Physical Attractivesness Role in Relationships

Physical Appearance and Initial Attraction

Perhaps the best documented finding in the literature on physical attractiveness is that attractive people are more popular and sought after than are unattractive people. In a classic study of the factors that predict individuals' initial attraction to potential romantic partners, members of the incoming freshman class at the University of Minnesota were asked to participate in what they believed was a test of a new computer-dating service. Students were asked to complete a number of questionnaires about their personality, background, and interests. In addition, students provided photos of themselves, which the researchers used to rate the physical attractiveness of each student. The researchers then randomly matched students with a date for a Freshman Week mixer; after the mixer, they asked each student whether they wanted to go out with their assigned partner again. The only factor that predicted students' liking for their date and their desire for subsequent dates was physical attractiveness. If students were paired with a physically attractive date, they were more likely to want to go out with them again. However, if students were paired with a less attractive date, they reported less interest in future interactions with that partner. The partner's personality, whether the two people shared interests or came from similar backgrounds, all had no significant influence on the desire for a second date. More recent studies employing a speed-dating format corroborate this general finding. In these studies, participants were asked to interact with several opposite-sex individuals on brief “mini-dates” and then indicate their interest in future interactions with these individuals. Again, physical attractiveness was one of the biggest predictors of participants' liking for their dates. It seems, then, that physical appearance plays a large [Page 1243]role in initial attraction, trumping the effects of many other aspects of the person.

Is physical attractiveness equally desired by men and women? When reporting on the attributes they value in a potential partner, men tend to rate physical appearance as significantly more important to them than do women. This gender difference has been replicated across many cultures, ages, and ethnic groups. Further evidence, however, reveals important qualifications of this effect. For instance, although men report valuing physical attractiveness more than women when considering potential long-term mates, men and women seem to equally prioritize physical attractiveness when contemplating the attributes desired in a short-term romantic partner. Moreover, research suggests that what people say they value in a mate does not always correspond to what people actually seek out when choosing a mate. Several studies suggest that women may underestimate the value they place on physical attractiveness. In one such study, males and females were presented with different kinds of information about potential romantic partners and asked how attracted to each person they were and why. Males reported that physical attractiveness played an important role in determining their interest, whereas females said they were more affected by the person's earning potential and emotional expressiveness. Despite these self-reported explanations, when researchers examined who participants reported an interest in, by far the largest and most potent predictor of interest for both men and women was physical attractiveness. In other words, although women reported that physical attractiveness was less important to them, their behavior revealed that they were just as influenced by physical attractiveness as men.

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