Ugly Friend Effect
Pre
discussion questions
What
do you think the ‘ugly friend effect’ means?
Do
you think the man in this photo looks better because he is with beautiful
models?
`
What is the "ugly friend effect"?
It is when someone looks better because
of the attractive people around them.
Before this was dismissed as an old wives'
tale. But new research seems to
confirm the phenomenon as a
scientific fact.
A study in the journal Psychological
Science has shown that a person will rank higher on a scale of attractiveness
when compared next to less attractive people than when judged in isolation.
Scientists at Royal Holloway University
asked study members to rate the attractiveness of different faces shown in
photographs.
The viewers were then told to re-judge the
same faces after pictures of other less attractive people put next to them.
Once this was done, the attractiveness of
the original faces increased from the first ranking.
Dr Nicholas Furl, who did the study, said
that until now it has been understood that a person's level of attractiveness
normally stays the same.
"If you saw a picture of George
Clooney today, you would rate him as good-looking as you would tomorrow.
However, this study shows that how good we
look is affected by the other people we are with.
Last year there was a movie called The
Duff. “Duff” is an acronym for a ‘chosen ugly friend’. The movie’s story is about a
school-age girl who finds out that her prettier and more popular friends have her
be with them to make them look more beautiful.
The new research follows other research
into the effect on perceived
attractiveness of appearing alongside people of the opposite sex. That research found that married men are usually
thought of as more attractive than unmarried men.
This is thought to happen because people
appear more attractive when they are with an attractive person, or people, of
the opposite sex. This is called – the "Hugh Hefner effect" Hug
Hefner is the owner of Playboy magazine who is often in pictures with beautiful
models.
Scientists believe this could be explained
by evolution. In the animal kingdom, males with more females are often thought
of as genetically superior.
Experiments with Grouse birds in the 1990s
found that researchers were able to boost
the popularity of a male simply by putting female birds around it.
Try
to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest
meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and
have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the
reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary
depending on how they are used.
The
answers are below the table.
dismissed
|
A
|
1
|
An idiom to describe information that
everyone believes is true but is not (seems to be true because everyone says
it)
|
old wives' tale
|
B
|
2
|
To let go or leave, to not accept
|
phenomenon
|
C
|
3
|
Each letter in the word is there to replace
another word for example LOL-laugh out loud
|
isolation
|
D
|
4
|
Alone, by oneself/itself, kept away from
other things or people
|
acronym
|
E
|
5
|
Greater than, higher
|
perceived
|
F
|
6
|
To increase, to make stronger and bigger
|
superior
|
G
|
7
|
Viewed, how people see things/their
opinion
|
boost
|
H
|
8
|
An unusual happening/event that can be
amazing/great
|
A=2, B-1, C=8, D=4, E=3, F=7,
G=5, H=6
Some
example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they
are used in the reading to help you understand better.
1.
His comment was dismissed as being untrue.
2.
I think it is an old wives' tale that wearing a hat will
make you loose your hair.
3.
Psy’s song Gangnam Style was phenomenally popular.
4.
If you live in another country
you could feel isolated from your
friends.
5.
FYI has become a popular acronym for ‘for your information.’
6.
Our perception about a country or place is often changed after we go
there.
7.
Your work is superior to last year –
congratulations!
8.
You can boost your energy by eating healthy food.
Some
questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your
answer.
1.
Do you dismiss today’s story, or accept it? Why?
2.
What is an old wives' tale that you know?
3.
How do you feel about the phenomenon of the ‘ugly friend effect.’
4.
Do you think that beautiful people can also feel isolated from others? (i.e. not
accepted or others feel jealous in school)
5.
What is an acronym that you use a lot?
6.
Does today’s story change your perception about being with attractive
people?
7.
Besides appearance, what other
things might make a person look superior?
8.
If someone is not attractive,
what other things can they do to boost
their attractiveness?