Online dating often provides access to large choice sets, thus more dating alternatives. Prior work suggests more choice may lead to negative relational outcomes, yet the mechanism underlying this relationship is unclear. Thus, we examined the process underlying the link between choice in online dating and relational pursuit and commitment readiness, while articulating alternative theoretical explanations for the effect. Our preregistered experimentrandomly assigned 193 participants to high (thirty-one profiles) or low (six profiles) choice conditions to select one person to go on a date with, and such profiles were part of a bespoke database that varied traits and preferences to resemble heterogeneity in a dating market. Contradicting prior work, high choice participants reported greater relational pursuit intentions with their choice than low choice participants, which was mediated by perceived compatibility. Our findings highlight the merits of considering unique properties of interpersonal evaluation in online dating when studying choice quantity.
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Hu et al. (2024) studied this question.
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