Attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety predict attractiveness devaluation: how individuals in relationships manage the relationship threat posed by attractive alternatives
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Date
2015-06-19
Authors
White, Caelin
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Abstract
Research on the devaluation of attractive alternatives has consistently shown that the strength of one’s relationship commitment can influence an individual’s judgements about the attractiveness of a potential mate. Specifically, depending on a person’s degree of relationship commitment, he or she may devalue the physical attractiveness of that alternative as a means of minimizing the perceived threat to his or her relationship. Because the devaluation process is argued to operate as a function of perceived relationship threat, I hypothesized that in addition to the beholder’s relationship commitment, the beholder’s attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety should also predict attractiveness devaluation, since a heightened perception of threat is a shared feature among these constructs. Additional theoretical rationale for these hypotheses is derived from modern evolutionary theories of attachment, particularly as they pertain to the function of attachment security within mating contexts. Additionally, I hypothesized that these same five variables would predict both relationship quality and relationship break-up six months after initial data collection. Results generally supported all six hypotheses with some important qualifications. Relationship commitment and social anxiety each predicted attractiveness devaluation in female participants only, and attachment anxiety and avoidance predicted devaluation in male participants only. Generalized anxiety also predicted attractiveness ratings for certain targets but only when the two facets of stress and anxiety were used as separate predictors. Moreover, evidence of devaluation was also found for traits other than attractiveness (i.e., interestingness and intelligence) as well as for same-sex targets. Finally, regarding relationship outcomes, participants who scored higher on measures of anxiety also reported being less committed to their relationships on average and had higher rates of break-up at follow-up. Clinical, social, and research implication of these findings are discussed.
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Keywords
attractiveness, devaluation, attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, social anxiety, generalized anxiety