Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Psychology - Essay Example But when they look at themselves in the mirror, they see only the imperfections of which they are already well aware. The good news is that if we can’t depend on our own judgment and we’re mistrustful of the reassurances of our friends, it has been established that people have the inherent capability to alter how others perceive the way they look simply in the way they present themselves. â€Å"When you’re convinced you look good, others see you in a more favorable light† (Flora, 2006). People, mostly women, tend to feel more attractive around people who aren’t as appealing as they are and less attractive around people they perceive as having more appealing features. These social comparisons occur constantly and automatically, not only when strangers are deliberately scrutinized. Psychologists refer to this phenomenon as the ‘contrast effect.’ According to Richard Robins, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, women universally use a scale for beauty that is unreasonable. For example, in a study, neither gender used people such as Einstein as a comparison when appraising their own intelligence, but women compare a biased view of their own beauty to that of super models. Another study showed how self-awareness of appearance affects cognitive actions. When males and females were given a math test, both genders had similar results but when another test was given with the females dressed in swimsuits, they scored much lower than their male counterparts. When the men wore swimsuits, the difference was negligible. I am not surprised to find that studies show women to be more obsessed with their outward appearance than men. Society has long established the idea that a woman’s only value is reflected in the quality of the man she can attract. Since men tend to base their own preferences upon the outward appearance of women, it becomes necessary for women to be concerned with doing all she can to attract the