LIFE AS A COURTROOM - THE ROLES OF MORAL EMOTIONS AND BODY ESTEEM IN DRIVING PEOPLE'S JUDGMENTS OF BEAUTIFUL STRANGERS

Abstract

People make mistakes throughout their lives, but the judgments we receive for committing the same misdeeds often differ simply due to our physical appearance and sex. The halo effect posits favourable judgments towards attractive targets but intrasexual competition posits unfavourable judgments towards same-sex attractive targets. The present research, thus, investigated the mechanisms underlying the relationship between physical attractiveness of same-sex and opposite-sex targets, and observers’ resulting judgments of these targets. Specifically, the mediating role of negative moral emotions and moderating role of body esteem in predicting people’s judgments of the misdeeds of strangers were investigated. Examining 199 Singaporean Chinese young adults found significant support for this overall moderated mediation model amongst those with high body esteem. Therefore, judgments of attractive same-sex and opposite-sex targets significantly differed through the negative moral emotions felt by the judges, which was buffered by their body esteem. Theoretical and practical implications of the research findings, as well as its limitations are further discussed.