Pupil Size Predicts Partner Choices in Online Dating

Pupil Size Predicts Partner Choices in Online Dating. Tila M. Pronk, Rebecca I. Bogaers, Mara S. Verheijen and Willem W. A. Sleegers. Social Cognition, Vol. 39, No. 6, December 2021. https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.2021.39.6.773

Abstract: People's choices for specific romantic partners can have far reaching consequences, but very little is known about the process of partner selection. In the current study, we tested whether a measure of physiological arousal, pupillometry (i.e., changes in pupil size), can predict partner choices in an online dating setting. A total of 239 heterosexual participants took part in an online dating task in which they accepted or rejected hypothetical potential partners, while pupil size response was registered using an eye tracker. In line with our main hypothesis, the results indicated a positive association between pupil size and partner acceptance. This association was not found to depend on relationship status, relationship quality, gender, or sociosexual orientation. These findings show that the body (i.e., the pupils) provides an automatic cue of whether a potential partner will be selected as a mate, or rejected.