Infatuation and Attraction to a Dissimilar Other: Why is Love Blind?

Abstract

The present experiment attempted to increase understanding of the "love is blind" phenomenon. White male American undergraduates exposed to an infatuation induction with an attitudinally dissimilar female confederate showed greater attraction to her than unexposed control subjects. The use of a misattribution-of-arousal manipulation eliminated this difference in attraction between the infatuation induction and control groups, thereby providing support for the role of positive emotional arousal in creating attraction toward the dissimilar other in the infatuation condition. Evidence was also found that suggested that attraction toward the dissimilar other was based not on a distortion by the subjects of her dissimilar attitudes, but rather on a more favorable evaluation of these attitudes.

Measuring positive attitudes toward outgroups: Development and validation of the Allophilia Scale.

“…It also may be instructive to approach the Comfort and Enthusiasm subscales from other theoretical perspectives. For instance, the Comfort subscale may be understood as indicative of low negative affective arousal (e.g., Watson & Tellegen, 1985), and the Enthusiasm subscale may be viewed as a grouplevel example of idealizing infatuation (i.e., intense positive emotions directed toward a dissimilar other; e.g., McClanahan, Gold, Lenney, Ryckman, & Kulberg, 1990).…”

From Appealing to Appalling: Disenchantment With a Romantic Partner

“…Individuals may acknowledge the limitations of an intimate partner only when a state of infatuation has waned, as suggested by the second scenario, "Rose-colored glasses." People are aware of the limitations of a loved one from the beginning, according to research on infatuation (McClanahan et al 1990;Tennov 1979), but interpret those weaknesses in a more positive light while infatuated. As one woman said when comparing her companion's virtues and vices: "They are very different.…”

Exotic becomes erotic: A developmental theory of sexual orientation.

“…In one respect, the experiments may actually underestimate the strength and reliability of the effect in real life. In the experiments, the arousal is deliberately elicited by a source extrinsic to the intended target, and there is disagreement over whether the effect even occurs when participants are aware of that fact (Allen et al, 1989;Cantor, Zillmann, & Bryant, 1975;McClanahan et al, 1990;White & Kight, 1984). But in the real-life scenario envisioned by EBE theory, the autonomic arousal is genuinely elicited by the class of individuals to which the erotic/romantic attraction develops.…”

“…In addition to the misattribution explanation, several other explanations for the extrinsic arousal effect have been proposed, but experimental attempts to determine which explanation is the most valid have produced mixed results and the dispute is not yet settled (Allen, Kenrick, Linder, & McCall, 1989; Kenrick & Cialdini, 1977; McClanahan, Gold, Lenney, Ryckman, & Kulberg, 1990; White & Kight, 1984; Zillmann, 1983). For present purposes, however, it doesn't matter.…”