When Physical and Vocal Attractiveness Differ: Effects on Favorability of Interpersonal Impressions

Previous research has shown that targets whose physical and vocal attractiveness do not match (one channel being high and the other being low in attractiveness) elicit more negative impressions. The present study replicated this result and showed that the mediator and, hence, the reason for this effect is not simply a perception that the face and voice are discrepant but rather some disappointment with the less attractive channel. The finding that perceivers are overly disappointed with the less attractive channel is consistent with a large literature indicating that effects of negative events such as unattractive face or voice are stronger than effects of positive events.     

Physical Attractiveness and Social Status

In this article, we outline the evidence regarding the status effects of physical attractiveness, paying particular attention to outcomes in the areas of jobs, crime, performance evaluations, power, health perceptions, and exchange. The framework of status characteristics theory is used to guide our explication. The role of attractiveness in marketing is also discussed. While the literature generally supports the idea that attractiveness is good for people, we also consider evidence that beauty can be detrimental for some individuals in certain situations. Issues of race and gender are also considered as well as future research directions.     

Physical Attractiveness and Electability:

The link between physical attractiveness and electability is explored in this aricle. "Looks" are the sole cue in an experimental voting situation; and subjects "vote" for males they have previously rated attractive but treat attractive female candidates quite differently. Subjects, male and female, are more likely to vote for women they consider less attractive. While the overall pattern does not change significantly according to the type of office sought by the candidates, some variation exists. Attractive women fare better as candidates for Congress than they do when running for state or local offices.     

The Effects of Average Fundamental Frequency and Variance of Fundamental Frequency on Male Vocal Attractiveness to Women

This paper employs a cue synthesis experimental method to examine the effects of pitch and intonation on male vocal attractiveness to women. Voices were acoustically manipulated to yield nine combinations of three levels of average fundamental frequency and three levels of variance of fundamental frequency. Strong main effects were obtained for the average fundamental frequency manipulation, with high voices rated as significantly less attractive to women than either medium or low voices, which do not differ in attractiveness. The main effects of manipulations of variance of fundamental frequency on vocal attractiveness and benevolence did not reach significance, but there was a significant interaction on the benevolence factor, with high or low average fundamental frequency manipulations being rated particularly low for voices with low variance of fundamental frequency.     

Self-Perceived Physical Attractiveness,Self-Esteem,Race, and Gender

Abstract

African American self-perceptions of physical attractiveness are found to be higher than white self-perceptions, while there is no difference by race in the correlation between self-perceived attractiveness and self-esteem. Controlling for self-perceived attractiveness, African Americans have lower self-esteem than whites, suggesting that African American perceptions of physical attractiveness, mirrored in the slogan “Black is Beautiful,” may have contributed to the disappearance over the past forty years of the gap between African American and white self-esteem. Self-esteem is more strongly related to self-perceived physical attractiveness for females than males, particularly among whites.     

The Effects of Target Attractiveness on Men's Sexual Arousal in Response to Erotic Auditory Stimuli

Previous research on sexual arousal resulting from auditory stimuli indicates that visual imagery acts as a mediator between stimulus input and resulting arousal. This leads to the question of whether imagery, and subsequent arousal, can be manipulated by providing differing information to hold in semantic memory. This research hypothesizes that attractive images, held within semantic memory and pattern matched with an erotic auditory stimulus, facilitate higher and more rapid self-reported arousal than do unattractive images. Participants in an unattractive condition experienced slower rates and lower mean levels of arousal in response to an auditory stimulus compared with participants in an attractive or no picture condition. No differences existed between groups in maximum arousal scores or the tendency to visualize the target during the listening task. Implications for the role of imagery in sexual response, possible measurement issues, and suggestions for future research are addressed in the discussion.     

Symmetry in Motion: Perception of Attractiveness Changes with Facial Movement

Facial symmetry is an index of developmental stability and shows a positive correlation with attractiveness assessment. However, the appearance of one’s facial symmetry is not always static and may change when there is facial movement while a person is speaking. This study examined whether viewing a dynamic image of a person speaking (where facial symmetry may alter) would elicit a different perception of attractiveness than viewing a static image of that person as a still photo. We examined changes in both measured and perceived facial symmetry in relation to attractiveness perception. We found that when facial movements created an appearance of overall greater facial symmetry while a person was speaking in a video, the person was rated as being more attractive than as a still photo. Likewise, those with facial movements measured and perceived as less symmetrical while speaking were rated as less attractive in a video clip than still photo. By examining the perception of faces in motion as we typically encounter others in real life rather than considering only static photos, we have extended the ecological validity of the study of the perception of bilateral symmetry in humans as it relates to attractiveness.     

The Impact of Physical Attractiveness on Women's Social Status and Interactional Power

This article tests hypotheses derived from status-generalization theory and communication-accommodation theory that behaviors resulting from status inequalities emerge when attractiveness differentiates dyads. Relying on unobtrusive acoustic analysis of 24 women's voices, we test the extent to which (1) women adjust nonverbal behavior to one another; (2) more attractive women exert more influence than less attractive partners; and (3) the effects of attractiveness on influence are stronger if a greater relative difference exists between partners. Findings suggest that if two interacting women are similarly attractive, then they compete dynamically for status, which informs recent developments in the expectation-states research program. An earlier version of the paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Washington, DC in August 2000.     

The Role of Social Performance and Physical Attractiveness in Peer Rejection of Socially Anxious Adolescents

This study addressed the role of social performance and physical attractiveness in the link between social anxiety and peer rejection in first‐time social situations. Recordings of 20 high and 20 low socially anxious adolescents giving a speech were rated by unfamiliar peers (N = 534) with regard to desire for future interaction (lower scores indicating rejection), social performance, and physical attractiveness; trained adult raters also evaluated social performance. Findings showed high interrelations between the different peer ratings and moderate correlations between adult and peer ratings. High socially anxious students were more rejected and social performance and physical attractiveness partly mediated the link between social anxiety and rejection. The findings may have important implications for socially anxious youth entering new social situations.     

如何提高轻轨系统的吸引力

介绍轻轨系统的固有优点、提高轻轨系统吸引力的因素、所有乘客对轻轨系统可能有的共同期望、不同类型的乘客对轻轨系统可能有的期望、以及世界各地提高轻轨系统吸引力的若干实例。     

Physical Disability in 1986 and Beyond: A Response to Simon Brisenden

The report of the Royal College of Physicians Physical Disability in 1986 and Beyond has been criticised by some disabled people because it deals exclusively with medical aspects of disability and not with the whole range of services and resources that disabled people require. This criticism is unfair since it would be totally inappropriate for a committee composed only of doctors to make recommendations other than of a medical or N.H.S. managerial nature. There are many deficiencies in the medical support of disabled people, particularly those with complex impairments and those with brain damage. Correcting these deficiencies needs a change in medical practice and in the N.H.S. resources devoted to rehabilitation medicine. The College report has defined very clearly the scale of this problem, suggested specific practical solutions and how they should be audited, and provides guidelines which all those concerned with disabled people can use to check on the medical services that should be available and to identify those who are responsible for providing them.     

In the Eye of the Beholder: A Comprehensive Analysis of Stimulus Type,Perceiver, and Target in Physical Attractiveness Perceptions

Journal of Nonverbal Behavior - Physical attractiveness plays a central role in psychosocial experiences. One of the top research priorities has been to identify factors affecting perceptions of...     

Self-Perceptions of Sexual Attractiveness: Satisfaction With Physical Appearance is Not of Primary Importance Across Gender and Sexual Orientation

Research on self-perceived sexual attractiveness has predominantly focused on the importance of physical appearance, overlooking nonphysical traits that may contribute to these self-perceptions. The present study examined and compared the importance of a variety of traits for self-perceived sexual attractiveness. Self-identified heterosexual, gay, and bisexual men (N = 1,801) and heterosexual, lesbian, and bisexual women (N = 1,092) completed an online questionnaire examining self-perceived sexual attractiveness, body esteem, sexual esteem, adherence to gender norms, and sexual experience. Body esteem and sexual esteem were significant predictors of self-perceived sexual attractiveness, regardless of gender and sexual orientation. Adhering to a masculine gender norm was a significant predictor among all groups (to varying extents) but heterosexual women. Adhering to a feminine gender norm was a significant predictor among heterosexual men and bisexual women. Finally, sexual experience was a significant predictor for all men and bisexual women. Furthermore, while body esteem was a predictor across all groups, for most individuals it did not appear to be of primary importance, with either sexual esteem or masculinity proving to be of greater importance. These findings suggest the need to consider traits related to both physical and nonphysical factors for improving an individual's self-perceived sexual attractiveness.     

Predicting Commitment to Wed Among Hispanic and Anglo Partners

Ethnic differences in commitment to wed were examined between 46 Hispanics (27 women, 19 men) and 160 Anglos (84 women, 76 men). Although limited by sample sizes, findings indicated that Hispanics and Anglos did not differ, on average, on measures of attitudes toward marriage, perceived family influence, commitment to wed, belongingness, and trust. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that, after controlling for age and income, attitudes toward marriage, perceived family support, and trust predicted commitment to wed for women, whereas only perceived family support emerged as a predictor among men. Finally, although no ethnic differences emerged for men, the degree to which trust, perceived family support, and attitudes toward marriage predicted commitment to wed for women varied by ethnicity.     

Beauty Goes Down to the Core: Attractiveness Biases Moral Character Attributions

Journal of Nonverbal Behavior - Physical attractiveness is a heuristic that is often used as an indicator of desirable traits. In two studies (N?=?1254), we tested whether facial...     

Physical Distance Between Romantic Partners as a Marker for Attachment in Couples: A Proof of Concept Study

Proximity seeking is at the core of attachment theory. Previously proximity has been studied almost exclusively in psychological terms. In clinical practice, however, couple therapists may interpret physical distance between romantic partners as a marker for the quality of the attachment bond. Unfortunately, this concept of physical distance between partners as an expression of attachment has never been tested. This study examines whether physical distance between romantic partners is associated with attachment. In 53 students and 43 clinical couples physical distance was repeatedly measured from video using novel software with excellent reliability. Attachment was measured with the Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire. It was found that male attachment anxiety about rejection repeatedly showed statistically significant associations with physical interpersonal distance in student and clinical couples. We conclude that attachment may manifest itself not only in terms of psychological intimacy but also in terms of physical distance. Clinical utility and research implications are discussed.     

The Trajectory of Concurrent Motor and Vocal Behaviors Over the Transition to Crawling in Infancy

To document the trajectory of motor and vocal behaviors in real and developmental time, we observed infants at each of four biweekly naturalistic play sessions over the transition to crawling. An exhaustive and mutually exclusive coding scheme documented all vocalizations and postures. Odds ratios of the likelihood of a given posture‐vocalization dyad revealed that vocalization and crawling were significantly unlikely to co‐occur at the session marking the onset of crawling. We speculate that infants’ allocation of attention over the transition to crawling prompted behavioral trade‐offs. During mastery of a novel skill, infants may have had difficulty allocating attention to multiple tasks, but with experience, a decrease in attentional load for the new skill allowed performance of simultaneous behaviors in other domains to occur.