While it can be hard to conjure up an idea of who your ‘perfect partner’ might be, we all have our deal-breakers when it comes to dating. 

New research has cited a list of key deal-breakers that most of us have in common. 

The research, published in a recent issue of the journal Personality and Individual Differences, saw the study’s authors conduct four separate studies to find out what kind of deal-breakers different people had, and which of those were the most common.

What has the research deduced about deal breakers

In the end, they narrowed down the participants’ answers to 96 of the most commonly mentioned deal-breakers, before analysing the responses to identify seven key deal-breaker factors: abusive, arrogant, clingy, filthy, hostile, unambitious and unattractive.  

Interestingly, the answers varied depending on whether they were being applied to a short- or long-term relationship, and men and women tended to have different deal-breakers, too.

For example, for women, the most significant deal-breaking factors in short-term relationships were being abusive; and for long-term relationships, abuse also stood out, plus being unattractive.

However, the research wasn’t all negative. As well as identifying these key deal-breaker factors, it also highlighted some of the most common deal-makers – desirable characteristics that tend to outweigh any negative ones a potential partner might possess. 

For women, the most significant deal-making factors in a short-term relationship were someone being attractive and passionate, whereas in a long-term relationship it was someone being intelligent and warm.

And the research also revealed how, despite deal-breakers often spelling the end of a relationship, desirable characteristics (or deal-makers) tend to matter more when it comes to finding a long-term romantic partner.

While everyone will have their own unique list of deal-breakers and makers when they’re searching for a new partner, it’s clear that there are some factors that are universal – especially when it comes to people’s attitudes and actions.

Images: Getty