What Is the Link of Closeness and Jealousy in Romantic Relationships?
From an evolutionary perspective, love and attachment foster closeness, while jealousy ensures exclusivity in romantic relationships. This study examined the links between jealousy and affective aspects of love, hypothesizing positive associations despite their apparent opposition. An online sample...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/2/132 |
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| author | Ana María Fernández Maria Teresa Barbato Pamela Barone Belén Zavalla Diana Rivera-Ottenberger Mónica Guzmán-González |
| author_facet | Ana María Fernández Maria Teresa Barbato Pamela Barone Belén Zavalla Diana Rivera-Ottenberger Mónica Guzmán-González |
| author_sort | Ana María Fernández |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | From an evolutionary perspective, love and attachment foster closeness, while jealousy ensures exclusivity in romantic relationships. This study examined the links between jealousy and affective aspects of love, hypothesizing positive associations despite their apparent opposition. An online sample of 265 individuals in Chile and Spain completed measures of digital jealousy, closeness, love, felt loved, and attachment. Results revealed higher jealousy in Chile than in Spain. Across both countries, anxious attachment and closeness were significant predictors of jealousy, explaining nearly 30% of its variance. In Chile, feeling loved negatively predicted jealousy, suggesting that reassurance of the romantic bond may reduce jealousy in this cultural context. Notably, affective closeness—conceptualized as the inclusion of the self in the other—emerged as a novel predictor of jealousy, extending beyond the established role of anxious attachment. These findings underscore the nuanced interplay between cultural context, affective closeness, and attachment in shaping jealousy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-764e70742d6d4e5aaf016863e49796bd |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-764e70742d6d4e5aaf016863e49796bd2025-08-20T03:12:16ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2025-01-0115213210.3390/bs15020132What Is the Link of Closeness and Jealousy in Romantic Relationships?Ana María Fernández0Maria Teresa Barbato1Pamela Barone2Belén Zavalla3Diana Rivera-Ottenberger4Mónica Guzmán-González5Laboratorio de Evolución y Relaciones Interpersonales, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9170022, ChileLaboratorio de Evolución y Relaciones Interpersonales, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9170022, ChileDepartment of Psychology, Universitat de les Illes Balears, 07122 Palma, SpainLaboratorio de Evolución y Relaciones Interpersonales, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9170022, ChileSchool of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, ChileSchool of Psychology, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta 1270709, ChileFrom an evolutionary perspective, love and attachment foster closeness, while jealousy ensures exclusivity in romantic relationships. This study examined the links between jealousy and affective aspects of love, hypothesizing positive associations despite their apparent opposition. An online sample of 265 individuals in Chile and Spain completed measures of digital jealousy, closeness, love, felt loved, and attachment. Results revealed higher jealousy in Chile than in Spain. Across both countries, anxious attachment and closeness were significant predictors of jealousy, explaining nearly 30% of its variance. In Chile, feeling loved negatively predicted jealousy, suggesting that reassurance of the romantic bond may reduce jealousy in this cultural context. Notably, affective closeness—conceptualized as the inclusion of the self in the other—emerged as a novel predictor of jealousy, extending beyond the established role of anxious attachment. These findings underscore the nuanced interplay between cultural context, affective closeness, and attachment in shaping jealousy.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/2/132close relationshipsromantic bondsemotions |
| spellingShingle | Ana María Fernández Maria Teresa Barbato Pamela Barone Belén Zavalla Diana Rivera-Ottenberger Mónica Guzmán-González What Is the Link of Closeness and Jealousy in Romantic Relationships? Behavioral Sciences close relationships romantic bonds emotions |
| title | What Is the Link of Closeness and Jealousy in Romantic Relationships? |
| title_full | What Is the Link of Closeness and Jealousy in Romantic Relationships? |
| title_fullStr | What Is the Link of Closeness and Jealousy in Romantic Relationships? |
| title_full_unstemmed | What Is the Link of Closeness and Jealousy in Romantic Relationships? |
| title_short | What Is the Link of Closeness and Jealousy in Romantic Relationships? |
| title_sort | what is the link of closeness and jealousy in romantic relationships |
| topic | close relationships romantic bonds emotions |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/2/132 |
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