The Impact of Intelligence on Initial Attraction Among High and Low Risk-Takers
Presentation Type
Poster
Keywords
risk, attraction, self-perception, similarity, dissimilarity, intelligence
Department
Psychology
Major
Psychology
Abstract
This study attempted to examine whether a person’s level of risk-taking behavior would impact initial levels of attraction depending on perceptions of similarity in intelligence to a person of the opposite sex. Participants were randomly assigned to receive one of three intelligence profiles (e.g., high, medium, low) of a fellow opposite-sex college student and asked to rate their level of attractiveness. The effects of intelligence level were examined by level of risk-taking on attractiveness scores. A convenience sample of 217 heterosexual and cisgender undergraduates from a private Christian liberal arts university in California were included in this research. Results showed that risk-taking behavior significantly predicted views of attraction. More specifically, there were significant mean differences between high and low risk-takers on how attractive they rated the student depending on his/her perceived intelligence level. Explanations connected to how these findings relate to perceptions of similarity are discussed. Results from this study provide new insights toward the relationship between risk-taking behavior and human attraction and helps further understanding of social choice in regard to relationships.
Faculty Mentor
Cindy Miller-Perrin
Funding Source or Research Program
Not Identified
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
23-3-2018 2:00 PM
End Date
23-3-2018 3:30 PM
The Impact of Intelligence on Initial Attraction Among High and Low Risk-Takers
Waves Cafeteria
This study attempted to examine whether a person’s level of risk-taking behavior would impact initial levels of attraction depending on perceptions of similarity in intelligence to a person of the opposite sex. Participants were randomly assigned to receive one of three intelligence profiles (e.g., high, medium, low) of a fellow opposite-sex college student and asked to rate their level of attractiveness. The effects of intelligence level were examined by level of risk-taking on attractiveness scores. A convenience sample of 217 heterosexual and cisgender undergraduates from a private Christian liberal arts university in California were included in this research. Results showed that risk-taking behavior significantly predicted views of attraction. More specifically, there were significant mean differences between high and low risk-takers on how attractive they rated the student depending on his/her perceived intelligence level. Explanations connected to how these findings relate to perceptions of similarity are discussed. Results from this study provide new insights toward the relationship between risk-taking behavior and human attraction and helps further understanding of social choice in regard to relationships.