New psychology research: Angrier men perceived as less intelligent by women

A new study published in Evolutionary Psychology has found a connection between men’s anger, their partners’ perception of their intelligence, and overall relationship satisfaction. The research suggests that men who exhibit higher levels of anger are viewed as less intelligent by their female partners, and this perception contributes to lower satisfaction within the relationship for both partners.

Evolutionary psychology suggests that people seek partners who exhibit qualities of both competence and compassion. Competence, often reflected in traits like intelligence, signals an individual’s ability to acquire resources and successfully navigate the world. Compassion, on the other hand, encompasses qualities like kindness and low anger, indicating a willingness to share resources and foster a harmonious relationship environment.

While previous research had extensively examined how these traits influence mate selection (i.e., who people choose to be with), less was known about how they operate within established romantic relationships. The researchers recognized a gap in the literature: how do perceptions of a partner’s competence (intelligence) and compassion (low anger) relate to the ongoing satisfaction and stability of a relationship? The new study was designed to address that question.

The researchers recruited 148 heterosexual couples. The women in the study ranged in age from 18 to 74, with an average age of about 28, while the men ranged from 18 to 80, with an average age of about 29. Each partner was assessed individually in a face-to-face session to prevent them from influencing each other’s responses. These sessions, lasting roughly 45 minutes each, involved a series of questionnaires and tests.

The participants’ trait anger, meaning their general tendency to experience anger, was measured using a standardized questionnaire called the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2. This questionnaire asks individuals to rate how often they experience angry feelings using items such as “I am a hothead person.” Each individual’s objective intelligence was assessed using Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices, a well-regarded test of fluid intelligence. This test involves identifying patterns in a series of visual matrices and selecting the missing piece from a set of options. Subjective intelligence, or how smart individuals perceived themselves and their partners to be, was measured using a simple rating scale.

Participants were asked to rate both their own and their partner’s intelligence on a scale from 1 to 25, relative to other people. Finally, relationship satisfaction was measured using the Relationship Assessment Scale, a questionnaire that assesses how well each partner feels their needs are being met within the relationship. The researchers also collected information about the length of the relationship, any previous breakups within the relationship, and the number of prior relationships each partner had.

The results showed a negative correlation between men’s trait anger and relationship satisfaction. This means that men who reported higher levels of general anger also reported being less satisfied in their romantic relationships. Importantly, their female partners also reported lower relationship satisfaction.

The researchers also found a negative relationship between men’s anger and how their partners perceived their intelligence. Women in the study tended to rate angrier men as less intelligent, regardless of those men’s actual, objectively measured intelligence scores. The researchers took care to statistically control for the men’s scores on the fluid intelligence test, meaning that the link between anger and perceived intelligence couldn’t be explained simply by angrier men actually being less intelligent.

This finding suggests that there’s something about anger itself, perhaps its association with impulsivity or poor emotional regulation, that leads to the perception of lower cognitive ability, even when that perception isn’t entirely accurate.

Importantly, the researchers used a statistical technique called mediation analysis to test whether the link between men’s anger and relationship satisfaction (for both partners) could be explained by the women’s perceptions of their partners’ intelligence. The results supported this idea. The pathway went like this: men’s anger was associated with lower perceived intelligence by their partners, and this lower perceived intelligence, in turn, was associated with lower relationship satisfaction for both the men themselves and their female partners.

In simpler terms, angrier men were seen as less intelligent, and this perception appeared to contribute to both partners feeling less happy in the relationship. This finding highlights the importance of perceptions in relationship dynamics. It’s not just about objective qualities like actual intelligence; it’s also about how partners view each other, and these views can have a significant impact on relationship outcomes.

The research support the idea that there’s a perceived trade-off between competence (intelligence) and compassion (low anger) within relationships. When a partner exhibits low compassion (high anger), it seems to negatively color the perception of their competence, even if their actual competence is high. This skewed perception then ripples out to affect the overall satisfaction of both individuals in the relationship. It should also be highlighted that there was an association between a man’s reported anger, and the number of reported breakups, indicating a potential impact on relationship stability.

The study, “Kindness or Intelligence? Angry Men are Perceived as Less Intelligent by Their Female Romantic Partners,” was authored by Jeremiasz Górniak, Marcin Zajenkowski, Kinga Szymaniak, and Peter K. Jonason.