Online Dating Profile Assignment Social Psychology PDF

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The assignment was to create and online dating profile and then answer some questions about how people may perceive you or how you perceive people...

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Online Dating Profile Age: 20 Height: 5’ 4” Ethnicity: Caucasian Occupation: Tech Support Representative Education level: Junior in college Religion: Christian Political views: Undecided City and state: Phoenix, Arizona What I’m most passionate about: I am very passionate about my education and service animals being treated correctly. Activities I enjoy: I enjoy spending time with my dogs, relaxing and watching TV, and baking. Physical description: Average height, purple hair, skinny, physically fit My friends describe me as: Funny, energetic, sometimes quiet, shy, and creative. The most important things I’m looking for in a person: Shared interests, smart, pursuing education, nice and sweet, outgoing. Ideal physical qualities of a potential partner: Short, physically fit, and brown hair Deal breakers: Not liking dogs, not having shared interests, being controlling. Post Profile Wrap-up 1. Describe the social psychological theories of attraction you see reflected in online dating profiles like this one. One is complementarity, which is the theory that opposites attract (Gilovich, Keltner, Chen, & Nisbett, 2018). We are attracted to people that are different from ourselves because they act differently than we do and that offers a new perspective. Another theory of attraction is the halo effect, which is a theory that people who are appealing to look at also have positive qualities other than just their appearance (Gilovich, Keltner, Chen, & Nisbett, 2018). When we see someone that is attractive, we also like to believe they have a good personality, thus making us more attracted to them. When we see someone’s profile picture and think they are good looking, then look at their profile and like their other qualities as well, we are more attracted to them. 2. Describe at least three concepts related to mating and attraction that are used in online dating profiles. There are three types of attractiveness, which are physical, psychological, and behavioral attractiveness. Physical attractiveness is exactly as it sounds, where looks are important and physical features such as health and fitness are more attractive (Nicholson, 2016). We

are attracted to the person’s physical characteristics rather than the person themselves. Then, with psychological attractiveness, it is more about creating connections with people through intimate conversations and being attracted to a person’s personality (Nicholson, 2016). Some people are more attracted to a person’s personality rather than their looks. Lastly, there is behavioral attractiveness, which is affected by body language, touch, or even confidence (Nicholson, 2016). We can also be attracted to a person’s behavior and how they carry themselves. 3. Reflect on the choices you made in completing this profile. Why did you make the choices you did? Connect your profile back to the social psychological concepts related to mating and attraction. I created the dating profile without even thinking about any social psychological concepts. I created it based on my own honest thoughts. Now looking back, I realized some of the things I did were based on certain concepts. For example, I used complementarity when I discussed deal breakers. I find that I can sometimes be controlling, so I would not to be with someone who was also controlling. I also focused more on psychological attractiveness rather than physical attractiveness. I would much rather be with someone that was very nice and smart and maybe not as good-looking, rather than be with someone that was good-looking but had a bad personality.

References: Gilovich, T., Keltner, D., Chen, S., & Nisbett, R. (2018). Social psychology (5th ed). New York, NY: W.W. Norton Publishing ISBN-13: 9780393667707

Nicholson, J. (2016). 3 Central Elements of Romantic Attraction. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-attraction-doctor/201606/3-centralelements-romantic-attraction...