Scientific journal paper Q1
A worldwide test of the predictive validity of ideal partner preference matching
Paul W. Eastwick (Eastwick, P. W.); Jehan Sparks (Sparks, J.); Eli J. Finkel (Finkel, E. J.); Eva M. Meza (Meza, E. M.); Matúš Adamkovič (Adamkovič, M.); Peter Adu (Adu, P.); Ting Ai (Ai, T.); Aderonke A. Akintola (Akintola, A. A.); Laith Al-Shawaf (Al-Shawaf, L.); Denisa Apriliawati (Apriliawati, D.); Patrícia Arriaga (Arriaga, P.); Benjamin Aubert-Teillaud (Aubert-Teillaud, B.); Gabriel Banik (Banik, G.); Krystian Barzykowski (Barzykowski, K.); Carlota Batres (Batres, C.); Katherine J. Baucom (Baucom, K. J.); Elizabeth Z. Beaulieu (Beaulieu, E. Z.); Maciej Behnke (Behnke, M.); Natalie Butcher (Butcher, N.); Deborah Y. Charles (Charles, D. Y.); Jane Minyan Chen (Chen, J. M.); Jeong Eun Cheon (Cheon, J. E.); Phakkanun Chittham (Chittham, P.); Patrycja Chwiłkowska (Chwiłkowska, P.); Chin Wen Cong (Cong, C. W. ); Lee T. Copping (Copping, L. T.); Nadia S. Corral-Frias (Corral-Frias, N. S.); Vera Cubela Adoric (Adoric, V. C.); Mikaela Dizon (Dizon, M.); Hongfei Du (Du, H.); Michael I. Ehinmowo (Ehinmowo, M. I.); Daniela A. Escribano (Escribano, D. A.); Natalia M. Espinosa (Espinosa, N. M.); Francisca Expósito (Expósito, F.); Gilad Feldman (Feldman, G.); Raquel Freitag (Freitag, R.); Martha Frias Armenta (Frias Armenta, M.); Albina Gallyamova (Gallyamova, A.); Omri Gillath (Gillath, O.); Biljana Gjoneska (Gjoneska, B.); Theofilos Gkinopoulos (Gkinopoulos, T.); Franca Grafe (Grafe, F.); Dmitry Grigoryev (Grigoryev, D.); Agata Groyecka-Bernard (Groyecka-Bernard, A.); Gul Gunaydin (Gunaydin, G.); Ruby Ilustrisimo (Ilustrisimo, R.); Emily Impett (Impett, E.); Pavol Kačmár (Kačmár, P.); Young-Hoon Kim (Kim, Y.-H.); Mirosław Kocur (Kocur, M.); Marta Kowal (Kowal, M.); Maatangi Krishna (Krishna, M.); Paul Danielle Labor (Labor, P. D.); Jackson G. Lu (Lu, J. G.); Marc Y. Lucas (Lucas, M. Y.); Wojciech P. Małecki (Małecki, W.); Klara Malinakova (Malinakova, K.); Sofia Meißner (Meißner, S.); Zdeněk Meier (Meier, Z.); Michal Misiak (Misiak, M.); Amy Muise (Muise, A.); Lukas Novak (Novak, L.); Jiaqing O (O, J.); Asil A. Özdoğru (Özdoğru, A. A.); Haeyoung Gideon Park (Park, H. G.); Mariola Paruzel (Paruzel, M.); Zoran Pavlović (Pavlović, Z.); Marcell Püski (Püski, M.); Gianni Ribeiro (Ribeiro, G.); S. Craig Roberts (Roberts, S. C.); Jan Philipp Röer (Röer, J. P.); Ivan Ropovik (Ropovik, I.); Robert M. Ross (Ross, R. M.); Ezgi Sakman (Sakman, E.); Cristina E. Salvador (Salvador, C. E.); Emre Selcuk (Selcuk, E.); Shayna Skakoon-Sparling (Skakoon-Sparling, S.); Agnieszka Sorokowska (Sorokowska, A.); Piotr Sorokowski (Sorokowski, P.); Ognen Spasovski (Spasovski, O.); Sarah C. E. Stanton (Stanton, S. C. E.); Suzanne L.K. Stewart (Stewart, S. L..K.); Viren Swami (Swami, V.); Barnabas Szaszi (Szaszi, B.); Kaito Takashima (Takashima, K.); Peter Tavel (Tavel, P.); Julian Tejada (Tejada, J.); Eric Tu (Tu, E.); Jarno Tuominen (Tuominen, J.); David C. Vaidis (Vaidis, D.); Zahir Vally (Vally, Z.); Leigh Ann Vaughn (Vaughn, L. A.); Laura Villanueva-Moya (Villanueva-Moya, L.); Dian Wisnuwardhani (Wisnuwardhani, D.); Yuki Yamada (Yamada, Y.); Fumiya Yonemitsu (Yonemitsu, F.); Radka Žídková (Žídková, R.); Kristýna Živná (Živná, K.); Nicholas A. Coles (Coles, N. A.); et al.
Journal Title
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Year (definitive publication)
2025
Language
English
Country
United States of America
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Abstract
Ideal partner preferences (i.e., ratings of the desirability of attributes like attractiveness or intelligence) are the source of numerous foundational findings in the interdisciplinary literature on human mating. Recently, research on the predictive validity of ideal partner preference matching (i.e., Do people positively evaluate partners who match vs. mismatch their ideals?) has become mired in several problems. First, articles exhibit discrepant analytic and reporting practices. Second, different findings emerge across laboratories worldwide, perhaps because they sample different relationship contexts and/or populations. This registered report—partnered with the Psychological Science Accelerator—uses a highly powered design (N = 10,358) across 43 countries and 22 languages to estimate preference-matching effect sizes. The most rigorous tests revealed significant preference-matching effects in the whole sample and for partnered and single participants separately. The “corrected pattern metric” that collapses across 35 traits revealed a zero-order effect of ? = .19 and an effect of ? = .11 when included alongside a normative preference-matching metric. Specific traits in the “level metric” (interaction) tests revealed very small (average ? = .04) effects. Effect sizes were similar for partnered participants who reported ideals before entering a relationship, and there was no consistent evidence that individual differences moderated any effects. Comparisons between stated and revealed preferences shed light on gender differences and similarities: For attractiveness, men’s and (especially) women’s stated preferences underestimated revealed preferences (i.e., they thought attractiveness was less important than it actually was). For earning potential, men’s stated preferences underestimated—and women’s stated preferences overestimated—revealed preferences. Implications for the literature on human mating are discussed.
Acknowledgements
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Keywords
Attraction,Close relationships,Human mating,Ideals,Matching hypothesis
Fields of Science and Technology Classification
  • Psychology - Social Sciences
Funding Records
Funding Reference Funding Entity
APVV-19-0284 Vedecká Grantová Agentúra MŠVVaŠ SR a SAV
UID/PSI/03125/2022 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
451-03-47/2023-01 Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia
VEGA 1/0853/21 Vedecká Grantová Agentúra MŠVVaŠ SR a SAV
PRIMUS/24/SSH/017 NPO
JP22K18263 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
#2235066 U.S. National Science Foundation
APVV-22-0458 NPO
K23DK115820 National Institutes of Health
JP20H04581 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
#62295 John Templeton Foundation
LX22NPO5101 NPO
2020/0738 Association Nationale de la Recherche et de la Technologie World Wildlife Fund
JP21H03784 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
DP180102384 Australian Research Council
B.A.CG-20-02170 Sabanci University Integration
62631 John Templeton Foundation
BCS-1941440 National Science Foundation
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Publication Identifiers
2-s2.0-85208261406
10.1037/pspp0000524
WOS:001369793800001
MEDLINE:39480282
2-s2.0-85208261406
ci-pub-106408
http://hdl.handle.net/10071/33459
Other Publication Details
2024
American Psychological Association
Web of Science©; Scopus;
0022-3514 (print)
1939-1315 (online)
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