ISSN: 2576-0319
Authors: Darren M. George*, Dadria Lewis, Shayla Wilson, Jair Van Putten and Takudzwa Nengomasha
A 2015 PAID article, in a study of married couples, revealed that a rating of the physical attractiveness of one’s spouse was a significant predictor of relational satisfaction for both the husband and the wife. This unexpected finding proved to be the springboard for the present research. How is the perception of the attractiveness of one’s romantic partner related to factors other than objective beauty? A sample of 201 heterosexual couples (N = 402) explored which factors impact a rating of perception of physical attractiveness (PPA), including: objective physical attractiveness (OPA), standard demographics (e.g., age, ethnicity), power factors (e.g., wealth, position, accomplishments), physical characteristics (e.g., height, weight, BMI), personal qualities (e.g., self-esteem, emotional stability, agreeableness, social skills), physical health and vitality, and efforts to look good in a public or private setting. We then explored the impact of PPA on the relational satisfaction of the couple. The 2015 results were largely replicated, however, the present study revealed much more. Primary takeaways included: (a) There were substantial gender differences concerning the dynamic of factors that influenced the rating of PPA; (b) there were equally robust gender differences on the impact of the PPA (and other variables) on relational satisfaction; (c) OPA played a surprisingly minor role in the entire dynamic; and (d) structural equation models provided detail on the similarities and differences of dynamics for men and women. Avenues of future research are explored.
Keywords: physical attractiveness; relational satisfaction; structural equation modeling; perceptual variables
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