Garnering the interest of others: Mediating the effects among physical attractiveness, self-worth and dominance

Objectives. Evolutionary psychologists emphasize that self-worth and well-b eing are largely determined by the degree to which individuals garner and h old the interest of others. Personal attributes, such as physical attractiv eness, are viewed as resources which serve as signals to others to pay atte ntion to us. Design and method. This study examined (a) the degree to which participant appraisals (N = 75) of self-worth were related to appraisals of how interes ted others were in them; and (b) the extent to which interest ratings accou nt for the relation among self-worth, dominance and attractiveness ratings. Results. The main findings of the present study showed (a) that the degree to which individuals derive self-worth from various attributes was strongly related to the degree to which individuals believed others were interested in them; and (b) that the amount of interest one believes others show in t hem mediated the relation between physical attractiveness and social self-w orth. Conclusion. Results have a number of implications concerning the nature of self-worth and the utility of psychological theories that emphasize evoluti onary principles.