Internet, Attraction On

Attraction, Lack of Attraction, and Physical Appearance

In face-to-face interactions, physical appearance has been found to be perhaps the most influential factor in initial attraction. Physical appearance plays an essential role in the attraction process and creates the primary initial “gate” that determines who an individual will approach when in a crowded room of strangers, the friends who will be made, and especially the people who will be approached in hopes of developing a romantic relationship.

Without being aware that they are doing so, people habitually and automatically categorize others by physical features such as ethnicity, style of dressing, and level of physical attractiveness. Research has shown that, based on only seeing a photograph of an individual, there is extremely high consensus about the judgments most people tend to make about the person, across a wide variety of personality measurements, based only on physical appearance. Based solely on facial features, people draw strong conclusions about the other person's levels of intelligence, kindness, sense of humor, motivation, ability to succeed, and other personality traits. The adage “What is beautiful is good” applies to the judgments that people tend to make about others because people tend to assume that those who are more physically attractive also have more positive personality characteristics and are more interesting and attractive in other ways.

Research has shown that first impressions also tend to be lasting impressions and bear on attraction to others over time. First impressions tend to [Page 882]become enduring because people selectively focus on information that confirms rather than discon-firms their initial judgment as they interact with the other person or meet him or her again at a later time. Furthermore, the expectations others form based on their first impression may actually elicit confirmatory behavior from the other person.

Features that are readily perceived, such as physical appearance (attractiveness), an apparent stigma (e.g., obesity), or apparent shyness, thus often serve as gates in face-to-face interactions. These gates often open to admit those who are physically attractive and outgoing, but also often bar the way when the person is less physically attractive or less socially skilled. Attraction on the Internet can have different bases, however. Katelyn McKenna conducted a study that examined determinants of attraction in face-to-face interactions and in Internet interactions by comparing randomly paired participants who interacted face to face to those who interacted via text-only chat on the Internet. The study found that when people interacted on the Internet, in the absence of physical appearance, the quality of the interaction, especially the feelings of similarity, intimacy, and closeness attained, determined liking and attraction. In the face-to-face meetings, however, the quality of the conversation or the similarity of views, interests, and values did not matter to judgments of liking at all, suggesting that physical appearance dominates liking and overwhelms other interpersonally important factors for attraction. Not surprisingly, when participants were asked to freely describe the characteristics of their interaction partner, online partners focused on personality traits, whereas those who met face to face focused largely on physical characteristics, using descriptors such as tall, blonde, and well dressed.

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