Love Me Not: Cardiac Responses to Romantic Rejection in Online Dating

Romantic love is a fundamental human need, yet the rise of online dating platforms has made romantic rejection a frequent experience. While the psychological consequences of social rejection are documented, less is known about romantic rejection and how individual differences, such as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and attachment styles, influence the immediate physiological processing of rejection. The present study investigated the effects of ACEs and attachment styles on cardiac deceleration and subjective pain in response to feedback in a simulated online dating environment. Participants (N = 49) completed the ACE-Questionnaire and Revised Adult Attachment Scale before engaging in a "Tinder-like" task where they received acceptance or rejection feedback while electrocardiogram (ECG) data was recorded. Results revealed that rejection feedback caused significant cardiac deceleration and higher subjective pain ratings compared to other feedback conditions. However, neither ACEs nor attachment style showed significant associations to cardiac deceleration and subjective pain. These findings suggest that while online rejection elicits heart deceleration, this response was not associated with ACEs or attachment style in the present non-clinical sample.