A SECRET RECIPE FOR SOCIAL POPULARITY: THE EFFECT OF ATTRACTIVE VISUAL STIMULI ON SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF WOMEN

Abstract

Mass media is rich of images of physically attractive women, which prior research suggests female consumers might make upward comparison towards. The negative effects caused by such comparison such as eating disorders, lower self-esteem, and disrupted mental performance have been well documented. In the current research, I extended the existing literature and investigated the potential effect of these stimuli on women’s inter-personal interaction. I proposed that the exposure to physically attractive women images would result in prosocial behaviour in unrelated tasks among females. The hypothesis was tested in three studies. In the studies, it was found that after viewing pictures of physically attractive women, female participants cared more about others’ welfare in a decomposed game which measured their pro-social intention; they favoured a product which emphasized on one’s caring for others better. More importantly, I found the motivation behind such prosocial behaviour being the desire to gain favourable opinions from others as the effect was only observed in cases when the prosocial behaviour was conspicuous. Results supported that female participants would behave in a more socially desirable manner as a tactic way to gain others’ approval. Theoretical and practical implications of this research were then discussed.