Dominance and heterosexual attraction

Four experiments examined the relation between behavioral expressions of dominance and the heterosexual attractiveness of males and females. Predictions concerning the relation between dominance and heterosexual attraction were derived from a consideration of sex role norms and from the comparative biological literature. All four experiments indicated an interaction between dominance and sex of target. Dominance behavior increased the attractiveness of males, but had no effect on the attractiveness of females. The third study indicated that the effect did not depend on the sex of the rater or on the sex of those with whom the dominant target interacted. The fourth study showed that the effect was specific to dominance as an independent variable and did not occur for related constructs (aggressive or domineering). This study also found that manipulated dominance enhanced only a male's sexual attractiveness and not his general Usability. The results were discussed in terms of potential biological and cultural causal mechanisms. Concepts that refer to an individual's relative position in a social hierarchy occupy prominent positions in current models of personality and social behavior (Edelmarv & Omark, 1973; Hogan, 1979,1982;StrayerS his analysis of personality descriptions in different language groups indicates that dominance-submission is a universal lexical feature of human languages. The research reported here concerns the relation between behavioral expressions of dominance and the sexual attractiveness of males and females. Specific relations between dominance and attraction are predicted both by sociobiological theories that emphasize evolutionarily determined behavior tendencies and by scciocultural theories that emphasize socialization practices and sex role expectations.

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