Attractiveness

Is “beautiful” or “handsome” synonymous with “good”?

Is beauty only skin deep?• Is attractiveness a

superficial feature?• The survival of a

genetic line hinges on mate selection.

• Like it or not, physical appearance plays a major role in life.

• 82% of males and 93% of females “are actively oriented toward maintaining an attractive appearance.”

Is beauty culturally universal?• 6 month old

infants turn their heads toward attractive faces and away from unattractive faces (Rubenstein, Kalakanis, & Longlois (1999).

• People in different cultures generally agree on which faces are attractive (Cunningham et al. 1995; Langlois et al. 2000; Perrett et al. 1994)

Looking up to leaders

• Since 1900, the taller candidate has won 19 of 28 presidential elections– Obama 6’2”, McCain

5’9”– Only 3 of 43

American presidents -- James Madison, Benjamin Harrison and Martin Van Buren -- have been under 5 feet 7 inches

Size matters

• For Men• Half of all CEOs are 6’ or

more.• A 2004 study found that

every inch of height adds $789 in salary per year.

• The study controlled for gender, weight and age.

• Someone who is 6’ tall earns $5,525 more annually than someone who is 5’6”.

• For Women• Taller women earned

more as a result of their height, though they gained only two-thirds that of the men.

• In a British study, both sexes judged taller women to be more intelligent, assertive, independent and ambitious.

The “Beauty is good” stereotype• Dion, Berschied, & Walster

(1972) developed the “beauty is good” stereotype.– Children’s fairly tales equate

beauty with goodness– Popular TV reality shows

emphasize vanity– Celebutards: Jessica Simpson,

Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan

• Tabloids and women’s magazines focus on looks

A double standard for attractiveness?• Older male news

anchors– Daine Sawyer = 64– Wolf Blitzer = 62– Bill O’Reilly = 61– Katie Couric = 53

• Older male actors– Sean Connery,

Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis

• Heavy set actors vs. actresses

• Men become “distinguished” with age

Biology and attractiveness

• Evolutionary selection:– facial attractiveness

affects mate selection and the likelihood of reproductive success.

Facial symmetry

• Facial symmetry and proportionality is preferred– Bilateral

symmetry: left and right sides of the face are mirror images

– Proportionality: equally sized features

Asymmetrical faces

Averageness

• faces with average features are preferred

• faces that are closer to average are consistently rated as more attractive

Sexual dimorphism• For female faces, greater

feminization is preferred• For male faces, results are

mixed– More recent studies show

a slight preference for feminized male faces

– Women’s preferences shift toward masculine faces during ovulation

– “Men, gay or straight, prefer high sexual dimorphism in the faces of the sex that they are attracted to.

Sexual dimorphism

• Examples of masculinized (right) and feminized (left) versions of a male face.