Relationships

Good looking people are ‘less lucky in love’

They might have won the genetic lottery when it comes to their looks, but according to a new study, more attractive people are less likely to find lasting romance.

We often think that the better looking someone is, the easier their life must be.

That beautiful faces open doors, afford more opportunities, create more romantic possibilities. It’s what’s known in the business as the ‘beauty premium’, and it even gets more attractive people a higher salary.

But new research published in journal Personal Relationships seems to suggest being good looking isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

The team of researchers, led by social psychologist Christine Ma-Kellams, sought the answer to the question ‘Do beautiful people have shorter relationships and more divorces?’

Over the course of four studies, her team found an answer.

The first two studies worked to establish that people who were rated more attractive were more likely to get divorced.

The third study established that people who were more attractive, despite being in exclusive relationships, tended to show more interest when asked to rate the attractiveness of others.

As the authors of the study write, this shows a “relational liability insofar as it promotes perceived interest in alternative partners.”

In the final study, researchers looked at relationship satisfaction and its impact on partners seeking out alternative romances.

Participants who were made to feel more attractive, rated images of the opposite sex higher than those who were made to feel unattractive. This was especially true of those who admitted they were dissatisfied with their current relationship.

“The findings are noteworthy,” the authors write, “because they demonstrate that [physical attractiveness] predicts the likelihood of [a] relationship being threatened—in this case, by poor relationship satisfaction.”

The study found good looking people were more likely to split

Ma-Kellam says attractive people have more options in terms of relationship alternatives, which means it’s harder to protect the relationship from outside threats.

“In this sense, having too many other choices is likely not beneficial for relationship longevity.”

In addition, it was suggested attractive people might be too quick to give up on a relationship and look for another option, where as a less attractive person might put more work in.”

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