INTERPERSONAL ATTRACTION

Here are a few interesting facts on interpersonal attraction, according to Psychological research:

If a person is physically attractive, we expect them to have other positive characteristics.  This is called the ‘Halo Effect’
Features that are physically attractive represent youthfulness and good genetic quality
Women invest most in reproduction
Differential parental investment means that a woman most importantly wants a partner who has social and economic advantages
Thibaut and Kelley identified four stages in the development of a relationship: Sampling, bargaining, commitment and institutionalization
One reason that proximity may lead to relationship formation may be familiarity
The main point made by the repulsion hypothesis is that it is dissimilarity rather than similarity which determines whom we find attractive
Interpersonal attraction differs from relationship formation because interpersonal attraction is only concerned with the initial factors that enable a relationship to be formed
Research Studies into Relationship Maitenance

Dindia and Baxter (1987) examined how the strategies used by 50 married couples influenced marital satisfaction, reporting 49 different strategies ranging from the fairly trivial (e.g talking about each other’s day) through to strategies such as compliments and gifts.  Reminiscence was an effective way of strengthening a relationship.  Other strategies focussed on the importance of being pro-social, i.e. being especially nice and cheerful, and avoiding criticism of the other person.

The researchers found that couples had a wider variety of strategies for maintaining their relationship than they did for repairing it if it got into trouble.  They also discovered that the longer the relationship lasted, the fewer strategies were necessary to maintain it – possibly a result of a greater understanding of each other’s needs over time.