TULSA, OK--(Marketwire - Feb 8, 2013) - Countless romantic comedy movies all assert the same thing -- how someone is on the inside (their personality) is far more important than what they look like. But how often does that happen in real life?
With Valentine's Day right around the corner, Hogan Assessment Systems conducted research into what individuals consider the most important characteristics when searching for a potential significant other. According to the report, titled "The Science of Attraction," Hollywood often gets it right: personality is far more important than physical attractiveness in finding a partner.
In conducting the research, Hogan asked 1,177 participants what was most important in a romantic partner: personality, physical attractiveness, personal style, earning potential, education or social status. Overall, 82.1 percent of respondents said that personality was most important in finding the right partner, compared to just 4.9 who selected physical attractiveness.
While the survey results show that most people agree that personality is the most significant factor when choosing a long-term partner, Hogan explored additional ways in which personality affects an individual's chance at romance. Key findings include:
- Opposites do not attract - A study into personality and romantic beliefs, based on personality assessments and an ideal partner questionnaire, finds that individuals prefer romantic partners that are similar to themselves.
- Being friendly makes one more attractive - Hogan identified positive correlations between an individual's physical attractiveness and high scores on Interpersonal Sensitivity, Affiliation and Altruistic scales. This shows that people are more physically attracted to individuals who value social interaction, make an effort to get to know others and take a genuine interest in people's needs and wellbeing.
- Personality can make people seem thinner - Personality information has a significant effect on how men judged a range of women's body sizes on physical attractiveness.
- Outgoing people are less likely to be in long-term relationships - A study into how personality influences relationship style found that extroverted people tend to be more passionate in their relationships. However, relationships involving passionate people tend to end more quickly.
"These findings indicate that personality plays a much larger role in finding a suitable romantic partner than physical attractiveness or any other characteristic," said Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, vice president of research and innovation at Hogan. "In other words, rather than putting efforts into improving your physical appearance, a great personality may be the secret to finding romance."
"The Science of Attraction" is available for download at: http://info.hoganassessments.com/attraction
About Hogan Assessment Systems
With more than 30 years of experience, Hogan is the global leader in providing comprehensive, research-based personality assessment and consulting. Grounded in decades of science, Hogan helps businesses dramatically reduce turnover and increase productivity by hiring the right people, developing key talent and evaluating leadership potential.