Chapter 11: Attraction 420-454 Interpersonal Attraction · A sampling of body and facial deterioration reveals a good deal of cultural variation in what's viewed as attractive. · No coincidence that all these examples are women, because around the world, physical attractiveness plays a bigger role in interpersonal attraction for women than for men Appealing Faces . One characteristic of appealing faces is a clear complexion, and around the world there appears to be strong agreement. · Skin that looks free of blemishes, blotches, sores, and rashes is viewed as more attractive than skin that does not · Evolutionary reasoning: people should be attracted to healthy mates who would likely produce healthy offspring that would survive · A second characteristic that appears to be universally viewed as attractive is bilateral symmetry, particularly in the face ? Is an indicator of developmental stability o Evidence that people prefer bilaterally symmetrical faces has been found in all cultures studied, but the strongest preference is shown in hunter- gatherer populations, such as the Hazda in Tanzania (high mortality rates- attracted to any indicator of health of their mates- chance of surviving offspring) l · A third characteristic of appealing faces is that they tend to be average. This doesn't mean we're especially drawn to people who are average in their attractiveness. o Instead it refers to facial features that are close to the average in terms of size and configuration . Men tend to prefer some youthful features in women, whereas women tend to prefer some masculine features in men, at least in industrialised societies. o People with average features are less likely to have abnormalities, thus reflecting genetic health. In addition, people prefer average features because it's easier to mentally process something that resembles a prototype, and quick processing is associated with good feelings and a sense of attraction · Faces of Eurasians- people with both European and Asian ancestry- were averaged. Participants from both cultures considered the average faces to be most attractive, regardless of culture of origin. o Researchers also averaged the Australian and Japanese faces together. They found that the averaged Eurasian face and the averaged biracial face were judged to be the most attractive of all, particularly by members of the opposite sex · One explanation is that people should be attracted to genetic diversity as a marker of healthy genes. · Another possibility is that multiracial faces represent the best average of all the faces that the study participants have encountered in their lives. Beautiful Bodies · Appeal of average facial features do not seem to generalise well to the perception of bodies. · People are not necessarily attracted to those of average weight, height, breasts, hips and so on.
. The kinds of bodies that are usually considered most attractive are those that depart from the average. · One aspect that varies considerably across cultures is weight. · Photographs on covers of Western magazines have made it clear that attractive= slender . After looking at standards of