Interpersonal Communication- A Mindful Approach to Relationships, 2020a

you go about creating this circle for yourself?
One obvious area where physical appearance plays a huge part in our day-to-day lives is in our romantic
relationships. Elaine Walster and her colleagues coined the “matching hypothesis” back in the 1960s. 32,33
The basic premise of the matching hypothesis is that the idea of “opposites attracting” really doesn’t
pertain to physical attraction. When all else is equal, people are more likely to find themselves in
romantic relationships with people who are perceived as similarly physically attractive.
In a classic study conducted by Shepherd and Ellis, the researchers took pictures of married couples
and mixed up the images of the husbands and wives. 34 The researchers then had groups of female and
male college students sort the images based on physical attraction. Not surprisingly, there was a positive
relationship between the physical attractiveness of the husbands and the physical attractiveness of the
wives.
Other physical appearance variables beyond just basic physical attractiveness have also been examined
with regards to the matching hypothesis. A group of researchers led by Julie Carmalt found that matching
also explained the dating habits of young people. 35 In their study, Carmalt et al. found that individuals
who were overweight were less likely to date someone who was physically attractive.
Overall, research generally supports the matching hypothesis, but physical attractiveness is not the
only variable that can impact romantic partners (e.g., socioeconomic status, education, career prospects).
However, the matching hypothesis is a factor that impacts many people’s ultimate dating selection ability.
Research Spotlight
In a series of different studies, Shaw Taylor et al. tested the matching
hypothesis. In one of the studies, the researchers collected the data for 60
females and 60 males on online dating platforms (we’ll refer to these 120 people
as the initiators). They then used the site activity logs to collect information
about who the initiators matched with on the dating website and whether those
people responded. Based on this contact information, the researchers also
collected the pictures of those people who were contacted, so the researchers
collected 966 photos (527 female, 439 male). The physical attractiveness of
the group of photos was evaluated on a scale of very unattractive (-3) to very
attractive (+3) by people within the authors’ department.
Matching behavior (or swiping right) was not based on the initiator’s
physical appearance. So, people often matched with others who were
physically more attractive than them. However, people only tended to
respond to initiators when their physical attractiveness was similar.
Shaw Taylor, L., Fiore, A. T., Mendelsohn, G. A., & Cheshire, C. (2011). “Out of my league”: A realworld
test of the matching hypothesis. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(7), 942–954. https://doi.
org/10.1177/0146167211409947
Research
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