Seven deadly sins of potential romantic partners: The dealbreakers of mate choice

Mate preference research predominantly focused on what people desire in a romantic partner, i.e., dealmakers. It was demonstrated that undesirable traits (dealbreakers) may weigh more in mate choice decisions than desirable traits. We conducted four studies to investigate the key dimensions on which these aversive traits are measured, how the dealbreaker factors complement the dealmaker factors in perceptions of a potential partner, and whether dealbreakers indeed weigh more in mate choice decisions than dealmakers. In Study 1, N = 155 participants reported 96 undesirable characteristics in a potential partner. In Study 2, N = 2445 participants rated these undesirable characteristics according to how much each would make them reject a potential partner. Seven dealbreaker factors were extracted: Hostile, Unattractive, Unambitious, Filthy, Arrogant, Clingy, and Abusive. Study 3 employed the budget-allocation method (N = 1175) and found some consistencies and inconsistencies in the most crucial necessities when measured by dealbreakers vs dealmakers. Lastly, Study 4 found (N = 442) participants were more interested in knowing first their potential partner's dealmaker vs dealbreaker characteristics under constraints. In contrast to previous research, we could not demonstrate the higher importance of relationship dealbreakers when compared to dealmakers, but the two concepts were shown to well complement each other in mate preference research.

Automated summary

Mate preference research primarily focuses on desired traits in romantic partners, showing that undesirable traits may be more important in mate choice decisions. However, the study did not demonstrate the higher importance of dealbreakers compared to dealmakers, but rather showed that the two concepts complement each other in mate preference research.