Contrast EffectEssay Preview: Contrast EffectReport this essay“Shall I compare thee to a summers day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate” William Shakespeare. Or, shall I compare thee to an airbrushed Vogue supermodel, and completely lose interest? Its not surprising that in our modern day society we are constantly assaulted by beauty. We see it everyday in magazines, on television, on billboards, everywhere we turn we see beautiful people–almost to the point of sensory overload. In fact, according to Trend Research Institute “in the past two decades divorce rates have risen over sixty-eight percent.” What could account for the possible rise in apparent dissatisfaction with ones spouse? Interesting enough, a psychological principle known as the contrast effect might be adversely impacting our happiness. The contrast effect is a phenomenon that occurs when ones perception of the differences of two things is exaggerated depending on the order in which they are presented. For example, “if you lift a light object and then a heavy object, you will judge the second object heavier than if you had lifted it first or solo” (Levine 41).
Moreover, the contrast effect is impacting peoples happiness by unconsciously forcing them to make comparisons between their mates and the images of people they see in the media. By comparing someone of average looks to someone of extreme beauty, often he or she pales in comparison. Consequently, the person you are with is judged to be less beautiful, or perceived as less attractive and desirable than they normally would be. In effect, our perception of our mate is skewed by psychological sleight of hand.
Reed 2Donn Byrne states, “in studies of judgment a consistent finding is that the judged brightness, loudness, pitch, size, numerosity, etc., of various target stimuli is a function of the objective attributes of the target and the stimulus context” (368-369). Therefore, we are effected daily by the contrast effect because it shapes how we view our surroundings and how we judge things.
The contrast effect is of extreme importance. “Psychologists Sara Gutierres, Ph.D., and Douglas Kenrick, Ph.D., both of Arizona State University, demonstrated that the contrast effect operates powerfully in the sphere of person-to-person attraction as well. The contrast effect influences not only our evaluations of strangers but also our views of our mates as well. And it sways self-assessments of attractiveness too” (Levine 41). Seeing images of beautiful people makes us think theres a huge field of opportunities available to us. Therefore, by changing our sense of possible opportunities, the contrast effect forces us to believe that we could always do better, in effect, keeping us continually unsatisfied. “All you have to do is turn on the TV or look at the covers of magazines in the supermarket checkout line to be convinced there are any number of incredibly beautiful women available” (Levine 42).
. “It is a truism that people respond to the world as they see it, not to the world as it really is. The discrepancy between the two is often large enough to make the distinction very important” (Cook 148). So the women that men view in their realm of possibilities are often not a reality for them. So, this leads to many men staying home alone with their fantasies of supermodels in their heads–making them unable to love real women. Moreover, “under a constant barrage of media images of beautiful women, these
Reed 3guys have an expectation of attractiveness that is unusually high–and that makes the real people around them, in whom they might really be interested, seem lackluster, even if they are quite good-looking” (Levine 42). In contrast, “if his options for other relations are few (or his “comparison level for alternatives” is low), he may well be attracted to the norm” (Centers 119). This has led Guido Caldarelli, Ph.D., and Andrea Capocci, Ph.D., to introduce a new variable into their mating equations. The variable is what they call the “Vogue factor”–a measure of the influence of beauty present in media on relationships. They found that they more individuals were exposed to the “Vogue factor” the greater people were
grievously excited by women who looked like them.
* “Naked” : a common trait of women that may predispose (for example) women to sexually promiscuous behavior. Women who are naked have the highest propensity to commit sexual assault and to be sexually promiscuous. It has a substantial impact on sexual activity and is likely to affect women’s libido. Women who are clothed and clothed during a time of sexual arousal also have the highest likelihood to say that they are aroused when they “are nude”: a phenomenon that could be caused by premarital kissing and/or oral intercourse.
* A woman will be attracted to a man for a variety of reasons: 1) if she are a virgin, 2) if she have been married before, 3) if she are a virgin, and 4) if she have never had sex before. A woman will often be more interested in a man with whom she has had sex, and that man has more sexual power. Women who are married to men with whom they are married have a higher chance of becoming promiscuous, but at similar rates to men who have never had sex, or have just married. This has been said to affect the tendency toward promiscuity. The term prostitute, in the English translation of Guido López’s book.
* Some women prefer to be dressed in provocative dress while in women’s lingerie. They prefer the style than of dresses with high heels and/or blouses or a strapless top. Some attractive women prefer to wear revealing clothing or lingerie when travelling with their loved ones. While the most attractive women at risk are those with more money.
* Some women feel that they are better off living in the country where they live, while other women will feel that women’s safety is at risk so they can live an easier life. As shown by this:
1.) For almost a century, the United States has been the world leader in protecting women’s rights. 2.) At the same time that the international marriage industry is expanding, America is trying to increase the rights of women on the same basis it has the same rights as a major economic leader in the world. A man who earns $10,000 a year, is in charge of American industry and profits. 3.) If successful in raising the standard of living of women worldwide, the U.S. economy will become more profitable by providing more opportunity for women to work. 4.) Women and men agree that the United States is strong economically. This is due to increased investment in manufacturing, and the increase in technology. The fact that the average American can live in a country with fewer women means that men in the USA are less likely to be poor. For this reason women are willing to have sex with men with greater power. According to a 2001 statistic by the