Physical Attractiveness
- Physical attractiveness may be what first draws a couple together: each partner finds the physical appearance of their mate to be pleasing and this further motivates the couple to spend more time together
- There is some research which attempts to explain who/what is deemed attractive universally:
- The babyface hypothesis (Berry & MacArthur, 1986) rests on the assumption that people are drawn to the appealing, unthreatening features of babies e.g. large eyes, soft skin, blemish-free appearance as these act as social releasers prompting nurture and feelings of protectiveness in the observer
- Attractive children and adults are judged more positively than unattractive children and adults, even by those who know them (Langlois et al. 2001)
- Facial configurations which closely resemble the population mean and which have symmetry, dimorphism (i.e. a female face looks identifiably feminine), and youthfulness tend to be preferred across cultures as this may signal the ability to develop normally whatever environmental conditions are present
- Being found physically attractive can have wide-ranging, long-term benefits from being less lonely, less socially anxious and more popular (Feingold, 1992); attractive people may also receive less harsh punishments in a court of law than unattractive people (Zebrowitz & McDonald, 2001)
Will the baby-faced good looks of these two actors help or hinder their careers?