Gods Among Us: How Attractiveness Influences Our Perception of Others
Have you ever thought about how many times in a day you interact with people? Whether you believe it or not, each and every interaction that you have with another human being is influenced, even in small part, by whether or not the other person has deemed you to be attractive, and vice versa. Subjective and objective perceptions of physical attractiveness affect not only day-to-day interactions, but personal development and interpersonal relationships as well. In addition to their importance in relationships, physical attributes play a massive role in preferential treatment, as well as behavioral decisions such as mate selection and mating behavior such as flirting and courting. Despite this, those rated as being more physically attractive are also often subject to the physical attractiveness stereotype, and may be judged and assigned derogatory attributes, or unreasonable expectations. I believe that all humans beings fall victim to preferential (and sometimes judgmental) treatment of physically attractive people, and studying how and why we make these judgments, as well as the ways in which they affect us, is an important component to better understanding basic human nature.
When we judge people based on their perceived physical attractiveness, we are subscribing to the physical attractiveness stereotype. Psychologists describe the physical attractiveness stereotype as a finding that states, “individuals ascribe more positive evaluations to those who are physically attractive than to those less attractive” (Montoya 111). On the inverse, physically attractive people are also often stereotyped as being less intelligent, or kind, than their less attractive counterparts, despite often times being rated as more likely to be successful. To demonstrate, think about a time when you may have had an extended conversation with someone you perceived to be physically attractive. Were you surprised by how intelligent they were? Or maybe you were taken aback by their benevolent personality. We often make snap decisions about people before interacting with them, and our surprise at their true nature is evidence of such judgment. Furthermore, the attractiveness stereotype extends beyond mating situations and colors our perception of others, even when physical attributes is not relevant to the situation (Zakahi, Duran, and Adkins 23). In a study conducted by Devendra Singh, a professor of psychology at of the University of Texas, findings concluded that both male and female study participants ascribed positive personal attributes (such as labeling a person as poised, interesting, or sincere) to photographs of attractive females. However, the study participants also assigned negative attributes as well, including “status-seeking, snobbish, likely to request divorce, and prone to extra-marital affairs” (Singh 44). Singh theorizes that some of the negative attributes applied to photographs of attractive women by study participants may be judgment-based reactions of others projected upon the individual, rather than a character trait that is actually possessed by any one person. He uses the example of an expensive car—the car itself isn’t going to roll away of its own accord, but instead is locked by the owner because of the car’s desirability to others (Singh 49). That being said, Singh does acknowledge that attractive females would likely be pursued by a greater number of suitors and would therefore have many more opportunities to stray from long-term relationships (Singh 44). However, opportunity does not always equal action, and it is an unfortunate aspect of human nature that people make such judgments that, in turn, determine their actions towards others.
While many studies have found that people will ascribe personal attributes to photographs of attractive people, it has also been suggested that there is some truth to the physical attractiveness stereotype. In fact, studies have found that,
“Social theorists propose that the belief that attractive people are socially skilled and popular (based on media portrayals and/or cultural myths) shapes the reactions and behaviors of other people towards them, inducing attractive people to internalize stereotypic qualities in their self-concept and behave accordingly” (Singh 44).
This may begin earlier than expected, as childhood expectations may shape development. A theory by Langlois suggests that the expectations of parents, teachers, and peers of attractive children tend to be higher in several areas, including but not limited to social skills and intelligence. These expectations ultimately affect childhood development (Langlois 24).
This theory, however, does not account for people who may have been objectively unattractive in childhood and adolescence, and matured to be perceived as objectively attractive in early adulthood. Zakahi, Duran, and Adkins argue that, because they are not necessarily afforded the exposure to new social situations and communication experiences, unattractive people are less likely to develop the social skills expected of attractive people later in life (Zakahi, Duran, and Adkins 25). The lack of social practice and opportunity, in this case, becomes a hindrance to social development.
As Singh argues, however, there is yet another “dark side” to perceived physical attractiveness (Singh 44). As discussed earlier, there is a societal assumption that physically attractive people are less likely to be faithful. This type of assumption may encourage jealous and/or possessive behavior by significant others. There is also scientific evidence that objective physical attractiveness may be related to female mating strategy and sexual experience (Perilloux, Cloud, and Buss 490). One particular study found that, the higher a woman subjectively rated her own attractiveness, the more recent her sexual experiences, in addition to having an “unrestricted mating strategy” (Perilloux, Cloud, and Buss 494). The same study also found that women were more likely to infer greater sexual interest from the opposite sex when they believed themselves to be physically attractive. In addition, Perilloux et al found that “the higher men rated a woman’s attractiveness, the greater the number of kissing partners she reported having in the past year” (Perilloux, Cloud, and Buss 494). This can lead to a societal trend of assumptions about the sexual experience of people in possession of physically attractive traits, in addition to their personalities and behavior.
These assumptions can be, in part, directly related to the preferential treatment of physically attractive people. Michael Lynn, a professor of consumer behavior and marketing at Cornell University, found that physical traits that were markers for attractiveness were correlated to tipping behavior. Lynn’s research on tipping examines the effects of breast size, hair color, and waist to hip ratios on interpersonal behaviors. Participants in Lynn’s study were asked to objectively self-report their own overall attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10, in addition to their age, breast size, hair color, waist to hip ratio, and BMI (Lynn 739). When compared with an average tip percentage per check, Lynn found he was able to quantify an example of male gift-giving and resource display behavior (Lynn 738). The study findings imply that males may be more inclined to tip a waitress a higher percentage of their check if she possesses blond hair, moderately large breasts, a median age of 36-40, and a low waist to hip ratio (Lynn 740).
Similarly, a recent article that appeared in an issue of Scientific American cites a study in which researchers asked observers to rate photographs of 40 female college students with and without makeup on a scale of perceived attractiveness, as well as dominance and prestige (Hutson). The study found that, when shown images of women wearing makeup, men rated them to be more prestigious, whereas women rated them to be more dominant. The researchers speculated that this might be due to the fact that women perceived attractive females to be sexually threatening, and therefore socially dominant, whereas men do not find women to be physically threatening (Hutson). In order to further explore the study findings, the researchers conducted a second study in which they asked a new subject pool of female college students to evaluate the photographs from the first study, in addition to answering questions about jealousy. The participants judged photographs of women wearing makeup as possessing qualities such as being more attractive to men, in addition to being more promiscuous, as well as inducing feelings of jealousy (Hutson).
While overall effect of perceived physical attractiveness on development and interpersonal relationships is evident when the data is presented, it is even easier to see in day-to-day activities. Each and every time you interact with another human, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, a (sometimes subconscious) judgment is being made. If we learn to look for the ways in which this judgment manifests itself, we can do our best to not let it affect our interactions nearly as much. I implore you to, the next time you go to out to eat or order a coffee, take a moment to think about your impression of the server. Regardless of your own gender identity or sexual orientation, think about whether or not you find them attractive. Do you feel more inclined to leave a larger tip, or forgive poor service, in the hopes of making a good impression? Did you assume anything about their personality or behavior based entirely on their appearance? The implications spread far beyond tipping behavior or attempting to get dates, and are deeply rooted in human nature; simply put, they influence our treatment of others.
Works Cited
Hutson, Matthew. "Should You Wear Makeup at Work?" Scientific American. N.p., 29 Nov. 2016, www.scientificamerican.com/article/should-you-wear-makeup-at-work/. Accessed 09 Apr 2017.
Langlois, J. H., “From Eye of the Beholder to Behavioral Reality: Development of Social
Behaviors and Social Relations as a Function of Physical Attractiveness”. Physical Appearance, Stigma, and Social Behavior: The Ontario Symposium, 1986, pp. 23-51.
Lynn, Michael. "Determinants and Consequences of Female Attractiveness and Sexiness: Realistic Tests with Restaurant Waitresses." Archives of Sexual Behavior, volume 38, issue 5, 2008, pp. 737-45.
Montoya, Matthew R. "You’re better than I if you’re hotter than I: The role of objective physical attractiveness in the physical attractiveness stereotype." Revue Internationale de Psychologie Sociale, volume 27, issue 2, 2014, pp. 109-22.
Perilloux, Carin, Jaime M. Cloud, and David M. Buss. "Women’s physical attractiveness and short-term mating strategies." Personality and Individual Differences, volume 54, issue 4, 2013, pp. 490-95.
Singh, Devendra. "Mating strategies of young women: Role of physical attractiveness." Journal of Sex Research, volume 41, issue 1, 2004, pp. 43-54.
Zakahi, Walter R., Robert L. Duran, and Mark Adkins. "Social anxiety, only skin deep? The relationship between ratings of physical attractiveness and social anxiety." Communication Research Reports, volume 11, issue 1, 1994, pp. 23-31.