TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schröder-Abé, Michela
A1  - Rentzsch, Katrin
A1  - Asendorpf, Jens B.
A1  - Penke, Lars
T1  - Good Enough for an Affair. Self-Enhancement of Attractiveness, Interest in Potential Mates and Popularity as a Mate
JF  - European journal of personality
N2  - Using data from the Berlin Speed Dating Study, we tested rival hypotheses concerning the effects of self-enhancement of attractiveness on dating outcomes. Three hundred eighty-two participants took part in one of the 17 speed-dating sessions. After each speed-dating interaction, participants indicated how interesting they found the respective person as a long-term and short-term partner. Using social relations analyses, we computed perceiver effects (being more or less choosy) and target effects (being rated as more or less interesting) of long-term and short-term partner ratings. Self-enhancement was operationalized as the discrepancy between self-rated attractiveness and four components of actual attractiveness (observer-rated facial and vocal attractiveness, height and body mass index). Results indicated that self-enhancers were less choosy with respect to their interest for short-term partners, which was especially true for men, but more choosy with respect to long-term partners. With regard to popularity as a mate, potential partners indicated that they found self-enhancers more interesting as short-term partners but not as long-term partners. As self-enhancement is a key component of narcissism, these results are consistent with findings that narcissists perceive many sexual affairs as an achievement, while preferring selected ‘trophy’ long-term partners, and narcissists have a charming appeal for short-term, but not lasting, social relationships.
KW  - self-enhancement
KW  - physical attractiveness
KW  - mating
KW  - speed dating
KW  - social relations analyses
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2029
SN  - 0890-2070
SN  - 1099-0984
VL  - 30
SP  - 12
EP  - 18
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  -