Yes, Angel is not only very beautiful, but she knows it. However, it is always Newton that people seem to like the most and whom they think is not only very beautiful, but also very smart. They are falling into what social psychologists call the "physical attractiveness stereotype," where people believe that physically attractive individuals possess socially desirable personality traits and lead happier lives than less attractive persons. Of our cats Zamboni leads the happiest life, but Angel has the highest opinion of herself...
Actually, and unfortunately, the models are stupid ideas are probably partly a function of gender stereotyping (women less smart than men) + based on the occupation (being photographed does not require brains). In a large number of different studies, attractive people not only are rated smarter, more successful, etc., but studies of real-world situations find attractiveness correlated with higher pay, faster promotion, etc. compared to peers rated as less attractive. (Of course, again there is a gender bias so results are strongest when you compare within genders...)
Well, I'm way out of my depth here as I am a neuropsychologist rather than a social psychologist... BUT I think that in the specific "group" of models, although they are attractive, two OTHER things are also working. One is that as a group they are associated with some negative things (such as eating disorders) which might tarnish their image. Second, I think that you'd be surprised if you COULD actually survey a population, to see what they would say. A HUGE percentage of Americans, for example, believe in horoscopes & supervatural phenomena, are pretty short on facts (like basic facts about American history), etc. So I do not find it hard to believe that in actual fact models and model-types (say Britney Spears) are actually fawned over by quite a few people. Just not the people you know.... :)
hey all - sorry i'm late. yeah, i wonder if the difference here is between the stereotype of the group as a whole, and the effects of dealing with an individual. so, we can believe that models are stupid, but when we meet a model in person we're likely to interact with that person in a way that draws out their more positive qualities. there was a cool study where men were given a photograph of a person they were interacting with over the phone (the photo wasn't real, half got a pretty photo and half got a plain photo). those who got the pretty photo treated the person on the phone as if they were more interesting and attractive, and in turn, the women acted in line with that.
it reminds me of how if you ask women if women in general are discriminated against most will agree, but if you ask them if they as an individual have been discriminated against most will say no.
8 comments:
Angel is beautiful. :)
Yes, Angel is not only very beautiful, but she knows it. However, it is always Newton that people seem to like the most and whom they think is not only very beautiful, but also very smart. They are falling into what social psychologists call the "physical attractiveness stereotype," where people believe that physically attractive individuals possess socially desirable personality traits and lead happier lives than less attractive persons. Of our cats Zamboni leads the happiest life, but Angel has the highest opinion of herself...
What about the 'models are stupid' consensus?
That seems like a good point!
We probably need socialsomatic's help, since this is more his field than Nancy's!
Actually, and unfortunately, the models are stupid ideas are probably partly a function of gender stereotyping (women less smart than men) + based on the occupation (being photographed does not require brains). In a large number of different studies, attractive people not only are rated smarter, more successful, etc., but studies of real-world situations find attractiveness correlated with higher pay, faster promotion, etc. compared to peers rated as less attractive. (Of course, again there is a gender bias so results are strongest when you compare within genders...)
But, if it's universal shouldn't it be true for those who most embody physical attractiveness.
Well, I'm way out of my depth here as I am a neuropsychologist rather than a social psychologist... BUT I think that in the specific "group" of models, although they are attractive, two OTHER things are also working. One is that as a group they are associated with some negative things (such as eating disorders) which might tarnish their image. Second, I think that you'd be surprised if you COULD actually survey a population, to see what they would say. A HUGE percentage of Americans, for example, believe in horoscopes & supervatural phenomena, are pretty short on facts (like basic facts about American history), etc. So I do not find it hard to believe that in actual fact models and model-types (say Britney Spears) are actually fawned over by quite a few people. Just not the people you know.... :)
hey all - sorry i'm late. yeah, i wonder if the difference here is between the stereotype of the group as a whole, and the effects of dealing with an individual. so, we can believe that models are stupid, but when we meet a model in person we're likely to interact with that person in a way that draws out their more positive qualities. there was a cool study where men were given a photograph of a person they were interacting with over the phone (the photo wasn't real, half got a pretty photo and half got a plain photo). those who got the pretty photo treated the person on the phone as if they were more interesting and attractive, and in turn, the women acted in line with that.
it reminds me of how if you ask women if women in general are discriminated against most will agree, but if you ask them if they as an individual have been discriminated against most will say no.
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