Emily Perron

March 8, 2017

COM 380

Brief Reading 5

The article, Sex and Relationships Affect Social Self-Grooming considers preening

(self-grooming) and its social aspect. The article presents a study comparing genders and

relationships while examining preening and impressions.Women were expected to receive more

explicit recognition based on evidence suggesting women emphasize appearance more. This has

been found in educational settings and dating. This study also expected that as a relationship

progressed appearance became less important.

In the study, 77 participants were observed in restaurants and bars on the university

campus and then interviews were conducted about the person's relationship with their guest.

Results found that females preen longer than males, married couples or close friends preen less

than others, new couples preen less than those deeper in a relationship, and the longer people

know each other the less they preened. These findings supported the hypothesis and suggest to

look at other potential functions and strategies of preening.

The article is relevant to the course in that body type is influential in how people

communicate from our somatotype to how we preen (manipulate) hairstyle. Individuals form

expectations for attractiveness and grooming and apply the halo effect and allow appearance to

influence judgments about others. Furthermore, as the course explains individuals use body

alterations and clothing as a form of expression and the way we preen ourselves can represent

who we are.
 This article assumes that most people use preening to boost self-esteem, relieve boredom,

reduce discomfort and manage self-esteem. It also assumes that most cultures emphasize female

preening more than male preening -partly due to judgment and attraction to females.

Furthermore, the methods seemed to be complex and too dependent on timing. It seems

challenging to time preening and appear unnoticeable to the subjects. Next, the interview seemed

helpful but placed subjects in an awkward situation. Though interesting this method was

questionable because the interviewer followed subjects out of the bathroom to ask about

relationships. It would be interesting to apply this study to professional studies and how man and

women groom themselves depending on their status within a company. It also may be important

to study how preening develops based on a childs education through kindergarten and 12th

grade, and how the type of education influences preening. The article makes valid points about

appearance and preening. It is obvious that preening plays a role in society and has some gender

differences. It will be interesting to see the influence of preening as gender roles continue to

change.

Preening is an important aspect of human communication based on gender and

relationship status. This show how body type and body alterations and manipulations play a role

in our social lives. The article assumed that most cultures emphasized preening of females over

males and methods used were questionable. However, it would be interesting to apply this study

to a more natural business setting as employees enter the business rather than as they leave the

bathroom.