7125 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Advanced Higher, Spitz, Physical Attractiveness
21 Jun 2018
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Lecture 11
Attraction and relationships
- True or false
oPeople seek out the company of others, even strangers, in times of stress TRUE
oEople who are physicaly attractive are happier and have higher self-esteem than
those who are unattractive FALSE
oWhen it comes to romantic relationships, opposites attract FALSE
oMen and women equally value physical attractiveness when choosing a partner
FALSE
oCouples who live together before marriage are less likely to divorce FALSE
oAfter the honeymoon period, there is a consistent decline in levels of marital
satisfaction TRUE-only for so long
- Affiliation
oNeed for affiliation – desire to establish and maintain many rewarding interpersonal
relationships
oEffects of maternal deprivation on monkeys (harlow)
oBaby monkeys preference for ‘mothers’ who differ in their softness and their
capacity to nurse
Some had cloth and wire mothers
Some had milk, some did not
Monkeys preferred cloth over wire whether nursing or dry
oNeed affiliation, not just food to survive
oSocial deprivation in humans (spitz, 1945)
Babies in institutions were less mentally and socially advanced
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Higher rates of mortality
oInstitutionalization leads to state of apathy and depression
oSchacter 1959 – company of others reduces anxiety
oStress increases/arouses need for affiliation
Eg Schacter 1958
Participants anticipate receiving electric shocks (painful vs not
painful)
‘high anxiety’ participants showed preference to wait with others,
especially those in same situation or similar others
oEspecially those with similar fate
WHY
Distraction
Cognitive clarity via social comparison processes
- Attraction
oEvolutionary factors - people look for a mate who has good genes and reproductive
fitness.
oCertain physical characteristics can signal good health and fertility.
youthful appearance
symmetry
women’s waist-to-hip ratio
ogender differences
men attracted to younger women, women attracted to slightly older men
(Buss, 1989)
Men prefer highly attractive but low status women, while women prefer
high status (but less attractive) men.
Women can trade looks for status, men trade status for looks
Why?
Evolutionary reasons
oYouth and beauty signifiy fertility in women
oOlder, high status men better able to ‘provide’ for and
protect offspring.
Socio-cultural perspective
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oHistorically men hold more power than women.
oWomen can gain status/power via high status partner.
oFor men, a highly attractive partner increases their status.
oBias towards beauty
Why?
aesthetic rewards
reflected ‘glory’
“what-is-beautiful-is-good” stereotype
beautiful judged to be - intelligent, successful, happy, well-adjusted,
socially skilled, confident, assertive (& vain)
is only related to social skills and being less lonely
little relationship between beauty in youth and middle age
satisfaction
data from dion, berschied and walster 1972
College students looked at photographs of unattractive, average and
attractive men and women. The physically attractive were judged to
have more positive personality traits
oFactors that increase liking
Proximity
We tend to form relationships with people who live or work near to
us
Why?
oAvailability – interaction is easy and low cost
oExpectation of continued interaction
More likely to invest because you will see them
more
Familiarity
Proximity leads to greater familiarity
Mere exposure effect – the more we’re exposed to something, the
more we like it
Eg moreland and beach
o4 women (confederates) who attended lecture over
semester.
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
False: couples who live together before marriage are less likely to divorce false, after the honeymoon period, there is a consistent decline in levels of marital satisfaction true-only for so long. Affiliation: need for affiliation desire to establish and maintain many rewarding interpersonal relationships, effects of maternal deprivation on monkeys (harlow, baby monkeys preference for mothers" who differ in their softness and their capacity to nurse. Monkeys preferred cloth over wire whether nursing or dry: need affiliation, not just food to survive, social deprivation in humans (spitz, 1945) Babies in institutions were less mentally and socially advanced. Higher rates of mortality: institutionalization leads to state of apathy and depression, schacter 1959 company of others reduces anxiety, stress increases/arouses need for affiliation. Participants anticipate receiving electric shocks (painful vs not painful) High anxiety" participants showed preference to wait with others, especially those in same situation or similar others: especially those with similar fate.
