We exposed male and female undergraduates to a horror movie in the presence of a same-age, oppo-
site-gender companion of low or high initial appeal who expressed mastery, affective indifference, or
distress. Measures were obtained for the subjects' affective reactions to the movie, the companion's
physical appeal, the companion's personality traits, the companion's desirability as a working part-
ner, and the subjects' tendency to acquiesce to apparently erroneous contentions on the part of the
companion. We found that men enjoyed the movie most in the company of a distressed woman and
least in the company of a mastering woman. Women, in contrast, enjoyed the movie most in the
company of a mastering man and least in the company of a distressed man. The intensity of distress
in response to the movie followed the same pattern. Mastery did not enhance the female companions'
physical appeal. However, it significantly enhanced that of the low-appeal male companion. This
companion also benefited from the display of mastery in that pronounced positive traits were as-
cribed to him. On the female side, in contrast, it was the highly attractive companion who showed a
comparable gain in positive traits. The display of distress in response to horror reduced the desirabil-
ity of both male and female companions as working mates. In working together, female subjects
showed a clear tendency to acquiesce to assertions by their male companions who had shown mastery
of horror. The findings were considered consistent with predictions from a gender-role socialization
model of affect.

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