View Attractive Female(s) Perception of attractiveness level of subsequent images of females Down Contrast Effect Adaptation Level (Helson) Frame of reference is affected by our past experience Up Outside relevant universe Association of average female with attractive image (reinforcing effect) Beauty As A Social Problem

Media Impact What images are most common on prime-time TV? Young, attractive, wealthy

Study 1: Procedure and Results? Charlie’s Angels Viewers Mean = 3.4 Control Groups Mean = 4.0

Study 2: Procedure and Results? Experimental Group (viewed picture of attractive female) Control Group (no picture viewed) Mean = 4.4 Mean = 3.5 Higher scores indicates less attractiveness!!!

Study 3: Procedure and Results? Role of Informational Social Influence (confederate comments) Comments were negative for the average pictures for those seeing the highly attractive photos (“what a dog”) and positive for those seeing the prior unattractive pictures (“You can set me up with her”) Average Pics

High Attractiveness Ideal (Importance of Appearance Scale) Idealized Female Body Image Effects Low self-esteem (Texas Social Behavior Inventory) Greater self-consciousness (SCS) Greater physique anxiety (Social Physique Anxiety Scale) High potential for eating disorders (Eating Disorder Inventory) Thornton, B., & Maurice, J. (1997). Physique contrast effect: Adverse impact of idealized body image for women. Sex Roles, 37,

Overall Implications?

Consequences of Being Physically Attractive What is Beautiful is Good Procedure and Results?

Physical Attractiveness Summary Advantages: Greater overall liking ( best predictor of desire to date) More desirable character traits (e.g., sensitive, warm, intelligent) Higher income Higher evaluation of work performance More lenient treatment in the legal system Better mental health Matching Length of relationship Short Long Couple is equal in physical attraction Often different in physical attraction

In 2002, 6.9 million spent on cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures in the U.S. --- a 22% increase from 1997 ( American Society for Plastic Surgery, 2003 ) Most common procedure (Botox injections) was performed 1.6 million times in 2002 Across the world, the cosmetic industry makes 20 billion/year Nearly 1 million adults wear braces (mostly to improves smiles) 35 billion is spent on weight loss programs, diet foods, and health club membership per year in the U.S. Attractiveness as a Business

High Low Positive Mood Attractive photo Same-Sex Photos Average photo Opposite-Sex Photos (Kenrick et al., 1993)

Impression of man Female’s attractiveness Low High Romantically linked Strangers

Eating Lightly and Self-Presentation Basic Premise: People are motivated to behave in ways to enhance their image Females have greater number of eating disorders and dieting than males (emphasis on thin as attractive) “Undesirable” Male “Desirable” Male Females ate significantly less food when interacting with a desirable male (Mori, et al., 1987) Equal intake of candy by males and females

Gender and the Personal Columns MalesFemales OfferSeek Offer Money Status Career Young Physically attractive Physical attractiveness Money Job information Personality traits (e.g., sincerity) (Deaux & Hanna, 1984)