Measurement of Physical Attractiveness

Abstract

A direct relationship may not exist between physical attractiveness and most personal attributes. But people, either knowingly or unknowingly, make strong assumptions about these characteristics, based only on the informational cue provided by an individual’s physical attractiveness. The end result of these assumptions is an advantage for those people who possess physical attractiveness and a disadvantage for those who do not. The importance of understanding the influence of physical attractiveness appears relevant for all interpersonal proceedings. However, physical attractiveness is essentially not a quantitative trait. Therefore, an important research issue is the manner in which researchers identify and manipulate the physical attractiveness variable in order to study its effects.

Beauty as we feel it is something indescribable: What it is or what it means can never be said. (Santayana, 1936, p. 201)