Concomitants of social support: Social skills, physical attractiveness, and gender.

Abstract : This study investigated the naturally occuring relationship between social support, as measured by self-report and social skills as measured by self-report, a variety of behavioral measures, and rated physical attractiveness. Subjects were 84 male and 84 female introductory psychology students selected on the basis of high and low number scores on the Social Support Questionnaire. The subjects were videotaped in two dyadic situations with a same sex partner. Subjects also completed the Loneliness Questionnaire, a special social competence questionnaire, a story completion task and self and partner evaluations. The videotaped behavior was rated qualitatively and quantitatively. Significant differences were found in the social skills of subjects high and low in social support. Women also were found to be significantly more socially skilled and were rated as being more physically attractive than men. The various self-report and behavioral measures of social skills were significantly interrelated. The results help to delineate more clearly the dimensions of social support by demonstrating the relationship between social support and social skill.