FANS, PERCEIVED MATURITY, AND WILLINGNESS TO FORM A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP: APPLICATION OF A SHORT MATURITY MEASURE

In the present research we examine the association between perceived maturity of a group and willingness to form a romantic relationship with a member of that group. In Study 1, we tested the validity of a 2-item measure of self-reported maturity by assessing its relationship with existing measures of maturity and other related measures. The new measure showed evidence of being valid. In Study 2, we modified the scale to examine participants’ perceptions of the maturity of fans of various interests (e.g., sport, music, media) and their degree of willingness to form romantic relationships with a member of each fan group. Results revealed a positive correlation between perceived maturity and willingness to date. Together, the results validate the short measure of maturity and demonstrate its utility in finding associations between perceived maturity, content of leisure interests, and prospects of romantic relationship formation