An Elon University psychology major is exploring how someone’s self-perceived social value might affect their willingness to overlook negative attributes – or compensatory traits, as she calls them – in a potential partner.
Caroline Niedermeyer’s project sought to assess how many flaws an individual was willing to ignore in a romantic partner, following a model created by Jordann Brandner, an assistant professor of cognitive psychology at Elon. Niedermeyer’s study consists of providing participants with profiles of prospective partners — each with numeric scores tied to the eight traits researchers sought to assess.
The traits ranged from facial attractiveness to physical health to finances, with Niedermeyer’s hypothesis being that women and men would prioritize different traits. She also predicted that people would continue to conform to a previously established model of “assortative mating,” in which individuals tend to be attracted to others who possess a similar social value.
Participants were asked to “consider” or “reject” the profiles they were presented based on their ability to rank specific attributes on a quantitative scale from 1 to 99. The process closely resembled dating apps such as Tinder and Bumble, mimicking the ability of individuals to present and reflect on their most and least desirable traits.
Niedermeyer predicted that participants with negative self-perception would have an inherent preference toward profiles with flaws, seeing them to be on a similar social level.
Niedermeyer said her work held significant relevance to the dating life of a typical college student.
“We’ve all settled. I’ve settled,” Niedermeyer said. “It’s not fun.”
Her study also addressed the tendency of people with low self-perception to ignore potential red flags in their partners, which could encourage toxic and abusive relationships in the long-run.
“I think a lot of these traits and people’s tolerance for these more negative traits could lead to harmful outcomes,” Niedermeyer said.
Niedermeyer’s study additionally extended to gender-based differences. Heterosexual females, Niedermeyer said, were more drawn to men they perceived could provide for them and their children, a factor that also included financial health and social status. But men were more likely to seek out women whose physical attractiveness and health were indicative of the woman’s ability to successfully reproduce and pass on his genes.
“I just think that it’s really important to be aware of the preferences that we have and why we have them, and to make sure that we evaluate our mates on all of them as early as we can before we get covered by the rose-colored glasses,” Niedermeyer said.
Zoya Balakrishnan
Zoya Balakrishnan is a rising senior at Watchung Hills Regional High School in Warren, New Jersey. A passionate writer and public speaker, she is the captain of WHRHS’ speech team, vice president of her Model United Nations team, and the organizer and speech coach for TEDxYouth@WHRHS. Having lived in Switzerland for three years and visited more than 30 countries, Zoya finds immense significance in understanding and appreciating diverse cultures and worldviews. She intends to major in communications and psychology, with her original TEDxYouth Talk “How Much ‘I’ in Identity?” leading her toward a goal of learning more about the nuances of identity and perspective, as well as the importance of sharing them with the world. Zoya also serves as a member of Somerset County Youth Leadership, tutors at Kumon, and enjoys scuba diving and surfing whenever she gets an opportunity.
Abigayl Maryo
Abigayl Maryo was born in Ethiopia and is of Eritrean and Italian descent. She moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, at the age of 3 and is currently a rising senior at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School. As an advocate for human rights, she is passionate about international relations and journalism. In her school, she has held various leadership roles, including as an editor for the school newspaper, where she has been writing since her sophomore year. She actively works to raise awareness about global issues and social justice. Outside school, she dedicates her time to advocating for women’s rights and contributing to causes that amplify underrepresented voices. She is excited to pursue a career that blends international relations with journalism, with the goal of working at the United Nations to support human rights and global equality.