The mating sociometer and attractive others: a double-edged sword in romantic relationships

J Soc Psychol. 2014 Mar-Apr;154(2):126-41. doi: 10.1080/00224545.2013.872594.

Abstract

Eighty-one participants were recruited to test the sensitivity of the mating sociometer to mate-value feedback in the context of ongoing intimate relationships. Experiences of social rejection/acceptance by attractive opposite-sex confederates were manipulated. The effects of this manipulation on self-esteem, relationship satisfaction and commitment, perceptions of dating alternatives, and friendship-dedication were assessed. Social rejection/acceptance by members of the opposite sex altered relationship satisfaction and commitment; this causal link was amplified by changes in state self-esteem; and these effects were specific to intimate relationships and did not generalize to friendship-dedication. This research supports a domain-specific conceptualization of sociometer theory, extending the theory in important directions.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Beauty*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Male
  • New Zealand
  • Personal Satisfaction
  • Psychological Distance*
  • Self Concept
  • Sexual Partners / psychology*
  • Students / psychology
  • Young Adult