Going the Distance: Effects of Exercise Partner Sex and Attractiveness on Performance and Health Outcomes

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether or not the presence of a potential mate would influence partnered exercise performance. It is known that people are more likely to maintain exercise routines when they exercise with a partner, but most studies have not examined the influence on the sex of the partners on their exercise routines. We predicted that exercising with a partner of the opposite sex would improve exercise performance; specifically exercise intensity, duration, and distance traveled on average in exercise routines. In addition participant weights and lung capacities were be used to measure the strength of this relationship and serve as physiological dependent variables. These effects would also interact with participant relationship status, and perceived partner attractiveness among participants with partners. Some participants were assigned to partners of the same sex, others were assigned to partners of the opposite sex, and two control groups (one male and one female) exercised alone. Participants were instructed to perform cardiovascular exercise routines of their choosing for a 28-day period and to record their exercise activities for data analysis at the end. In support of the hypotheses, partners of opposite sexes exercised at greater intensities than partners of the same sex or participants who exercised alone. There was also a significant interaction between relationship status and condition such that participants who were single and assigned to an opposite sex partner traveled significantly further on average than those across all other conditions. Partner attractiveness was also correlated with improvements in BMI and lung capacity.