The Relative Contributions of Physical Attractiveness and Prosocial Behavior in Preschool Friendship Choices

Previous research has documented a strong preference for attractiveness from infancy to adulthood, across many social contexts. However, direct evidence about someone’s personality, specifically evidence about prosociality and altruistic behavior, should also have an effect on decisions about friendship initiation. Little research has explored the relative weight of physical attractiveness and prosocial behavior in friendship decisions. If these two salient cues were pitted against each other, which would be more important for fostering friendships, especially in early development? The current study tested whether children would prefer a nice-unattractive or a mean-attractive peer, by pairing photos of children varying in rated attractiveness with stories of good and bad behavior. Three-year-olds of both sexes chose based on attractiveness. Four-year-old boys also preferred attractiveness, but four-year-old girls strongly preferred niceness. These results reveal the developmental origins of an important sex difference in friendship decisions. These early preferences may reflect children’s internalization of gender schemas and socialization away from an innate tendency towards preferring physical attractiveness.