Who Fancies Whom? Investigating Adolescent Romantic Interests

Having or being a crush is a little-studied aspect of adolescent romantic experiences. Guided by sexual selection theory, this study addresses the question of “who fancies whom?” by examining which adolescents are most fancied, who fancies others the most, and how romantic interest relates to (dis)similarities between individuals. Cross-sectional data were collected from the Peers and Emergence of Adolescent Romance (PEAR) study, which included 1,895 participants from a large secondary school with four locations in the northern Netherlands. To account for the interdependence of social network ties, Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs) were used to examine how individual characteristics and dyadic perceptions (including popularity, physical attractiveness, and aggression), as well as contextual factors, such as being in the same grade and school location, are jointly associated with patterns of romantic interest within peer networks. Results showed that adolescents were more likely to be fancied if they were considered popular and had more friendship connections. Physical aggression also increased the likelihood of being fancied. Adolescents who were more socially engaged, including those with larger friendship networks or relationally aggressive behaviors, nominated more peers as crushes, whereas popular students were more selective. Proximity and shared school context were also associated with nomination patterns. Overall, these findings demonstrate how social visibility, status, and individual strategies of romantic pursuit are associated with early adolescent crush patterns, consistent with sexual selection processes.