People who enter sugar relationships — where younger partners provide companionship to older, wealthier individuals – may not be motivated by the reasons we assume, according to surprising new research.
While conventional wisdom suggests difficult childhoods or financial desperation drive people to seek these arrangements, a study of 312 participants revealed a different story. The strongest predictor wasn't childhood poverty or family instability — it was simply a preference for casual, short-term relationships.
"We expected early life hardship would be the main factor pushing people toward these arrangements," says lead researcher Norbert Meskó of the University of Pécs. "Instead, we found that someone's general attitude toward casual relationships matters far more than their childhood circumstances."
The study, published in Evolutionary Psychology, measured multiple factors including childhood family resources, attitudes toward short-term relationships, and openness to sugar dating. While growing up with limited resources did play a small role, it was dwarfed by the impact of overall dating preferences.
The findings challenge stereotypes about sugar relationships being purely about financial necessity. Instead, they suggest these arrangements often reflect an intentional dating strategy for people already inclined toward casual relationships.
"This helps us understand sugar dating as more of a deliberate choice than a last resort," says Meskó. "For many participants, it appears to be just another way of approaching short-term relationships, albeit with explicit material benefits."
Previously:
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• Dating sim lets you date your own existential dread and fridge
• Dating service for terminally ill people
• Try gay orc dating with Tusks: The Orc Dating Simulator
