Research relating to Interpersonal Attraction

Personal characteristics and Evolutionary explanations are two explanations relating to interpersonal attraction. There are many more. There have been various studies and research into these two fields. Personal characteristics can be split into two parts; physical attractiveness and personality.
It has been argued that physical attractiveness is one of the most important factors in interpersonal attraction. Not only is this good from an evolutionary stand point. The halo effect also comes into play.
Feingold (1992) described the halo effect as people perceiving attractive people to have other positive characteristics as well. These characteristics can include being sexually warmer, more sociable and more socially skilled. This would be important in the initial stages of a relationship.

Kenrick and Trost (1997) suggest that physical attractiveness is important in interpersonal attraction because of its evolutionary significance. It has been suggested that people we perceive as attractive also possess characteristics that guarantee breeding success. This is supported by the fact that many cross-cultural studies have found that the same idea of beauty is similar the world over. However, the matching hypothesis states that we are attracted to people of a similar standard of attractiveness as our own perceived level of attractiveness. This means that we may not go for the most attractive and most fertile even when it is available.
The matching hypothesis is regularly criticised for not having population validity because it was conducted with students who do not represent the human population.

Personality is often used to describe someone with little physical attractiveness. Sometimes used as an excuse by partners. This is highly culturally specific. The extrovert side of somebody is attractive in western cultures, but introversion is seen favourably in other cultures (Duck 1999).
Personality traits may become less attractive over time as tedium sets in

The evolutionary explanations relating to interpersonal attraction can also be separated into two sections; parental investment and evolutionary significant characteristics. Parental investment is about how much each parent gives in the rearing of their offspring. This is essentially describing the gender differences in interpersonal attraction.
Human females invest a massive amount in childbirth and raising their children. They spend 9 months being pregnant which is a substantial risk to their health. During this time they are dependant on support and resources.
It is therefore logical that a female should look for a partner who is willing to provide the support and resources that are needed. A female can only have a few offspring in their life whereas a male can have a vast amount provided they can find enough females to consent. Rather than quality of female, it is understandable for males to look for quantity.
However, men take some care when choosing a partner for they want to know that the female will bare their child and not another’s. Therefore they will look for sexual faithfulness aswell as fertility. The evolutionary explanations can all be criticised of being invalid because it is post hoc. We only know what humans have been like over the past few hundred years and so we cannot say that evolution has really happened or what for it took if it did.

Research has found that women look for men who are humorous which perhaps shows their willingness to share resources. Men look for attractiveness which would show fertility and according to the halo effect would also perhaps make men believe that they will also be faithful.