Rachel and The City: You Look Hotter With Your Friends

Hi, ladies! I’m your newest girl when it comes to fashion, style, trends, and everything in between. I’d like to believe that one day I’ll be a Carrie Bradshaw, living my dream in NYC. But for now, I take on Florida State with “Rachel and The City: Tallahassee Edition” – Enjoy!

The other day I was sitting in my English class, analyzing sources and relating them back to our assignment. I’m double majoring; one of them being in English, yet no words can describe how much that class bores me. Anyways, that’s beside the point. This day was different. Something sparked in my head. My professor had actually shown the class something interesting: a study I believe all women should be aware of, especially in college. Some may laugh, some may take it too seriously, and some may not believe it at all.

According to the new study published by psychologists Drew Walker and Edward Vul of the University of California, San Diego, people look more attractive in groups rather than by themselves. What exactly does this mean? Well basically, more guys think you’re hotter when you’re with your friends rather than when you’re by yourself, say at a bar ordering a drink alone. Pause. What? 

First of all, if a guy thinks you look hotter in a group, what happens when he finally sees you by yourself? Expecting the worst, hoping for the best I’m guessing? It’s superficial and weird, but hey, that’s what the study suggests.

The Date Report  sees it as, “Blame your brain… When confronted by a group of people, your visual system creates ‘ensemble representations’ that blend their features. We’re instinctively drawn to ‘average’ faces, possibly because – in evolutionary terms – they indicate that a potential mate is not a horrifying mutant who crawled out of our nightmares. Lo and behold, the average group face your neurons have Photoshopped for you is more appealing than the group’s individual faces.”

Some Collegiette’s may take this the wrong way and blame the guys. On the other hand, I know there’s a few of you who consider this study a revelation, currently in the process of calling your best friend, her friend, her best friend’s sister, her mom, you get it. I’m not judging. After all, part of the college experience is socializing and meeting new people because really, when are you going to be surrounded with more single people in your life? 

We all know how fun it is to go out with a big group of friends, but sometimes it’s more fun to be with one or two of your best friends; to get away from everyone for a while and do your own thing. So if you’re one of those people who isn’t calling everybody in your contact list right now to go to the Strip or the new rooftop bar at College Town, don’t let this study affect your personal preferences because the right guy will always think you’re beautiful whether you’re in a group setting or not.