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. 2018;158(4):421-429.
doi: 10.1080/00224545.2017.1389684. Epub 2017 Nov 17.

Free to be me: The relationship between the true self, rejection sensitivity, and use of online dating sites

Margaret A Hance  1 , Ginette Blackhart  1 , Megan Dew  1
Affiliations

Free to be me: The relationship between the true self, rejection sensitivity, and use of online dating sites

Margaret A Hance et al. J Soc Psychol. 2018.

Erratum in

  • Correction.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] J Soc Psychol. 2020;160(2):264-266. doi: 10.1080/00224545.2019.1599547. Epub 2019 May 14. J Soc Psychol. 2020. PMID: 32037987 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Prior research (Blackhart et al., 2014) found that rejection-sensitive individuals are more likely to use online dating sites. The purpose of the current research was to explain the relationship between rejection sensitivity and online dating site usage. Study 1 examined whether true self mediated the relation between rejection sensitivity and online dating. Study 2 sought to replicate the findings of Study 1 and to examine whether self-disclosure moderated the relationship between true self and online dating in the mediation model. Results replicated those found by Blackhart et al. and also found that true self mediated the relationship between rejection sensitivity and online dating site usage. These findings suggest that rejection-sensitive individuals feel they can more easily represent their "true" selves in online environments, such as online dating sites, which partially explains why they are more likely to engage in online dating.

Keywords: Online dating; rejection sensitivity; relationships; self-disclosure; true self.

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