikingly similar to the notorious 1 -to-10 attractiveness-rating scale often used in the "real world" when people first observe strangers of the opposite sex. These assessments are then averaged over judges by subject to yield physical attractiveness ratings (e.g., Walster, . Since the mid-1960s, scores of studies have correlated such pooled physical attractiveness judgments (sometimes called objective physical attractiveness) with other characteristics, including personality traits, cognitive ability, popularity, social skills, and sexual experience I want to thank Ronald Mazzella for assistance in the preparation of data for meta-analysis, two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on a draft of this article, and the following researchers for providing me with unpublished findings for this review:

show abstract

Section: Extraversionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Good-looking people are not what we think.

Feingold

1992

Psychological Bulletin

950

656

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies during this era tended to find that attractiveness of a potential partner was particularly important for dating preferences (e.g., Kiesler & Baral, 1970; Walster et al, 1966). A study on dating frequency found that women preferred physical attractiveness of a partner over desirable personality characteristics (Spreadbury & Reeves, 1979). Other studies similarly found that attractive individuals were rated more favorably across a wide range of characteristics—being happier, more humorous, and assertive—than individuals rated as less attractive (Miller, 1970).…”

Section: Prior Research On Attractivenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Less attractive people are likely treated more negatively than more attractive people; as Rayburn and Wright (2009) observe, “All of us, day in and day out, whether consciously or not, pay more and kinder attention to people we find attractive than to people we find to be homely or plain (p. 348).” Given the research finding that adolescents rate more attractive peers as being more socially prestigious than less attractive peers (e.g., Dion & Berscheid, 1974), being unattractive may result in exclusion, bullying, and teasing at school. Moreover, based on the research on dating preferences (e.g., Spreadbury & Reeves, 1979), being unattractive could result in an inability to form meaningful relationships or rejection by others. Regardless of the scenario, general strain theory provides a pertinent, organizing framework to help hypothesize how deviance and attractiveness should be related.…”

Section: General Strain Theory and Attractivenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the research finding that adolescents rate more attractive peers as being more socially prestigious than less attractive peers (e.g., Dion & Berscheid, 1974), being unattractive may result in exclusion, bullying, and teasing at school. Moreover, based on the research on dating preferences (e.g., Spreadbury & Reeves, 1979), being unattractive could result in an inability to form meaningful relationships or rejection by others. Regardless of the scenario, general strain theory provides a pertinent, organizing framework to help hypothesize how deviance and attractiveness should be related.…”

Section: General Strain Theory and Attractivenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Rayburn and Wright (2009) rather bluntly note, “A basic fact, confirmable by the simplest of observations, is that some people are attractive and others are not (p. 347).” Primarily coming from the field of psychology, studies have shown that individuals are often judged by others based on their level of physical attractiveness (e.g., Naumann et al, 2009; Petrican et al, 2014; Zaromatidis et al, 2004). People who are perceived as attractive by others tend to be viewed as possessing more desirable characteristics like higher levels of intelligence and competence (Romano & Bordieri, 1989), greater skill at performing a variety tasks (Wapnick et al, 1998), increased suitability as a romantic partner (Spreadbury & Reeves, 1979), and lowered perceptions of guilt among court-involved defendants (Desantts & Kayson, 1997; Stewart, 1980). People even prefer playing as more attractive video game characters than less attractive characters (Principe & Langlois, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Self-Perceptions of Attractiveness and Offending During Adolescence

Mowen

Boman

Kopf

et al. 2021

Crime & Delinquency

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite a well-established body of research demonstrating that others’ evaluations of a person’s physical attractiveness carry significant meaning, researchers have largely ignored how self-perceptions of physical attractiveness relate to offending behaviors. Applying general strain theory and using eight waves of panel data from the Adolescent Academic Context Study, we explore how self-perceptions of attractiveness relate to offending as youth progress through school. Results demonstrate that youth who perceive themselves as more attractive engage in more—not less—offending. Depression, which is treated as a form of negative affect, does not appear to mediate this relationship. We conclude by raising attention to the possibility that being “good-looking” may actually be a key risk factor for crime.

show abstract

Physical Attractiveness and Child Development

Patzer

Burke

1988

Advances in Clinical Child Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Physical Attractiveness, Dating Behavior, and Implications for Women

Cited by 5 publications

References 3 publications

Good-looking people are not what we think.

Good-looking people are not what we think.

Self-Perceptions of Attractiveness and Offending During Adolescence

Physical Attractiveness and Child Development

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About