Fear of being single and extreme behaviors aimed at finding a romantic partner

This article examines the association between the fear of being single (FOBS) and the willingness to engage in extreme romantic behaviors. Extremism is defined as behaviors aimed at securing a romantic partner that undermine other significant goals and values, and potentially violate social, moral, and legal norms. We hypothesized that higher levels of FOBS, reflecting a greater motivation to find a romantic partner, would be associated with greater engagement in extreme romantic behaviors. Two pilot studies were conducted to develop experimental materials and validate the FOBS manipulation (adapted from Spielmann et al., 2013). Pilot Study 1 involved creating a list of behaviors and assessing their perceived extremity. Pilot Study 2 assessed the effects of FOBS manipulation on FOBS levels, and the willingness to settle for less. Two main experiments followed: Study 1, conducted with single participants, and Study 2, which included both single and coupled individuals. Results from both studies consistently supported a positive correlation between FOBS and engagement in romantic behaviors, both extreme and non-extreme. Significant effects of the FOBS manipulation were observed in Study 2, wherein participants in the negative-single condition exhibited heightened tendencies to engage both in extreme and non-extreme romantic behaviors, and showed a greater willingness to settle for less compared to those in the negative-relationship condition. These findings highlight the motivational role of FOBS in driving behaviors aimed at securing a romantic partner, ranging from ordinary to extreme manifestations.