Exploiting Attractiveness in Persuasion: Senders’ Implicit Theories About Receivers’ Processing Motivation
- 14 May 2010
- journal article
- other
- Published by SAGE Publications in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Vol. 36 (6), 830-842
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167210371623
Abstract
Previous research suggests a positive correlation between physical attractiveness and the expectation of positive outcomes in social interactions, such as successful persuasion. However, prominent persuasion theories do not imply a general advantage of attractive senders. Instead, the persuasion success should vary with the receivers’ processing motivation and processing capacity. Focusing on the perspective of the sender, the authors elaborate on lay theories about how attractiveness affects persuasion success. They propose that lay theories (a) match scientific models in that they also comprise the interaction of senders’ attractiveness and receivers’ processing characteristics, (b) guide laypersons’ anticipation of persuasion success, and (c) translate into strategic behavior. They show that anticipated persuasion success depends on the interplay of perceived attractiveness and expectations about receivers’ processing motivation (Experiment 1 and 2). Further experiments show that laypersons strategically attempt to exploit attractiveness in that they approach situations (Experiment 3) and persons (Experiment 4) that promise persuasion success.Keywords
This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
- Why I am less persuaded than you: People's intuitive understanding of the psychology of persuasionSocial Influence, 2010
- Morphology and Behavior: Phrenology RevisitedReview of General Psychology, 2008
- The 30‐Sec Sale: Using Thin‐Slice Judgments to Evaluate Sales EffectivenessJournal of Consumer Psychology, 2006
- The Persuasion Knowledge Model: How People Cope with Persuasion AttemptsJournal of Consumer Research, 1994
- Social perception and interpersonal influence: Some consequences of the physical attractiveness stereotype in a personal selling settingJournal of Consumer Psychology, 1993
- Good-looking people are not what we think.Psychological Bulletin, 1992
- Gender Differences in Concern with Body Weight and Physical Appearance Over the Life SpanPersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1990
- Source credibility as a function of communicator physical attractivenessJournal of Business Research, 1983
- Physical Attractiveness and Expectations of SuccessPersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1981
- Physical Attractiveness ResearchHuman Development, 1977