اشارات حسادت، اطمینان خاطر شریک و ثبات رابطه: اکتشاف مزایای بالقوه حسادت

Three studies examined possible effects of jealousy evocation and jealous expression in romantic relationships. In Study 1, we used an indirect method to examine subjects' motivations for evoking jealousy in their romantic partners. Students' attributions for ambiguous interactions suggest that jealousy evocation is goal specific and that it is primarily used for mate retention. A majority of Study 1 participants also reported that they had previously attempted to evoke jealousy in a romantic partner to accomplish relationship goals. In Study 2, we examined the expected effect of jealousy evocation, from the perspective of the jealous partner. Here, results suggest that jealousy evocation is unlikely to produce immediate relationship benefits; in fact, it seems more likely to provoke fighting between romantic partners. Finally, in Study 3, we examined the longitudinal association of jealousy with relationship stability. Although there was a positive lagged correlation between participants' partners' jealousy and relationship stability, this association was not significant when participants' prior relationship commitment was controlled. This suggests that while jealousy itself is not causally related to relationship stability, a person's reactions to their jealous partner may be.