Effect of group status on physical attractiveness preferences--from the Japanese case to a general cognitive perspective.

The development of intergroup physical attractiveness preferences and the effect of national status on physical attractiveness judgments were examined. Study 1 reveals that ranking of national status and physical attractiveness are correlated. Study 2 shows that national labels attached to persons affect the ratings of their attractiveness. The results of Study 3 demonstrate that people tend to connect attractive people with nations of higher status. The author suggests that perceptions of national attractiveness derive from a categorization process linking status and appearance, as well as from indigenous dispositions toward certain physical features related to the preference of an ingroup mate.