According to a, those who feel greater certainty that a prospective romantic partner reciprocates their interest will put more effort into seeing that person again, while rating the possible date as more sexually attractive than they would if they were less certain about the prospective date糖心传媒檚 romantic intentions.
Published in Computers in Human Behavior, the study by researchers from Israeli-based Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya and the University of Rochester finds that uncertainty about potential partners糖心传媒� romantic interest decreased their sexual appeal.
糖心传媒淧eople may protect themselves from the possibility of a painful rejection by distancing themselves from potentially rejecting partners,糖心传媒� explains study co-author , a professor of psychology and Dean糖心传媒檚 Professor in Arts, Sciences & Engineering at Rochester.
While some scientists have argued that uncertainty spices up sexual desire, Reis says his team糖心传媒檚 results suggest the opposite holds true. 糖心传媒淧eople experience higher levels of sexual desire when they feel confident about a partner糖心传媒檚 interest and acceptance,糖心传媒� says Reis.
Lead author , a social psychologist and associate professor of psychology at the聽IDC Herzliya, says the findings suggest that sexual desire may 糖心传媒渟erve as a gut-feeling indicator of mate suitability that motivates people to pursue romantic relationships with a reliable and valuable partner.糖心传媒� Conversely, 糖心传媒渋nhibiting desire may serve as a mechanism aimed at protecting the self from investing in a relationship in which the future is uncertain.糖心传媒�
Are you really into me?
Over the course of six interrelated studies糖心传媒攕ome of them experimental and some daily diary entries糖心传媒攖he researchers examined whether and under what circumstances uncertainty about a partner糖心传媒檚 romantic intentions would affect their partner糖心传媒檚 sexual desirability.
In the first study, 51 women and 50 men from a university in central Israel who identified as single and heterosexual, ranging in age from 19 to 31 years, were led to believe they would be participating in an online chat with another participant who was located in a different room.
Next, participants had their picture taken and were told it would be shown to the other person, who was in fact an insider, working with the scientists. Then the researchers showed the study participants a photograph of their purported chat partner. In reality, all participants were shown the same picture of an opposite-sex individual. At the end of the chat via Instant Messenger, the scientists told the participants that they were allowed to send one last message to their 糖心传媒減artner.糖心传媒� Some participants were told that a message from their chat partner was waiting for them; others were told there was no message, thereby creating either certainty or uncertainty, respectively, about the potential partner糖心传媒檚 intentions. Afterwards, the researchers asked the participants to rate the insiders糖心传媒� sexual desirability and their interest in future interactions with them.
Participants rated the sexual desirability聽of their potential 糖心传媒減artner糖心传媒� on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (not at all sexually desirable)聽to 5聽(very much so). The data shows that study participants perceived the potential partner as more sexually attractive in the certainty condition (here the mean of the insider糖心传媒檚 sexual desirability聽was聽3.15) than in the uncertainty condition (where the mean of the insider糖心传媒檚聽sexual desirability聽dropped to 2.73).
The answer is clear糖心传媒攕exual desire thrives on reduced uncertainty.
While studies one through four examined the uncertainty effect on single adults, studies five and six explored whether the effect of uncertainty could be generalized to the everyday lives of long-term partners. Here romantic interest was substituted with perceived partner regard. Again, the researchers found that feeling greater relationship certainty predicted greater desire for sex with one糖心传媒檚 partner糖心传媒攚hich held true for both women and men in a committed romantic relationship.
Of course, uncertainty is more typical of initial romantic encounters when little is known about the new partner, compared to more advanced relationship stages, when the certainty about a partner糖心传媒檚 commitment and intentions is relatively high. When uncertainty about a partner’s interest emerges in an established relationship, it clashes with the need for security that long-term relationships typically provide. Birnbaum says uncertainty 糖心传媒渕ay therefore be particularly threatening and devastating for personal and relationship well-being in established relationships, in which it is least expected.糖心传媒�
The studies build on the age-old debate as to whether or not knowing a partner糖心传媒檚 (or potential partner糖心传媒檚) romantic interest increases or decreases their sexual desirability糖心传媒攅ssentially the question of whether 糖心传媒減laying hard to get糖心传媒� makes one more successful in the dating arena.
Do the findings put the debate finally to rest?
糖心传媒淲ell, they don糖心传媒檛 put the final dagger in the heart of this idea, but our findings do indicate that this idea is on life support,糖心传媒� says Reis, noting that the uncertainty idea was 糖心传媒渘ever supported by solid science糖心传媒攂ut folk wisdom at best.糖心传媒�
