THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTRACTIVENESS AND SELF-ESTEEM: A TEST OF THE DISCOUNTING HYPOTHESIS

Sixty-four male and female subjects were rated on physical attractiveness by outside observers, and simultaneously asked to rate themselves. Subjects were then asked to write a brief essay on a current topic, after which all received written praise from a fictitious reader. Half the subjects believed that they had been seen by the reader, while half did not. Subjects then were asked to give their impressions of the feedback received and of the person who had rendered the praise. Contrary to hypothesis, those subjects rated as high-attractive by outsiders did not show greater skepticism about the praise when they thought they had been seen by the reader. However, females who had rated themselves as high-attractive did tend to discount praise when they thought they had been seen; self-rated attractive males, in contrast, showed greater belief in the praise when they thought they had been seen. In comparing external ratings of subjects' attractiveness with subjects' self-ratings, the correlation approached zero. The implications of these findings for the "discounting hypothesis" are discussed.