Factors affecting attraction

1. SELF-DISCLOSURE

• Refers to information we choose to reveal about ourselves within a romantic relationship, the aim of which is to increase the intimacy, understanding and empathy between two individuals. 
• Self disclosure MUST be RECIPROCAL. 
• Altman and Taylor proposed social penetration theory, which suggests the process of self-disclosure allows one to penetrate deeper into the life of their partner, increasing intimacy and trust. An onion analogy is used, suggesting that as a relationship progresses, deeper and more meaningful information is disclosed. This is only likely to occur if the exchange of such information is reciprocal, representing a stage in the relationship characterised by trust.
• Reis and Shaver (1988) suggest the two elements of social penetration theory are breadth and depth, a balance of which through reciprocal self-disclosure is key to developing and maintaining an intimate relationship.

AO3: 

• Aron et. al (1997) found that when pairs of people were provided with 36 questions of increasing depth and intimacy to ask one another, they grew closer and more intimate over the course of the interaction. This supports social penetration theory and the idea that people become closer due to reciprocated self-disclosure. However, the pairs engaged in 4 minutes of eye contact at the end of the questions which may explain feelings of increased intimacy.
• Hass and Stafford (1998) found 57% of couples with high levels of intimacy and commitment within their relationships reported self disclosure as a way to maintain it. This supports the use of therapies focused on breadth and depth of self-disclosure to increase trust in a relationship based on social penetration theory, which increases the validity of the theory.
• Laurenceau et al (2005) found using daily diary entries that high levels of intimacy and trust were strongly associated with high levels of self-disclosure in married couples, suggesting depth and breadth of self disclosure is highly predicitive of intimacy in romantic relationships. However, correlational studies cannot establish causation.

2. PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS

• From an evolutionary perspective, we are pre-disposed to find certain physical traits attractive, for example a favorable waist-to-hip ratio in women to indicate fecundity, facial symmetry to…