Essay Example on The importance of physical attractiveness

Phyllis spends over two hours every day ensuring that her appearance meets her standard of attractiveness before leaving the house Based on research into the importance of physical attractiveness discuss whether this a wise investment of time Many factors influence who people are attracted to Attractiveness refers to interpersonal appeal When focusing on attraction most people think of physical appearance the degree to which a person's physical features are considered aesthetically pleasing Berry 2000 individuals within society are strongly influenced by the physical attractiveness of a person Swami Furnham 2008 Given this importance of physical attractiveness in our society individuals with appealing physical features are more successful in many areas of their lives such as more success on interviews Dipboye Arvey Terpstra 1977 and even receiving lighter sentences Desantis Kayson 1997 This essay will explore the importance of physical attractiveness based on research with reference to Phyllis s daily routines and whether ensuring that her appearance meets standards of attractiveness is a wise investment of time The shared agreement of attractiveness among society is due to evolutionary predisposing factors that are influenced by certain characteristics of an individual Individuals are more likely to be attracted to another individual who has an appealing physical appearance rather than an unappealing physical appearance 

It was found that cosmetics explained a larger proportion of the variation in attractiveness also the models received an increase in perceived attractiveness when cosmetics were worn Jones Kramer 2016 Makeup is further supported by Gueguen 2006 in the conducted study women who wore makeup were approached more and approached faster by men at a bar than when no makeup was worn on nights out Zebrowitz studied the tendency for individuals to prefer facial features that depend on age specifically youthful characteristics such features include large forehead prominent cheekbones small nose and chin large round and widely spaced eyes Zebrowitz 1996 Healthy skin is another determinant of perceived attractiveness Jones et al 2004 Sleep deprivation can affect such determinants of physical attractiveness as Sleep is an essential homeostatic process with and has established effects on an individual s physiological cognitive and behavioral functionality and long term health Harrison Horne 2000 Although sleep deprivation may affect determinants of physical attractiveness such as skin becoming wrinkled it can be counterbalanced by using products that cause the skin to lessen wrinkling modify skins color reduce surface pigmented spots Leveque Saint Leger 1993 Another method is by gaining more sleep Axelsson 2010 found that individuals who were sleep deprived were rated significantly less attractive and less healthy than those who were rested Phyllis routines can be explained by the benefits of her strategy Appearance strongly influences people's views even infants who are only a year old prefer to look at faces considered to be attractive Langlois Ritter Roggman Vaughn 1991 so looking after her physical appearance is beneficial