| physical attractiveness | is an honest signal and might convey genetic fitness
- research states that people with symmetrical faces are considered more attractive. this is another symbol of genetic fitness |
| Shackelford and Larsen (1997) | found that people with symmetrical and/or neotenous ('babyface') faces are rated as more attractive. |
| the halo effect | People have pre conceived ideas about attractive people and this is usually positive.
- this means that attractive people are treated differently initially |
| Dion et Al research into halo effect | - Dion found that physically attractive people were consistently rated as king, strong and successful. all positive adjectives
- the belief that attractive people are more likely to have these characteristics make them appear as even more attractive and cause people to behave more positively. |
| Palmer and Peterson (2012) research into halo effect | found that physically attractive people were rated as more politically knowledgeable and competent than unattractive people; even when participants knew that these people had no particular expertise. |
| Matching hypothesis | suggests that people are more likely to succeed in relationships and claim to like people who are of roughly equal physical attractiveness.
- this is because we want to avoid rejection so we settle for someone in 'our league' |
