What influences judgments of physical attractiveness? A comprehensive perspective with implications for mental health

Abstract

Judgments of physical attractiveness are based on appearance but are influenced by and influence more than just physical features of the face and body (e.g. clothing and personality traits). This is explored in a selective review of previous research, plus new analyses of data from three previously published studies: the Boston Couples Study, the Multiple Identities Questionnaire, and the Intimate Relationships Across Cultures Study, with implications for mental health. Self-ratings of attractiveness are inflated by self-esteem and confidence in self-halo effects. Partner-ratings are inflated by love and relationship satisfaction in partner-halo effects. Positive responses from others influence attractiveness-enhancing cycles, while negative responses influence attractiveness-deprecating cycles, with impacts on well-being. These influences are represented in a comprehensive Attractiveness Halo Model, which identifies Ten Components of Attractiveness that are inter-related, including physical, emotional, sexual, sensory, intellectual, behavioural, observer, situation, reciprocity, and time. Aspects of the model are supported by analyses of the three studies, generalising comprehensive attractiveness halo effects across time, identities, cultures, and relationship types.

Keywords:

• Physical attractiveness
• halo effects
• identities
• cultures
• self-esteem
• love

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the 40 collaborators listed in Hill (2019), the many participants in all three studies, and Letitia Anne Peplau, Carlos Barrera, Daewon Kwon, and Michael Bond for comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript.

Ethical approval

The research was conducted with approval from the Institutional Research Board at the first author’s institution. For the Boston Couples Study, signed Consent Forms were used, with names and addresses kept confidential in keeping with ethical guidelines for longitudinal research. For the Multiple Identities Questionnaire and The Intimate Relationships Across Cultures Study, a Consent Statement was used without a signature to preserve anonymity. The Consent Statements and Questionnaires for the Multiple Identities Questionnaire and The Intimate Relationships Across Cultures Study are online at https://cf2.whittier.edu/chill/MIQ and https://cf2.whittier.edu/chill/IR.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data from the three studies are not currently available for secondary analyses by others.

Additional information

Funding

The original 2-year data collection of the Boston Couples Study was supported by National Science Foundation grant [GS27422] to Zick Rubin. Follow-ups of the Boston Couples Study, and data collection of the Multiple Identities Questionnaire and the Intimate Relationships Across Cultures Study, were supported by research grants from Whittier College to Charles T. Hill with IRB approval.