The December 2009 issue of Personal Relationships features research supporting the idea that attractiveness is more important in urban areas than elsewhere.
…The impact of our attractiveness on our social lives depends on the social environment where we live. Attractiveness does matter in more socially mobile, urban areas (and from a woman’s point of view actually indicates psychological well-being), but it is far less relevant in rural areas. In urban areas individuals experience a high level of social choice, and associating with attractive people is one of those choices. In other words, in urban areas, a free market of relationships makes attractiveness more important for securing social connections and consequently for feeling good. In rural areas, relationships are less about choice and more about who is already living in the community.
Victoria C. Plaut, PhD is a cultural and social psychologist who is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Georgia and a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program, UC Berkeley School of Law. She can be reached for questions at vplaut@law.berkeley.edu. The other authors include Glenn Adams and Stephanie L. Anderson of the University of Kansas.
