Longing for Another: Extradyadic Infatuation and Its Associations with Features of the Primary Relationship and Infidelity

Abstract

This research examined the experience of extradyadic infatuation, i.e., the tendency to think and to have feelings and desires about someone outside one's committed relationship, building on previous work on sexual fantasies and “crushes”. This research examined the experience of extradyadic infatuation, i.e., the tendency to think and to have feelings and desires about someone outside one's committed relationship, building on previous work on sexual fantasies and “crushes”. While past research mostly focused on the intensity of the extradyadic attraction, we aimed to explore the psychological dynamics of this experience. To this end, across three studies (total N = 546), we developed and examined the Extradyadic Infatuation Scale (EIS) and its relationships with other personal and relationship characteristics. Our first study examined the dimensionality and reliability of EIS. The second investigated its factorial structure, its criterion and construct validity through its associations with actual infidelity behaviors, authenticity and intimacy in one's committed relationship, as well as its links with two other psychological dynamics of the committed relationship, i.e., and jealousy and respect for one's partner. The third study examined the temporal stability of the EIS. The results suggest that the EIS has good psychometric properties and that individuals scoring higher on this scale are less emotionally intimate with, less respectful of, and more jealous of their committed partner. These associations may reflect, at least partly, ways in which extradyadic infatuation can increase the likelihood of infidelity and extend existing knowledge on the psychological and relational dynamics associated with extradyadic attraction.