Dark Triad and Committed Relationships: How Perceived Mate-Value Discrepancy Decreases Relationship Satisfaction

Event Center A & B

When studying relationship functioning and psychology, researchers are best served by collecting data from both members of an established couple rather than from individuals. Individual differences, including personality, influence an individual’s attractiveness and mating strategies. One dimension on which people vary that influences mating and relationships is the Dark Triad. Partners with the Dark Triad personality traits have lower long-term mate value and experience lower relationship satisfaction in committed relationships. While they are of lower long-term mate value, Dark Triad partners have a grandiose sense of worth that may lead them to believe that the reverse is true. We hypothesize that Dark Triad traits will be negatively associated with relationship satisfaction; also that Dark Triad traits will be positively associated with a partner-self mate-value discrepancy (MVD-PS). We also hypothesize that the MVD-PS will mediate the association between Dark Triad traits and relationship satisfaction, depending on the value of the partner-potential partner mate-value discrepancy (MVD-PP). Participants will complete an online surveying assessing their mate preferences, their own mate value, and their partner’s mate value. We conduct multivariate analyses to provide estimates of preference fulfillment and mate value discrepancies, for comparison with responses to Dark Triad and relationship satisfaction measures. The current study will supply evidence of input for relationship satisfaction in Dark Triad partners, and help to explain their short term mating suitedness.