Liking Some Things (in Some People) more than Others

Partner Preferences in Romantic Relationships and Friendships

Bibliographic Data

ID2931992
AuthorsSprecher (0000-0003-2940-4220, Illinois State University, corresponding author), Susan Sprecher, Pamela C Regan (California State University Los Angeles)
Year2002
Volume19
Issue4
Pages463-481
Publication date2002-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Social and Personal Relationships (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0265-4075 • E-ISSN: 1460-3608
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0265407502019004048
OpenAlexW2156793211
LanguageEN
Citations received119
References cited40

The present investigation examined the degree to which various characteristics are desired in five types of relational partners. Men and women (N = 700) indicated their preferences for several attributes in either a casual sex partner, dating partner, marriage partner, same-sex friend, or opposite-sex friend (randomly assigned). Participants also indicated how important it was to obtain a partner with the desired level of each attribute. Although participants most preferred warmth and kindness, expressivity and openness, and a good sense of humor across relationship types, they clearly distinguished between romantic/sexual relationships and friendships. Specifically, participants preferred (and felt that it was more important to obtain) higher levels of many desirable characteristics - including physical attractiveness, social status attributes, and disposition or personality traits (e.g., warmth, expressiveness, humor, intelligence) - in a romantic/sexual partner than in a friend. Participants also differentiated between same-sex and opposite-sex friend- ships. In general, they preferred higher levels of and/or believed it was more important to obtain physical attractive- ness, social status, and dispositional/personality attributes from opposite-sex friends than from same-sex friends. To at least some degree, men's preferences were associated with the number of others they believed were available for a particular type of relationship; women's preferences generally were associated with perceptions of their own desirability as a partner

Affection · Attractiveness · Casual · Developmental psychology · Friendship · Interpersonal relationship · Kindness · Openness to experience · Perception · Personality · Physical attractiveness · Preference · Romance · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Psychology · Social Psychology

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