Undergraduate's research focuses on sex, intimacy

Psych student uses matching theory to study mutual attraction

April 2, 2007 —

by Greg Lalonde

Senior Kayla Runyan is surveying how romantic couples view each other's physical appearance and how it relates to sexual activity.

The old adage goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Psychology major Kayla Runyan's study on couples and their sexual behavior could shed light on whether anyone is following this advice.

As part of her honors thesis, Runyan called upon 35 couples to participate in her project.

The study is heavily based on the matching hypothesis, a psychological theory proposed in the 1950s that states people are likely to form long-lasting relationships with others who are equally attractive.

Couples recruited for Runyan's study completed a lengthy electronic survey that required them to rate their partner's appearance on a scale of one-to-five.

The survey also inquired about their relationship status, sexual behavior, and what the status of their relationship was when they began to engage in sexual activity.

After compiling the data, Runyan will tally the average score, which she hopes will support her thesis that couples with a closer level of attraction have sex sooner.

"If they are equally attractive, there will be less anxiety about being naked around each other," Runyan said.

Her thesis has ties to the intimate bond measure, which pinpoints the person's level of comfort around their partner.

A self-esteem evaluation was part of the overall study, coming in the form of the Body-Esteem Scale.

This section asked participants to evaluate roughly 30 components of their physical appearance, again using a scale of one-to-five.

These ranged from broad attributes like physique to more specific areas like the lips.

Even though Runyan used several outlets for her recruiting, she found the most success within classrooms.

"I posted flyers around campus and used Facebook, but neither drew much interest," Runyan said. "I found most of my people in Psych 100 classes, where I went in and talked about the study."

Location issues made having all 35 couples complete the survey no simple task.

"There were quite a few people who participated in the study that were with someone who didn't live around here, which made the whole process longer."

Data was compiled throughout March, although Runyan has been laying the groundwork for the project since last summer.

The validity of the original matching hypothesis was questioned after an early test was conducted.

The test supported the theory with the results viewing physical appearance as a more significant factor than personality or intelligence, but was questioned for things like the narrow demographic used.

Later tests with varying methods, however, also supported the theory.