Does Being a Perfectionist Also Mean Feeling More Jealous?

By SheSpeaksTeam Jul 19, 2013

Couples who happen to be high achievers may have a more difficult time dealing with feelings of jealousy, at least on Facebook. A new study suggests people who score higher on tests and do well at school tend to be more jealous when their partner receives flirty Facebook messages.

Daily Mail reports about the study from Roanoke College in Virginia that finds the more intelligent a person is the more likely they will become jealous of their partner’s Facebook activities.

Participants in the study were given a series of hypothetical scenarios involving their partner engaging in romantic dialogue on Facebook. Researchers found that the more a respondent fit the “perfectionist” type the more jealous their reaction would be. Women tended to display the most amount of jealousy overall. Interestingly men were most jealous when emoticons were used (like a wink) whereas women had no reaction when emoticons were used.

Researchers believe the reason higher achievers and perfectionists seem to feel more jealous when they suspect their partner may be cheating on them is because it throws their whole idea of perfection out of whack. Study researcher Denise Friedman explains, “Students with higher GPAs are often more conscientious, show greater self-control and tend to be perfectionistic. Perceived infidelity likely upsets their attempts at perfection across the board.”

What do you think of the study that finds higher achievers tend to react in a more jealous way when their partner receives flirty Facebook messages?

Have you ever felt jealous over something you saw on Facebook?