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Self-perceived attractiveness, romantic desirability and self-esteem: a mating sociometer perspective
Christopher Bale1, John Archer
1Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK. c.bale@hud.ac.uk
Summary
Self-esteem is linked to how attractive people feel, especially regarding romantic relationships. This connection is mediated by confidence in one's romantic desirability, particularly for women.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Sociometer theory posits self-esteem functions to regulate interpersonal relationships.
- Self-perceived physical attractiveness is often positively correlated with self-esteem.
- This relationship may stem from a 'mating sociometer' assessing romantic desirability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if self-perceived attractiveness influences self-esteem through romantic desirability.
- To examine the mediating role of romantic self-confidence in this relationship.
- To explore gender differences in the link between attractiveness and self-esteem.
Main Methods:
- Online survey administered to 287 young adults (98 male).
- Measures included self-perceived attractiveness, appearance confidence, romantic relationship confidence, body-esteem, and global self-esteem.
- Linear regression analyses were used to test mediation and moderation effects.
Main Results:
- Self-perceived attractiveness, appearance confidence, and body-esteem all significantly predicted global self-esteem.
- Romantic self-confidence mediated these relationships.
- Self-perceived attractiveness had a stronger effect on self-esteem in females than in males.
Conclusions:
- Romantic self-confidence is a key mediator linking perceived attractiveness to self-esteem.
- Findings support the 'mating sociometer' concept within evolutionary psychology.
- Gender differences highlight the importance of relational desirability in self-esteem, especially for women.
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