Sex Differences in the Effects of Similarity and Physical Attractiveness on Opposite-Sex Attraction

Meta-analysis was used to integrate findings from two paradigms (questionnaires, experiments) that examined the effects of both similarity and physical attractiveness on attraction to a stranger of the opposite sex. Meta-analytic findings from both paradigms indicated that men valued physical attractiveness more than did to women, and that women valued similarity more than did men. Between-factor comparisons found that women consistently valued attractiveness less than they valued similarity. For men, the relative importance of the two factors varied across studies within each paradigm.