Psychologists have for many years, tried to explain why people are attracted to each other. It is thought that physical attraction plays a huge role in determining why people are attracted to each other.
When people meet, the thing we notice first is their general physical appearance. This would tend to include what they wear wearing etc. it is often thought that this first assessment includes an assessment of their physical attractiveness. Cunningham found that wide cheek bones and small cheeks in women were found attractive by men, these features are not found in children. He did a further study on men, he again found that square jaws and small eyes in men were found attractive by women. This can be regarded as a sign of maturity as this is rarely found in children. Both males and females argued that physically attractive mates are sociable poised exciting. This is called the HALO EFFECT as its overall impression is formed just based on looks.
Psychologists have developed the theory that people are "matched" up with people who are of similar attractiveness. This has become known as the "matching hypothesis".
The matching hypothesis was researched by Walster etal . Walster took 376 male and female students , who were allocated a date at random. After their date they were interviewed, and asked how much they enjoyed the date. The higher rated person who was put with the lower rated person did not enjoy the date as much. However the lower person who had been put with the higher rated person enjoyed the date much more. However this study did not find that attraction was related matching, as the students preferred partners who were more physically attractive , not someone who was matching to their attractiveness.
Although further studies have found evidence that supports the matching hypothesis. Walster and Walster replicated the above study, but this time they were allowed to meet before hand, which gave them more time to think of what they were looking for in a partner.
