Equal Attractiveness Theory

randomuser

What do you think of the theories in psychology that state people of equal attractiveness tend to hang around together, or get intimate?

I mean we can clearly tell there are examples of ugly men with beautiful women (usually due to money), but what is your personal opinion of this?

I would say I find a lot of truth in it as a trend, especially in girls.

FerrousWheel

Where's the scientifically quantifiable way of measuring "attractiveness"?

This is not to say I don't thin there are very noticeable trends, I just have trouble imagining where hard numbers come from. Can you link to an explanation of one of these theories?

randomuser

Well I'm not a psych major but it was in one of my classes.

There have been attempts to quantify traits that are generally found attractive, and they cross compared them across different cultures to not make it ethnicity based.

It is true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it is also true there are traits that are found attractive by a large number of people.

lemony

i think ppl tend to hang around together because of similar personalities, and interests, etc. It's not just the level of attractiveness. But with that being said, ppl also have to look decent imo, i don't think its necessarily the equal level of attractiveness that brought them together just because I'm not sure whether there's a way to measure attractiveness. For example, if 2 females are friends, or a male and a female are a couple, how can anyone tell whether they are equal in terms of attractiveness?

nicole

I think the theory is alive and well in some situations. There was a discussion like this on The Beat not too long ago. There was the argument for and against the theory (not really debating it, but more like "would you rather date someone less attractive" or, "would you rather date someone of equal attractiveness", which brings up an interesting topic).

I'm not sure how much I agree with it though. Looking at my close group of friends, there are a few who are model-gorgeous, and then there are a few who are a little more plain jane, but by no means unattractive. I think it depends on the type of person you are and who you prefer to be surrounded by.

randomuser

Look at the clasic ten point scale.

Shes an 8, shes a 4, hes a 2, shes a perfect 10. I know there is nothing scientific about it, what about my anecdotal evidence.

In couples, do you often see someone really ugly, with someone really attractive?

Also on first glance, not everyone knows what someones hobbies or interests are when they strike up a conversation. What do they have to go on besides looks?

Maybe even thinking some evolutionary theory, people being attracted to someone physically fit for reproduction? This one is a real stretch since humans don't go purely based on instinct, but I think you get my points.

JayDub

Well I know I am pretty damn hot and there really isn't anyone of equal attractiveness to me so I have to hang out with lays persons. But do not worry, I am not shallow, I look past looks at people's personalities to see if I am attracted to them.

imelting

randomuser;48096 said:

In couples, do you often see someone really ugly, with someone really attractive?

conventional wisdom says
1. attractive one has self esteem issues
2. non-attractive one has $$

so i would assume it follows in line with 'equal attractiveness theory'
money and self esteem are factors that offset that balance (amongst other factors im sure)

Insatiable

randomuser;48096 said:

Look at the clasic ten point scale.

Shes an 8, shes a 4, hes a 2, shes a perfect 10. I know there is nothing scientific about it, what about my anecdotal evidence.

In couples, do you often see someone really ugly, with someone really attractive?

Sweetheart, you have to understand something: just because you can tell immediately which women are attractive and which ones aren't doesn't mean that you can do so with guys. Consider this: maybe that "2" is funny as fuck and that "8" really digs his sense of humour, or maybe that "3" is loaded and she's ridin' the gravy train all the way till the end o' the station, or maybe that "2.5" actually fucks like a racehorse and she . . . loves it :wink:

Anyway, I could go on forever, but what I'm trying to say is that these latent qualities may factor in to the guy's attractiveness, bringing that "3" up to a respectable "7", ya dig?

Magnificent_Bastard

Within the studies about attractiveness done, there are usually trends towards what people rated as attractive. A lot of study has been done on facial features that are classified as attractive/unattractive. The usual focus is on averageness, symmetry, and sexual dimorphism. A face that is high on those 3 criteria is considered attractive.

Either way, within studies of attractiveness, they usually use faces of people that have previously been rated as attractive/unattractive

DaNoobie

I'm personally hoping to do much better than I deserve. Thats just me though.
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