Social Psychology of Beauty: Effects of Age, Height, and Weight on Self-Reported Personality Traits and Social Behavior

Summary

In a study of the relationship between body morphology indices and self-reported personality and social behavior measures, 128 adult men and 173 adult women in extended interviews offered self-report information on personality measures (e.g., self-acceptance, likeableness, sensation-seeking tendencies, anxiety, etc.) and social behavioral indices (e.g., number of personal visits, degree of social involvement, self-perceived satisfaction in social interaction). Also, information on height, weight, and self-reported age was obtained. Ss ranged from 18 to 80 years of age and were randomly drawn from telephone directories and contacted by phone. Age was associated with sensation-seeking declines and fear of negative evaluation while being positively associated with responsibility. Weight was associated with poor self-perceptions and high emotionality. Height was associated with sensation-seeking, likeableness, and locus of control. Some, but few, relationships between age, weight, and height and social behavior were noted.