PSYC 30 Lecture Notes - Lecture 28: Eharmony, Physical Attractiveness, David T. Lykken

• School: Irvine Valley College
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 30
• Professor: Tucker

Document Summary

First encounters: getting acquainted what determines whether sparks will fly in the early getting-acquainted stages of a relationship? three characteristics of others that can influence our attraction: similarity, reciprocity, and being hard to get. Liking others who are similar research has consistently shown that people tend to associate with others who are similar to themselves. When given a choice, people tend to sit beside those who look like them based on any number of physical similarities, including hair length, race, or even whether the other person wears glasses! On a whole range of demographic variables including age, education, race, religion, height, level of intelligence, and socioeconomic status people who go together as friends, dates, or partners in marriage resemble each other more than randomly paired couples. In a study, newcomb set up an experimental dormitory and found that students who were similar in their backgrounds grew to like each other more than did those who were dissimilar.