Attractiveness and Disclosure in Initial Encounters of Mixed-Sex Dyads

Abstract

Physically attractive people describe their daily interactions as more disclosing, intimate and satisfying than do unattractive people. We investigated the disclosing aspect of this description during naturally occurring encounters. Six-minute interactions of 38 previously unacquainted mixed-sex dyads were videotaped using Ickes's dyadic interaction paradigm. Physical attractiveness was rated reliably and videotape transcripts were coded according to a taxonomy of verbal response modes. The average attractiveness of dyads was significantly correlated with their average frequency of `pure Disclosure' (first-person subjective utterances). Breakdowns revealed that both men and women disclosed more if they themselves were attractive and if their partner was attractive. Participants' self-reported shyness tended to suppress the frequency of `pure Edification' (third-person objective utterances).