Predicting appraisals of romantic revenge: The roles of Honesty–Humility, Agreeableness, and vengefulness

This study examined whether personality factors are associated with people’s appraisals of the costs and benefits of romantic revenge. Our goal was to extend our understanding of variables that influence individuals’ decisions to get even with romantic partners. Undergraduates (N = 130) completed the HEXACO personality inventory, the Vengeance Scale, and questionnaires examining people’s beliefs about revenge in romantic relationships. Honesty–Humility predicted individuals’ judgments of revenge as more desirable when appraising its benefits and less undesirable when appraising its costs, whereas Agreeableness only predicted benefit appraisals. Furthermore, vengefulness predicted individuals’ scores on the benefits- and costs-appraisal indices controlling for Honesty–Humility and Agreeableness. These findings provide a first step towards determining whether certain people may be quicker than others to see the benefits of romantic revenge while minimizing its costs.

► Honesty–Humility was related to appraisals of the costs and benefits of revenge.
► Agreeableness was only related to appraisals of the benefits of revenge.
► Vengeance uniquely predicted benefit appraisals while controlling for personality.
► Vengeance uniquely predicted cost appraisals while controlling for personality.
► Certain people may be quicker than others to see the benefits of romantic revenge.