Unpredictable love? How uncertainty influences partner preferences

Autor: Femke van Horen, Kobe Millet
Přispěvatelé: Marketing, Amsterdam Business Research Institute
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: van Horen, F & Millet, K 2022, ' Unpredictable love? How uncertainty influences partner preferences ', European Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 52, no. 5-6, pp. 810-818 . https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2854
European Journal of Social Psychology, 52(5-6), 810-818. John Wiley and Sons Ltd
ISSN: 0046-2772
DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2854
Popis: Do uncertain events (such as COVID-19) influence the types of partners that males and females feel attracted to in (online) dating? Four studies show that partner preferences are not fixed but dynamic and depend on people's temporary psychological state of uncertainty. Specifically, we show that when facing uncertainty, women are more attracted to men with tougher versus more tender facial features, whereas men are more attracted to women with more tender versus tougher facial features. This effect attenuates under certainty. We show furthermore that uncertainty (but not certainty) increases the preference of stereotypical partner types (caring vs. strong), which can be inferred from these facial features. These results are replicated with different facial stimuli and when uncertainty is activated due to COVID-19, pointing to the timeliness and generalizability of the findings. These findings have implications for our understanding of how and why partner preferences are influenced by uncertainty.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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