Washington – The butterflies in your stomach aren’t the only thing you’ll acquire when you’re in a relationship. You’ll also get a healthy boost of self-esteem.
A new study published in Psychological Science says men feel a certain amount of social permanence based on the fact that they are in a relationship — and that status boosts their confidence.
“For men, uniquely, it can be a marker of stability,” says Dr. Tracy Kwang, the study’s leader.
Women feel self-esteem based on the connection they share with their partner.
To measure if this boost in self-worth is disrupted by a break-up, Kwang and her colleagues asked the study’s participants to imagine their relationship coming to an end.
“Men immediately became concerned with achievement while women immediately turned their attention to connection,” Kwang says.
Follow @WTOP and @WTOPliving on Twitter.
