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Interpersonal Attraction

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Interpersonal Attraction
What is interpersonal attraction? "Interpersonal attraction refers to the positive feelings toward one another" (Weiten, 463). Most people choose a companion based on interpersonal attractions. It is no news that there are many different factors that influence attraction but author Weiten believes that that "the interpersonal dynamics at work in each case are surprisingly similar. Each is influenced by physical attractiveness" (463). When someone decides to date another person they tend to go off by the initial attraction they feel for that person. Interpersonal attraction is what allows someone to be attracted to another person and once they are attracted to this person they will want to feel a connection with them. This sense of connection will lead to a much stronger feeling which will make one want to learn more about this other person. This stage is referred to as the learning stage. When in the stages of learning about another person, you build a bond with this person.

Physical attractiveness is one of the main factors of interpersonal attraction. A physical attraction with someone is the strongest feeling that anyone in a relationship could ever feel. "…the key determinant of romantic attraction for both sexes was the physical attractiveness of the other person" (463). Once in the course of dating, people start to sense an attraction, which leads to a relationship that eventually ends leads to a commitment if both parties involved share the same attraction and sense of companionship. Although communication is an essential key, the attraction plays a bigger role in a relationship. Communication can build a friendship which leads to a strong bond between the two individuals.

"The matching hypothesis" (463) is something that both men and women follow. This hypothesis states that men and women with an equivalent level of physical attraction are more likely to pick each other. In a closer view, if a woman that is attracted to a man with pretty eyes, that man



Cited: Weiten, Wayne. Psychology: Themes and Variations. Thomson Wadsworth. Las Vegas:2006.

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