Influence of Mate-Copying Tendencies through Simulated Attraction on Perceived Physical Attractiveness of Opposite Sex in Women

摘要

This study is a replication of Dunn and Doria's (2010) research, which intends to see the effect of mate-copying tendencies among young adult women in perceiving the level of physical attractiveness of the opposite sex. Mate-copying tendencies can emerge in various forms, one of which is through simulated attraction that is shown through a photograph of a man surrounded by several women who show interested gestures towards him. The dependent variable was measured using a single item that measured perceived physical attractiveness of the male model in Likert scale (1-10). A total of 73 undergraduate students from Universitas Indonesia (average age = 19.6, SD = 1.48) participated in this study. The statistical analysis result using independent sample t-test showed a significant difference in perceived physical attractiveness score between the experimental group and control group (t (71) = 2.048, p = 0.044). The females who were given a photograph of the male model posing with several female models had a higher perceived physical attractiveness score for the male (M = 5.24, SD = 1.342) than those who were given a stand-alone male model photo (M = 4.61, SD = 1.293). The implications of this study on interpersonal relationships may explain why sometimes men who are engaged with other women are viewed as more attractive.