An Examination of the Relationship between Self-Perceived Physical Attractiveness and Social Competence / Robbie J. Steward and Joan Sobczak.

This study investigated the relationship between self-perceived physical attractiveness and self-perceived social competence. Subjects were 157 male and 215 female college students who completed a consent form, demographic questionnaire, the Texas Social Behavior Inventory, and the Body Parts/Physical Attractiveness Scale. Significant correlations between self-perceived physical attractiveness and self-perceived social competence for both female and male subjects were found. Both females and males who perceived themselves as physically attractive also tended to perceive themselves as socially competent. For females, weight, height, overall facial appearance and overall body appearance were found to significantly contribute to the level of self-perceived social competence. For males, only height and overall facial appearance were found to significantly contribute to the level of self-perceived social competence. These findings indicated that men used fewer variables than did women when accounting for body characteristics that contribute to the level of self-perceived social competence. (NB)

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