Attractiveness

1. Attractiveness Is “beautiful” or “handsome” synonymous with “good”?

2. 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.”

3. Biology and attractiveness • Evolutionary selection: • Faces and bodies are perceived as signs of mate quality. • facial attractiveness affects mate selection and the likelihood of reproductive success.

4. 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 more attractive (Cunningham et al. 1995; Langlois et al. 2000; Perrett et al. 1994)

5. Looking up to leaders • Since 1900, the taller presidential candidate has won 19 of 28 elections • Obama 6’2”, McCain 5’9” • Only 3 of 43 American presidents were 5’7” or shorter • James Madison • Benjamin Harrison • Martin Van Buren

6. 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. • A male 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, but the disparity in income was not as great as for men. • In a British study, taller women were perceived, by both sexes, as more intelligent, assertive, independent and ambitious.

7. 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

8. A double standard for attractiveness? • Are older men more attractive than older women? • As men age they may perceived as more distinguished, rugged • The rich old guy with a beautiful young girl stereotype. • As women age they tend to be judged by the same standards of beauty • slim • curvy • wrinkle-free • no grey hair

9. Old rich guys with young beautiful wives

10. Facial symmetry • Facial symmetry signifies biological quality • People prefer others with symmetrical and proportional faces • Bilateral symmetry: left and right sides of the face are mirror images • Proportionality: equally sized features

11. Asymmetrical faces

12. Averageness • faces with average features are preferred • faces that are closer to average are consistently rated as more attractive

13. Sexual dimorphism • Dimorphism: how biologically distinct females and males of the same species are from one another • For human faces dimorphism refers to how masculine or feminine a face is. • Greater dimorphism (feminization) is preferred for female faces • 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.”