Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found that people with goals in life are more attractive to potential partners. Their work was published in the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, gazeta.ru reports.
As part of the experiment, scientists posted nine profiles on dating sites. Four of them described different life goals: helping others (prosocial), finding a partner and starting a family (relational), providing material wealth (financial), and creating something new and original (creative). The remaining five profiles did not indicate what these people want to achieve in life.
It turned out that having goals made people more attractive to those who shared the same values. For example, creative people are more likely to communicate with those who are also creative. However, this effect was weakest in the category of financial values.
“In general, if you look at all the profiles, people are not that attracted to those who are chasing wealth,” said study co-author Isabella D'Otton.
Psychologists believe that your chances of finding true love are higher if you focus on your goals and interests than if you try to change yourself for someone who doesn't share your values.
