Dictionary

wedding ring effect en · NOUN

Meanings

1. (uncountable) A phenomenon in which people who are married or otherwise taken are perceived as more attractive.
   • We tested one of the hypotheses, the so-called wedding ring effect-that women would prefer men who are already engaged or married-in a series of live interactions between men and women. The results show that women do not find men signaling engagement, or being perceived as having a partner, more attractive or higher in socioeconomic status. 2003, Tobias Uller, L. Christoffer Johansson, “Human mate choice and the wedding ring effect: Are married men more attractive?”, in Human Nature, volume 14, number 3: