The Impact of Rejection Sensitivity on Self-Disclosure Within the Context of Online Dating.

Prior research suggests that rejection sensitive individuals may find it easier to express their true selves in an online environment. The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent to which rejection sensitivity (RS) and true self influence self-disclosure within the context of online dating. We collected data from a total of 1,295 individuals who completed an online survey. For those who engaged in online dating, RS was not directly related to self-disclosure in online dating profiles or in communicating with individuals met through online dating sites/apps, but true self was. In addition, there was an indirect relationship between RS and self-disclosure in the context of online dating through true self. These findings suggest that rejection sensitive individuals who feel more comfortable revealing aspects of their "true" selves online may be more likely to engage in self-disclosure within the context of online dating, which could potentially offer some clue as to why rejection sensitive individuals may be somewhat more likely to engage in online dating than less rejection sensitive individuals. That is, rejection sensitive individuals are perhaps more likely to engage in online dating because it may facilitate representation of their "true" selves and may thus increase dating success.

Normative feedback and intentions to help friends with bulimic symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: The current study examined accuracy in estimating campus norms for eating disorder (ED) pathology and the impact of normative feedback on intentions to help friends. Participants: The sample included 130 undergraduate women. Method: Participants estimated prevalence of ED pathology and were randomly assigned to normative feedback or a control condition. Vignettes were presented describing bulimic and sleep disorder symptoms. After presentation of each vignette, participants reported sympathy for and intentions to help friends with similar symptoms. Results: Nine ED pathology estimates were significantly higher than comparison values documented in a larger survey of women attending their university in the previous year. Those who received normative feedback reported lower intentions to help and lower sympathy for a student with bulimic symptoms compared to sleep disorder symptoms. Conclusion: Results raise the possibility that normative feedback could reduce support for friends with bulimic symptoms.

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

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.