Effects of Partner Beauty on Opposite-Sex Attractiveness Judgments

Many studies show mate choice copying effects on mate preferences in non-human species in which individuals follow or copy
the mate choices of same-sex conspecifics. Recent studies suggest that social learning also influences mate preferences in
humans. Studies on heterosexual humans have focused on rating the attractiveness of potential mates (targets) presented alongside
individuals of the opposite sex to the target (models). Here, we examined several different types of pairing to examine how
specific social learning is to mate preferences. In Study 1, we replicated a previous effect whereby target faces of the opposite
sex to the subject were rated as more attractive when paired with attractive than unattractive partner models of the same
sex as the subject. Using the same paired stimuli, Study 2 demonstrated no effect of a paired model if subjects were asked
to rate targets who were the same sex as themselves. In Study 3, we used pairs of the same sex, stating the pair were friends,
and subjects rated targets of the opposite sex to themselves. Attractive models decreased targets’ attractiveness, opposite
to the effect in Study 1. Finally, Study 4 examined if attractive versus unattractive non-face stimuli might influence attraction.
Unlike in Study 1, pairing with attractive stimuli either had no effect or decreased the attractiveness of paired target face
images. These data suggest that social transmission of preferences via pairing with attractive/unattractive images is relatively
specific to learning about mate preferences but does not influence attractiveness judgments more generally.