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Social perception and interpersonal influence: Some consequences of the physical attractiveness stereotype in a personal selling setting
Author(s) -
Reingen Peter H.,
Kernan Jerome B.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of consumer psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.433
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1532-7663
pISSN - 1057-7408
DOI - 10.1016/s1057-7408(08)80073-3
Subject(s) - physical attractiveness , attractiveness , psychology , interpersonal influence , interpersonal communication , social psychology , stereotype (uml) , perception , context (archaeology) , extant taxon , yield (engineering) , interpersonal relationship , neuroscience , psychoanalysis , paleontology , materials science , evolutionary biology , metallurgy , biology
Several effects of the physical attractiveness stereotype were assessed in a personal selling context. In a series of three experiments it was established that: (a) More favorable selling skills are attributed to physically attractive salespersons than to their unattractive counterparts; (b) in simulated sales scenarios, buyers treat ostensibly attractive sellers more cordially and are more likely to yield to their requests than is the case for unattractive sellers; and (c) in actual solicitations for a charitable organization, attractive persons induce a compliance rate significantly higher than that induced by unattractive solicitors. Results of the experiments, which are consistent with extant literature on physical attractiveness, are discussed in terms of commercially inspired interpersonal influence.