Dat Accent

         Well everyone, we've made it almost to the end. Finishing the last unit was almost as satisfying as finishing the last unit assignment. Anyway, this week I wanted to focus on one of the last things of AP Psychology that we learned: attraction.

         We discussed the different factors that influence whether we will like other people. Firstly, proximity is important, as actually being near to someone and interacting with them already makes it more likely that you will like them. The next factor is the mere exposure effect, which is that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases your liking of them. You are more likely to like the people you have seen before. The third factor is physical attractiveness. This varies by culture, but it seems that within every society people are more pleasant to look at are automatically more likable.

         The fourth factor is similarity. Though many believe that "opposites attract", this doesn't seem to frequently be the case. Those who share similar values, culture, and ideas as you are more likable as well, as it easier to get along with them. The last factor we discussed was the reward theory of attraction. This theory states that we like those whose behavior is rewarding to us and we continue relationships that offer more rewards than costs.

          With initial attraction comes love. The two types of romantic love are passionate love and companionate love. Passionate love is an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another person. It is a feeling of euphoria, where you feel as if the other person can do know wrong. However, this type of feeling is not usually sustained over a long period of time, as it would be very difficult to get anything done. Companionate love, on the other hand, is a more mature, deep, and affectionate attachment. It is the sign of a long term relationship. A loving relationship requires equity, where both people receive the same amount they give, and self-disclosure, where both people reveal intimate details about their lives.

         Over Shabbos, Racheli (Brakha) came up with the idea that foreign accents make people more attractive. I thought this over and decided that it would be worth while to blog about. It does seem like people who have exotic accents automatically become more attractive to us mere Americans. On divinecaroline.com, Kathryn Williams (from Nashville!) discussed why accents seem to have this power. She brings an idea from Susan Tamasi, a sociolinguist from Emory University in Atlanta, who says it has to do with aesthetics. A preference for an accent apparently comes from the associations we make with a certain accent or dialect. This could also explain why some accents are attractive while others are vomit-inducing.

         Proof of this comes from England, where the RP accent (the "Queen's English") is associated with the more wealthy of the British school system. According to Williams, this is why many foreigners see people who speak with a British accent as having more intelligence and prestige. On the opposite end, a Southern accent may make non-Southerns assume the person to be ignorant or stupid because of stereotypes associated with hillbillies or Southern belles.

         Which accent do you find the most attractive? Do you think that has come about because of associations you may have made? If so, which associations?