Event Type
Research Presentation
Academic Department
Psychology
Location
Dana Science Building, 2nd floor
Start Date
25-4-2025 1:00 PM
End Date
25-4-2025 2:30 PM
Description
Under the direction of Dr. Seung-Hee Han
This project explores how women’s romantic dealbreakers—traits or behaviors that lead to rejecting a potential partner—differ based on sexual orientation and relationship goals. Guided by evolutionary theory, which suggests that women are generally more selective in mate choice due to higher parental investment (Trivers, 1972), we asked: Do heterosexual and homosexual college-aged women differ in what they consider romantic dealbreakers in short- versus long-term relationships? Participants completed a survey measuring their responses to common dealbreakers across both relationship contexts. We hypothesized that heterosexual women would report more dealbreakers overall, particularly in long-term relationships, while homosexual women would place greater emphasis on kindness and moral traits (Kirkpatrick, 2000). While we found few differences between heterosexual and homosexual women, our results showed significant variation in dealbreaker importance between short- and long-term relationship contexts in both sexualities. These findings contribute to our understanding of how relationship preferences shift depending on both orientation and relational goals and may help inform future research on mate selection and relationship dynamics in diverse populations.
Mate Rejection in Heterosexual and Homosexual College-Aged Females
Dana Science Building, 2nd floor
Under the direction of Dr. Seung-Hee Han
This project explores how women’s romantic dealbreakers—traits or behaviors that lead to rejecting a potential partner—differ based on sexual orientation and relationship goals. Guided by evolutionary theory, which suggests that women are generally more selective in mate choice due to higher parental investment (Trivers, 1972), we asked: Do heterosexual and homosexual college-aged women differ in what they consider romantic dealbreakers in short- versus long-term relationships? Participants completed a survey measuring their responses to common dealbreakers across both relationship contexts. We hypothesized that heterosexual women would report more dealbreakers overall, particularly in long-term relationships, while homosexual women would place greater emphasis on kindness and moral traits (Kirkpatrick, 2000). While we found few differences between heterosexual and homosexual women, our results showed significant variation in dealbreaker importance between short- and long-term relationship contexts in both sexualities. These findings contribute to our understanding of how relationship preferences shift depending on both orientation and relational goals and may help inform future research on mate selection and relationship dynamics in diverse populations.