Interpersonal attraction
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In social psychology, interpersonal attraction (known as biological attraction in animals/insects) is the attraction between people which leads to friendships and romantic relationships. In a colloquial sense, interpersonal attraction is related to how much we like, love, dislike, or hate someone. The study of interpersonal attraction is a major area of study in social psychology. Interpersonal attraction can be thought of as a force acting between two people tending to draw them together, and resisting their separation. A person or a person's qualities that tend to attract do so by appealing to another person's desires.[1] When measuring interpersonal attraction, one must refer to the qualities of the attracted as well as the qualities of the attractor to achieve predictive accuracy. Repulsion is also a factor in the process of interpersonal attraction, one's conception of "attraction" to another can vary from extreme attraction to extreme repulsion.[2]
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[edit] Causes
Many factors leading to interpersonal attraction have been studied. The most frequently studied are:
[edit] Matching hypothesis
The matching hypothesis states that interpersonal attraction is more likely when the other person's perceived (this is culturally relative) physical attractiveness is similar to our perception of our own physical attractiveness. It argues that this is due to lessened chance of being rejected when seeking to form a relationship with another. With reference to behaviourism this acts as a negative reinforcement (Operant Conditioning). The heightened chance of successfully forming a relationship acts as a positive reinforcement (Operant Condition).
[edit] Equity theory
The equity theory suggests that physical attractiveness is one reward in a relationship, but there are many different rewards and costs that appear over time. According to the equity theory, a relationship continues if the rewards are greater than the costs, however many people argue that this is not the case mainly due to the emotions involved.
[edit] Evolutionary theories
The evolutionary explanation of interpersonal attraction is that it more likely occurs when someone has physical features which indicate that they are very fertile. According to this theory, the only purpose of relationships is reproduction and so we "invest" in someone who appears very fertile to increase the chance of our genes being passed down to the next generation. This theory has been criticized because it does not explain relationships between people who do not want children or homosexual couples.
Another evolutionary explanation suggests that fertility in a mate is of greater importance to men than to women. According to this theory, women place significant emphasis on a man's ability to provide resources and protection. The theory suggests that these resources and protection are important in ensuring the successful raising of the woman's offspring. Additionally, or alternatively, the ability to provide resources and protection may also be sought because the underlying traits are likely to be passed onto male offspring.
Evolutionary theory also suggests that people whose physical features suggest they are healthy are seen as more attractive. The theory suggests that a healthy mate is more likely to possess genetic traits related to health that would be passed on to offspring. People's tendency to consider people with facial symmetry more attractive than those with less symmetric faces is one example.
It has also been suggested that people are attracted to faces similar to their own. Case studies have revealed that when a photograph of a woman was superimposed to include the features of a man's face, the man whose face has been superimposed almost always rated that picture the most attractive.[citation needed] This theory is based upon the notion that we want to replicate our own features in the next generation, as we have survived thus far with such features and have instinctive survival wishes for our children.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Keyword: “attraction”; source: Merriam-Webster collegiate Dictionary, 2000
- ^ Berscheid, Ellen; Walster, Elaine H. (1969). Interpersonal Attraction. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.. CCCN 69-17443.
