Gender, Parasocial Interaction, and Nonverbal Communication: Testing the Visual Effect of Sports Magazine Cover Models

Abstract

An experiment examined gender, parasocial interaction, and nonverbal communication regarding sports magazine cover models. Results indicate that a correlation exists among parasocial interaction, nonverbal communication, and gender, with female cover models eliciting larger effects on test subjects. However, gender did not correlate with parasocial interaction or nonverbal communication among the test subjects, contradicting extant literature. Also, the parasocial interaction and nonverbal communication measurement scales positively correlated. In conclusion, static images are reliable experimental stimuli for parasocial interaction studies and nonverbal measurement scales, and sports magazines are better served by featuring more women.