Previous research has demonstrated that men’s lower mate value predicts increased perpetration of mate retention, especially with respect to cost inflicting behaviors. It is less clear if lower mate value women, including those who perceive themselves as being less physically attractive than their intrasexual rivals, also perpetrate more mate retention. Moreover, it is presently unclear whether romantic jealousy, which has been proposed to motivate compensatory behavior in response to evidence that a valued mating relationship is threatened, might mediate this link. The present study addressed this gap in knowledge by examining whether women’s overall self-perceived mate value and upward physical appearance comparisons predicted their cost inflicting and benefit provisioning mate retention, as well as whether jealousy mediated these relationships. In a sample of 167 heterosexual undergraduate women, results found self-perceived mate value predicted greater benefit provisioning mate retention, but not romantic jealousy. In contrast, jealousy mediated the relationship between women’s upward physical appearance comparisons and both their cost-inflicting and benefit-provisioning mate retention, supporting the hypothesis that jealousy in the face of unfavorable social comparisons on important mate value traits can promote action aimed at retaining a mate.

先前的研究表明，男性较低的择偶价值预示着择偶保留率的增加，尤其是在造成成本的行为方面。目前尚不清楚，配偶价值较低的女性，包括那些认为自己外表不如同性竞争对手的女性，是否也有更多的配偶保留行为。此外，目前尚不清楚浪漫嫉妒是否可能调解这种联系，浪漫嫉妒被认为是为了激发补偿行为，以回应有价值的交配关系受到威胁的证据。本研究通过研究女性整体自我认知的配偶价值和向上的外表比较是否可以预测她们对配偶保留的成本和利益提供，以及嫉妒是否调节了这些关系，从而解决了这一知识差距。在 167 名异性恋本科女性的样本中，结果发现，自我感知的配偶价值可以预测更大的好处，从而为配偶保留提供更大的好处，但不能预测浪漫的嫉妒。相比之下，嫉妒调节了女性外貌向上比较与她们保留配偶的成本和利益之间的关系，这支持了这样的假设：面对对重要配偶价值特征的不利社会比较，嫉妒可以促进旨在保留配偶的行动。伴侣。