Researchers Present the Rating of Ideal Life Partner Traits
An international research team surveyed over 10,000 respondents across 43 countries to examine how closely the ideal image of a romantic partner aligns with the actual partners people choose, and how this alignment shapes their romantic satisfaction. Based on the survey, the researchers compiled two ratings—qualities of an ideal life partner and the most valued traits in actual partners. The results have been published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
For many years, researchers have believed that satisfaction in a romantic relationship depends on how well one’s partner fits the ideal image of them, including factors such as intelligence, sense of humor, and appearance. This idea is supported by the ‘matching hypothesis.’ Scientists have repeatedly tested this theory, but results proved to be contradictory. Perhaps this is due to differences in the participants’ marital status. As a rule, the hypothesis was confirmed in studies with people in long-term relationships, but failed in experiments with participants who have not yet found a partner.
An international team of scientists from more than 40 countries, including researchers from HSE University, conducted the largest-scale verification of the matching hypothesis. The global survey involved 10,358 respondents from 43 countries, including Russia.
The researchers asked the participants to rate those traits they considered most desirable in an ideal partner and then to apply these criteria to real people they knew personally. People in a relationship described their current partner, while singles described a person with whom they would like to be in a romantic relationship.
Based on the results, the authors compiled a rating of ideal partner traits (stated preferences) and a rating of traits that influence the evaluation of a real romantic partner (revealed preferences).
It turned out that the stated and revealed preferences mostly coincided, albeit with some interesting discrepancies. For instance, such qualities as ‘confident,’ ‘a good listener,’ ‘patient,’ and ‘calm’ showed a significantly higher rating in the list of stated preferences vs revealed ones. On the other hand, such attributes as ‘attractive,’ ‘a good lover,’ ‘beautiful body,’ ‘sexy,’ and ‘smells good’ have a much higher rating among the revealed preferences. Moreover, the ‘good lover’ attribute was rated highest in terms of revealed preferences, while holding the 12th position out of 35 in terms of ideal preferences.
The researchers also looked into the differences between men and women in categories most important to people: attractiveness (the average of ‘attractive,’ ‘beautiful body,’ and ‘sexy’) and earning potential (the average of ‘ambitious,’ ‘financially secure,’ and ‘good job’). As a rule, men underestimated the importance they attached to concepts such as ‘attractiveness,’ ‘beautiful body,’ and ‘sexuality’ by about six ranks, while women underestimated these three traits by 13 ranks. As for ‘ambition,’ ‘financial security,’ and ‘good job,’ men undervalued them by an average of four ranks in their rating of ideal traits, while women, on the contrary, overvalued these traits to the same degree.
‘It turns out that both sexes underestimate the importance of attractiveness, but women much more so than men: the features they do not consider important turn out to be among the highest priorities in real life. At the same time, men underestimate—while women, on the contrary, overestimate—the importance of such qualities as ambition, financial security, and having a good job. As a result, despite the differences in the stated attitudes, in real life, men’s and women’s preferences are largely the same,’ explains Albina Gallyamova, a junior research fellow at the HSE Centre for Sociocultural Research. ‘However, the question remains: are our real preferences being adjusted due to the changing social structure, or are we actually much less different from each other in terms of basic attitudes than we think?’
The data obtained will help to better understand how people establish and maintain relationships. Therefore, the impact of perfect matching is slightly lower for long-term partners than for those seeking a relationship. ‘Our research shows that while matching one’s ideal does play a role, it should not be overestimated. People can form successful relationships with partners who do not fully meet their ideal criteria,’ Albina Gallyamova explains.
See also:
HSE University Scholars Uncover E-Learning Preferences of Top Students
HSE University experts have analysed students’ digital footprints and shown for the first time that final grades depend on one’s personal approach to an online course. Balanced students have proven to be more successful than those who follow a more traditional and practical approach. The findings from this study will help create a more adaptive and personalised educational system. This research has been published in the journal The Internet and Higher Education.
HSE Scientists Develop Method to Stabilise Iodine in Solar Cells
Scientists at HSE MIEM, in collaboration with colleagues from China, have developed a method to improve the durability of perovskite solar cells by addressing iodine loss from the material. The researchers introduced quaternary ammonium molecules into the perovskite structure; these molecules form strong electrostatic pairs with iodine ions, effectively anchoring them within the crystal lattice. As a result, the solar cells retain more than 92% of their power after a thousand hours of operation at 85°C. The study has been published in Advanced Energy Materials.
HSE Researchers Create Genome-Wide Map of Quadruplexes
An international team, including researchers from HSE University, has created the first comprehensive map of quadruplexes—unstable DNA structures involved in gene regulation. For the first time, scientists have shown that these structures function in pairs: one is located in a DNA region that initiates gene transcription, while the other lies in a nearby region that enhances this process. In healthy tissues, quadruplexes regulate tissue-specific genes, whereas in cancerous tissues they influence genes responsible for cell growth and division. These findings may contribute to the development of new anticancer drugs that target quadruplexes. The study has been published in Nucleic Acids Research.
Mathematician from HSE University–Nizhny Novgorod Solves Equation Considered Unsolvable in Quadratures Since 19th Century
Mathematician Ivan Remizov from HSE University–Nizhny Novgorod and the Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences has made a conceptual breakthrough in the theory of differential equations. He has derived a universal formula for solving problems that had been considered unsolvable in quadratures for more than 190 years. This result fundamentally reshapes one of the oldest areas of mathematics and has potential to have important implications for fundamental physics and economics. The paper has been published in Vladikavkaz Mathematical Journal.
Scientists Reveal How Language Supports Complex Cognitive Processing in the Brain
Valeria Vinogradova, a researcher at HSE University, together with British colleagues, studied how language proficiency affects cognitive processing in deaf adults. The study showed that higher language proficiency—regardless of whether the language is signed or spoken—is associated with higher activity and stronger functional connectivity within the brain network responsible for cognitive task performance. The findings have been published in Cerebral Cortex.
HSE AI Research Centre Simplifies Particle Physics Experiments
Scientists at the HSE AI Research Centre have developed a novel approach to determining robustness in deep learning models. Their method works eight times faster than an exhaustive model search and significantly reduces the need for manual verification. It can be applied to particle physics problems using neural networks of various architectures. The study has been published in IEEE Access.
Scientists Show That Peer Influence Can Be as Effective as Expert Advice
Eating habits can be shaped not only by the authority of medical experts but also through ordinary conversations among friends. Researchers at HSE University have shown that advice from peers to reduce sugar consumption is just as effective as advice from experts. The study's findings have been published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
HSE University Develops Tool for Assessing Text Complexity in Low-Resource Languages
Researchers at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have developed a tool for assessing text complexity in low-resource languages. The first version supports several of Russia’s minority languages, including Adyghe, Bashkir, Buryat, Tatar, Ossetian, and Udmurt. This is the first tool of its kind designed specifically for these languages, taking into account their unique morphological and lexical features.
HSE Scientists Uncover How Authoritativeness Shapes Trust
Researchers at the HSE Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience have studied how the brain responds to audio deepfakes—realistic fake speech recordings created using AI. The study shows that people tend to trust the current opinion of an authoritative speaker even when new statements contradict the speaker’s previous position. This effect also occurs when the statement conflicts with the listener’s internal attitudes. The research has been published in the journal NeuroImage.
Language Mapping in the Operating Room: HSE Neurolinguists Assist Surgeons in Complex Brain Surgery
Researchers from the HSE Center for Language and Brain took part in brain surgery on a patient who had been seriously wounded in the SMO. A shell fragment approximately five centimetres long entered through the eye socket, penetrated the cranial cavity, and became lodged in the brain, piercing the temporal lobe responsible for language. Surgeons at the Burdenko Main Military Clinical Hospital removed the foreign object while the patient remained conscious. During the operation, neurolinguists conducted language tests to ensure that language function was preserved.