In one study of attention to attractive others, people were asked to judge the effectiveness of 16 advertisements taken from popular magazines like Cosmopolitan and Time. Indeed, being in a healthy, committed relationship may actually distract you (or your partner) from even noticing attractive potential partners! 1,2,3 Instead, some people devalue attractive others or alternatives who could potentially threaten their bonds with their partners. Luckily, there is ample and growing evidence that people in stable relationships don’t automatically succumb to the contrast effect. ( Read more about contrast effects here.)
In this case, you could look less attractive to your partner when compared to someone else that is more attractive, whether that person is a sexy passerby, a good-looking co-worker, or even someone featured in erotic material.
Contrast effects occur when something looks better or worse depending on what we compare to it. Ever catch your partner checking out an attractive stranger on the street? Ever notice all of the good-looking opposite-sex friends your partner has accumulated on Facebook? Such things might seem harmless, but these “beautiful” people may actually make us less appealing to our partners, due to what researchers refer to as contrast effects.
