William Ickes
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195372953
- eISBN:
- 9780199893317
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195372953.003.0006
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
Among the factors that contribute to perceptions that a face is physically attractive are its overall proportion, its “averageness”/prototypically, and the presence of features which — for one's ...
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Among the factors that contribute to perceptions that a face is physically attractive are its overall proportion, its “averageness”/prototypically, and the presence of features which — for one's gender — are ideally sized in relation to each other. Being physically attractive in our culture confers many advantages, including greater popularity with peers, greater desirability as a dating partner, and preferential treatment in hiring, salary, and court decisions. In initial, mixed-sex interactions, women's physical attractiveness has a strong and pervasive positive impact. Men's physical attractiveness has an impact too, affecting how positive and intimate these interactions are. In general, people appear to disclose more to physically attractive opposite-sex strangers than to physically unattractive ones.Less
Among the factors that contribute to perceptions that a face is physically attractive are its overall proportion, its “averageness”/prototypically, and the presence of features which — for one's gender — are ideally sized in relation to each other. Being physically attractive in our culture confers many advantages, including greater popularity with peers, greater desirability as a dating partner, and preferential treatment in hiring, salary, and court decisions. In initial, mixed-sex interactions, women's physical attractiveness has a strong and pervasive positive impact. Men's physical attractiveness has an impact too, affecting how positive and intimate these interactions are. In general, people appear to disclose more to physically attractive opposite-sex strangers than to physically unattractive ones.
