ABSTRACT
In Chapter 3, interpersonal attraction is the main issues tackled. How do we come to like others? What makes us romantically attracted to someone? We look at the issue first through the lens of established social psychological theories and discuss the research on learning theories, balance theory along with the roles of similarity and complementarity. We then consider theories and research that help explain the importance of proximity, the pros and cons of playing hard to get, and the allure of secret relationships. The second part of this chapter looks at the importance of physical attraction in dating and relationships. We discuss standards of attractiveness, evolutionary explanation for its continued importance in attraction. We conclude the chapter with a discussion of the physical attractiveness stereotype and consider context and dispositional influences on perceptions of attractiveness.
