Romantic dealbreaker factors: Hostile, Unattractive, Unambitious, Filthy, Arrogant, Clingy, and Abusive

Seven deadly sins of potential romantic partners: The dealbreakers of mate choice. Zsófia Csajbók, Mihály Berkics. Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 186, Part B, February 2022, 111334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111334

Highlights

• Previous research focused on positive factors of mate preferences.

• Undesirable characteristics of a potential partner may weigh more in mate choice.

• Negative, dealbreaker characteristics loaded on seven factors.

• Dealbreakers complement dealmakers in mate choice.

Abstract: Mate preference research predominantly focused on what people desire in a romantic partner, i.e., dealmakers. It was demonstrated that undesirable traits (dealbreakers) may weigh more in mate choice decisions than desirable traits. We conducted four studies to investigate the key dimensions on which these aversive traits are measured, how the dealbreaker factors complement the dealmaker factors in perceptions of a potential partner, and whether dealbreakers indeed weigh more in mate choice decisions than dealmakers. In Study 1, N = 155 participants reported 96 undesirable characteristics in a potential partner. In Study 2, N = 2445 participants rated these undesirable characteristics according to how much each would make them reject a potential partner. Seven dealbreaker factors were extracted: Hostile, Unattractive, Unambitious, Filthy, Arrogant, Clingy, and Abusive. Study 3 employed the budget-allocation method (N = 1175) and found some consistencies and inconsistencies in the most crucial necessities when measured by dealbreakers vs dealmakers. Lastly, Study 4 found (N = 442) participants were more interested in knowing first their potential partner's dealmaker vs dealbreaker characteristics under constraints. In contrast to previous research, we could not demonstrate the higher importance of relationship dealbreakers when compared to dealmakers, but the two concepts were shown to well complement each other in mate preference research.

Keywords: Mate preferencesMate choiceDealbreakersDealmakersError management theory