5003PY
Psychological Perspectives
Social psych and Relationships
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Popular saying
Beauty is subjective (judgment on the part of the person
who finds someone beautiful)
Significant consistency in faces that are rated as most
attractive across cultures
Challenges the notion that beauty is Babies display a preference for looking at faces that
socially determined or dictated by adult’s rate as more attractive
culture
Symmetry Findings have shown that people prefer symmetrical
faces and bodies
Gender-typed traits Heterosexual women more attracted to men w/
masculine features (e.g., large, square jaws, prominent
eyebrows)
narrow waist, w/ broad chest, and shoulders
Evo psych: high levels of testosterone, Heterosexual men more attracted to women w/
oestrogen = signs of fertility/ good
health, however this is questionable high cheekbones and smooth skin
hourglass hip-to-waist ratio
Prototypical faces: people preferences Research that peoples find avg. faces attractive
on averageness over distinctiveness
(Rhodes, 2006)
Changes over time Art history shows that ideal beauty standards change
over time
Individual preferences E.g., larger bodies (well-nourished) were considered
more attractive and healthier
Contextual factors: The Closing Time Attractiveness ratings of other customers increased
Effect between 9-12PM, w/ attractiveness ratings increasing by
12PM at a bar (Pennebaker et al., 1979)
Those in rls do no show an effect/ weak effect compared
to single people (Madey et al., 1996)
Factors that increase liking Proximity, familiarity, similarity
Proximity Whether we happen to be in the same place at the same
time
i.e., more likely to be friends with Festinger et al. (1950) - physical proximity predicted the
people in same building, same floor development of friendships of students who lived closer
and whether they were neighbours tgt, than those who live further away
Suggests that you are more likely to be Also depended on traffic flow (i.e., those living near the
friends if you are somewhere with a stairs more likely to be friends w/ people living above)
constant flow of people
Suggests that physical proximity allows Back et al. (2008) – more likely to be friends w/ people
greater opportunities to interact w/ you sit next to, despite being randomly assigned seats
e/o due to more frequent interactions
= develop close relationships
Psychological Perspectives
Social psych and Relationships
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Popular saying
Beauty is subjective (judgment on the part of the person
who finds someone beautiful)
Significant consistency in faces that are rated as most
attractive across cultures
Challenges the notion that beauty is Babies display a preference for looking at faces that
socially determined or dictated by adult’s rate as more attractive
culture
Symmetry Findings have shown that people prefer symmetrical
faces and bodies
Gender-typed traits Heterosexual women more attracted to men w/
masculine features (e.g., large, square jaws, prominent
eyebrows)
narrow waist, w/ broad chest, and shoulders
Evo psych: high levels of testosterone, Heterosexual men more attracted to women w/
oestrogen = signs of fertility/ good
health, however this is questionable high cheekbones and smooth skin
hourglass hip-to-waist ratio
Prototypical faces: people preferences Research that peoples find avg. faces attractive
on averageness over distinctiveness
(Rhodes, 2006)
Changes over time Art history shows that ideal beauty standards change
over time
Individual preferences E.g., larger bodies (well-nourished) were considered
more attractive and healthier
Contextual factors: The Closing Time Attractiveness ratings of other customers increased
Effect between 9-12PM, w/ attractiveness ratings increasing by
12PM at a bar (Pennebaker et al., 1979)
Those in rls do no show an effect/ weak effect compared
to single people (Madey et al., 1996)
Factors that increase liking Proximity, familiarity, similarity
Proximity Whether we happen to be in the same place at the same
time
i.e., more likely to be friends with Festinger et al. (1950) - physical proximity predicted the
people in same building, same floor development of friendships of students who lived closer
and whether they were neighbours tgt, than those who live further away
Suggests that you are more likely to be Also depended on traffic flow (i.e., those living near the
friends if you are somewhere with a stairs more likely to be friends w/ people living above)
constant flow of people
Suggests that physical proximity allows Back et al. (2008) – more likely to be friends w/ people
greater opportunities to interact w/ you sit next to, despite being randomly assigned seats
e/o due to more frequent interactions
= develop close relationships
