Preferences for physical characteristics in a mate : a test of similarity, imprinting and psychodynamic paradigms
Date
1985
Authors
Gale, Catherine Anne
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Abstract
To date, no single study has compared the current attraction paradigms (similarity-attraction, imprinting, psychodynamic) for their ability to account for individual differences in attractions for physical characteristics. The study to be presented tested how well the three attraction paradigms accounted for individual differences in preferences for physical characteristics in a mate, and in choices of physical characteristics in spouses and dating partners.
The similarity-attraction paradigm (social psychology) proposes that individuals would be attracted to partners with physical characteristics similar to their own. The imprinting paradigm (ethology) proposes that individuals would be attracted to partners with the characteristics of their early primary caretaker (usually female). The psychodynamic paradigm proposes that individuals would be attracted to partners with the physical characteristics of their opposite-sex parent.
147 female and 102 male university students stated preferences for seven physical characteristics in a mate: height, weight, slimness, muscle development, size of build, hair color, and eye color. Subjects' preferences for the characteristics were compared with their own physical characteristics and their parents' or early caretakers' characteristics (as reported by subjects). For subjects with spouses or regular dating partners, subjects' preferences were also compared with their partners' characteristics (as reported by subjects).
A canonical correlation analysis found significant multivariate relationships between the preferences of each sex and the physical characteristics of subjects, subjects' mothers and subjects' fathers. The univariate correlations for each preference and corresponding physical characteristic were examined next.
The univariate results for women's preferences provided support for the similarity-attraction and psychodynamic paradigms, but no support for the imprinting paradigm. Women's preferences were significantly correlated with their own physical characteristics for: height (r=0.45), weight (r=0.27), slimness (r=0.20), build size (r=0.18), hair color (r=0.18), and eye color (r=0.17) (similarity-attraction). In addition, women's preferences were significantly correlated with their fathers' characteristics for: height (r=0.38), weight (r=0.41), and muscle development (r=0.19) (psychodynamic). No significant correlations were found between women's preferences and their mothers' characteristics (imprinting).
The univariate results for men's preferences provided support for the psychodynamic, imprinting, and similarity-attraction paradigms. Men's physical preferences were ยท significantly related to their mot hers' characteristics for: height (r=0.36), weight ( r=0.2 9), slimness (r=0.37), and build size (r=0,42) (psychodynamic and imprinting). In addition, men's preferences were significantly related to their own characteristics for: height (r=0.33), slimness (r=0.30), and muscle development (r=0.23) (similarity-attraction).
The combined pattern of preferences for men and women appeared to best support a combined psychodynamic and similarity model.
For women, the observed relationships between preferences and physical characteristics were weaker for women with partners the women without partners. For men, the relations hip between men's preferences and their own physical characteristics were weaker for men with partners, but the correlations between preferences and mothers' characteristics were equally strong for men with and without partners.
The preferences of subjects with partners were strongly related to their partners' characteristics. For women, the correlations ranged from r= 0.28 (slimness) to r=0.84 (weight). The correlations for men ranged from r=0.1 5 (hair color) to r=0.79 (weight). Based on the cross-sectional sample of individuals with and without partners, it was suggested that individuals, particularly women, may shift their preferences from personal and parental characteristics to their partners' characteristics when they establish regular dating relationships. Actual partner choices provided little support for the three attraction paradigms. Few significant correlations were found between the physical characteristics of partners and the physical characteristics of subjects, or their parents.
In addition, the study found evidence of a general preference for slimness, a strong male preference for women with blond hair and blue eyes, and a weaker female preference for tall men with dark hair.