For young single adults who rated their mate value as low, difficulty in finding a mate in a competitive dating environment takes a toll on mental wellbeing. The pattern was reversed for those who rated their mate value as high, where an overabundance of dating options can lead to “choice overload.”

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Febs0000359

A new study published in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences sheds light on the psychological impacts of perceived sex ratio, or the balance between available men and women, on mental health in young single adults. The research found that the perceived availability of mates influences feelings of anxiety, depression, and general emotional wellbeing, but that this effect depends on how individuals assess their own desirability as a mate. Surprisingly, the findings suggest that both a scarcity and an overabundance of dating options can have negative mental health implications for single adults.

Finding a romantic partner is a significant life goal for many people, and previous research has shown that being in a stable relationship is linked to better mental health and greater life satisfaction. On the flip side, being single or having difficulty finding a partner can be associated with negative emotional states such as loneliness, anxiety, and depression. While much research has explored how relationships themselves affect wellbeing, relatively little is known about how the perceived availability of potential partners influences mental health.

The study involved 647 young adults, all of whom were single, heterosexual, and aged between 18 and 40. Participants were recruited through an online crowdsourcing platform and from introductory psychology courses. To ensure the sample was as uniform as possible, the researchers excluded anyone who had been married, had children, or was currently in a committed relationship, as these factors could affect perceptions of mate availability and related mental health outcomes.

For individuals who rated their mate value as low, a perception of fewer available opposite-sex individuals (meaning they felt their own sex was oversupplied) was linked to increased anxiety, depression, and negative emotions. In this group, the difficulty of finding a mate in a seemingly competitive dating environment appeared to take a toll on mental wellbeing.

Interestingly, the pattern was reversed for individuals who saw themselves as having high mate value. For these participants, an abundance of potential mates (a perception that there were more available individuals of the opposite sex than their own) was associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and negative emotions. One possible explanation for this surprising finding is that an overabundance of dating options can lead to “choice overload,” a phenomenon where too many options can make decision-making difficult and unsatisfying.

In terms of life satisfaction, those who perceived an equal number of available men and women reported higher satisfaction with their lives compared to those who felt there were either too few or too many potential mates. This effect was more pronounced among males, who seemed to be more sensitive to the perceived sex ratio when it came to their overall life satisfaction.