Attraction

Attraction is an important factor for the development of romantic relationships. Social psychology traditionally defines interpersonal attraction as a positive evaluation of a specific person that involves the behavioral tendency to approach the person, having positive feelings for the person, and holding positive beliefs about the person. Attraction has also been described as a desire to form a friendly or romantic relationship with a specific person. In both approaches, attraction is distinct from the related idea of attractiveness, the positive and desirable qualities that a person may possess. This entry will examine some of the many factors that influence attraction, such as physical qualities and interpersonal dynamics.

Most research on attraction has been done in North America and has focused on unacquainted peers. This research started in the 1960s with experiments on perceived similarity. In the mid-1980s, research began to be influenced by evolutionary perspectives and gender differences in mate preferences. These trends have continued, employing increasingly sophisticated methods (e.g., physiological and genetic measures) and making use of new developments (e.g., online matching and speed dating).

Perceiving a potential partner as physically attractive is a key component of attraction, particularly for romantic attractions. For example, a study of more than 2,000 participants in a speed-dating service found that the selection of potential partners for a future interaction was based primarily on physical appearance for both men and women. Other research has identified the physical characteristics that make a person attractive. Women judged men having large eyes, prominent cheekbones, a big smile, a large chin, and high-status clothing as highly attractive; men judged women having large eyes, prominent cheekbones, and a big smile as highly attractive. Similarly, men rated women who possess baby-like characteristics of big eyes, small nose, and small chin as highly attractive. Seemingly innocuous cues such as seeing the color red can also make women appear more attractive to men.

Physical attractiveness also relies on body shape. Men rate women with an “hourglass” figure as most attractive, particularly when women are not over or under weight. Women prefer a man with broad shoulders and narrow hips, but only in conjunction with high financial status. Generally, attraction is also more likely when partners have similar levels of physical attractiveness such that an attractive person is attracted to a more attractive partner. Here the mechanism is that everyone wants the most desirable partner they can get, so that in an open market of interactions, everyone ends up with others of about their own value.

A great deal of research on romantic attraction uses models from evolutionary psychology. The idea is that modern individuals have inherited tendencies to pursue strategies that lead to the successful production of offspring. Men have evolved to prefer signs of fertility such as youth and beauty; women, signs of protection and support of rearing of offspring such as status and financial resources; and everyone, personalities (kindness, honesty) that facilitate the maintenance of pair bonds through child rearing. This approach has generated some strikingly original research, such as studies related to women's menstrual cycles. One found that females who were fertile and most likely to conceive preferred less feminine male faces, especially for short-term relationships; in contrast, women who were less likely to conceive preferred more feminine male faces. Another found that in the context of a short-term relationship, women prefer men with a more masculine, lower voice, especially when they are fertile. In yet another example, based on rating videotapes of men, women who were fertile especially preferred men who confronted others and were physically attractive.

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