Scientists reveal why you should NEVER flirt with others to make your partner jealous

Flirting with others to make your partner jealous is a really bad idea, experts warn.

Whether it’s to boost your self-confidence or to kick your partner’s ass, it can be tempting to look at someone else.

But instead of strengthening your relationship, it will likely backfire and damage your connection, scientists say.

A team from Reichman University in Tel Aviv conducted three different studies involving more than 500 people to investigate how people react when others show interest in their current partner.

All participants were in a committed relationship and were exposed to situations in which their partner received unsolicited flirtatious advances or had a neutral interaction with another person.

They were asked to rate their sexual desire for their partner, their interest in trying to maintain the relationship, and their interest in deterring rivals from attacking their partner.

Analysis found that when other people showed interest in their partner, they subsequently showed less interest in investing in the relationship, felt less desire for their partner, but were more concerned about thwarting potential rivals.

The researchers said that if you’re single, external interest in a potential partner can be a valuable signal of their desirability.

However, once in a committed relationship, that attention can be perceived as a threat and trigger defensive reactions.

In The Journal of Sex Research, they wrote: ‘In three experiments, we showed that individuals perceive their partners as less sexually desirable when their partners receive unsolicited attention from someone else.’

Analysis found that when other people showed interest in their partner, they showed less interest in investing in the relationship, felt less desire for their partner, but were more concerned about thwarting potential rivals (stock image)

They said that when faced with a “threat,” individuals may strive to distance themselves from their partner to avoid the potential blow to their self-esteem from rejection, “rather than risk further attachment to a partner whose commitment is undermined by rival suitors could be endangered’.

“Overall, our findings highlight the conditions under which external attention focused on partners can erode relationship well-being rather than promote relationship advancement,” they said.

‘When partners’ likelihood of being attracted to someone else is perceived to be high, for example when they are receiving attention from others, people may emotionally detach from their partner and therefore reduce their relationship investment.

Even though the desire to deter potential rivals still exists, it may be rooted more in retaliation than in genuine efforts to maintain the relationship.

‘Alternatively, the anger caused by others’ expressions of interest may be directed simultaneously at both partners and potential rivals, albeit in different ways – resulting in emotional withdrawal from partners and confrontational responses to rivals.’

Finally, they wrote, “As a final practical note, our findings suggest that, contrary to popular belief, attempts to attract interest from a current partner by soliciting the attention of others can backfire.”