Replicating and reversing the group attractiveness effect: Relatively unattractive groups are perceived as less attractive than the average attractiveness of their members

Abstract

The group attractiveness (GA) effect reveals that groups as a whole are perceived as more attractive than the average attractiveness of their members. This effect seems to be driven by selective attention to the most attractive members of a group. We hypothesized that when group members stand out because of their unattractiveness, they would make a group as a whole seem less attractive. In the current study (N = 621), we aimed to replicate the GA-effect as well as reverse it. Indeed, the data replicated a GA effect for relatively attractive groups, while in relatively unattractive groups the group as a whole was perceived as less attractive than the average attractiveness of their members.

Keywords: Cheerleader effect; Group attractiveness effect; Group evaluation; Physical attractiveness; Selective attention; Unattractiveness.