Testing potential effects of facial sexual dimorphism and attractiveness on emotional and sexual jealousy

Previous research on jealousy of relationship rivals has (1) distinguished between emotional jealousy (jealousy about an emotional relationship with no sexual component) and sexual jealousy (jealousy about a sexual relationship with no emotional component) and (2) reported that individuals displaying cues of higher mate value (e.g., attractive physical characteristics) elicit greater jealousy. However, surprisingly little work has tested whether effects of rival appearance on reported jealousy are moderated by jealousy type (emotional versus sexual). Here we investigated the effects of rival facial attractiveness and sexual dimorphism of face shape on heterosexual men’s and women’s reported jealousy. Whereas rival attractiveness had a positive effect on both men’s and owmen’s reported jealousy, sexual dimiorphism of rival face shape predicted women’s reported jealousy only. None of these effects were significantly moderated by jealousy type. Thus, our findings present further evidence for effects of rival appearance on reported jealousy, but find no evidence that these effects of rival appearance are moderated by jealousy type.