Predictors for Romantic Attraction to Villains - Pilot Study

To investigate whether and why young women are romantically attracted to men with dark personalities or villains, we aim to design a Qualtrics questionnaire including pictures of well-known TV characters (who are representations of these personalities). The main goal is to assess the romantic attraction to male villainous/heroic TV characters, based on their personality (not physical appearance). However, since physical attractiveness is a prominent predictor of romantic attraction (Eastwick & Finkel, 2008) and not everybody knows every TV character, the use of pictures requires further investigation to minimize bias. Prior to the actual experiment, a pilot study will be conducted to make a selection of the pictures/characters, which will be elaborated in the current registration. Reference: Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2008). Sex differences in mate preferences revisited: Do people know what they initially desire in a romantic partner? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94(2), 245-264. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.94.2.245