Dress for Success: How Cosplay Plays a Role in Relationship Dynamics

Attendees of comic conventions have begun a growing trend of dressing up as their favorite characters from fiction. Previous research has shown that the way we present ourselves may affect how we think, feel, and behave. However, little research has investigated how dressing as fictional characters might influence one’s relationships. It is hypothesized that “cosplay” affects how individuals are engaged in their relationship. Comic convention attendees (N = 870) responded to inventories on commitment, sociosexual orientation and relationship satisfaction and indicated if cosplay was important in their current relationship. Individuals in relationships involving cosplay reported a higher commitment and a lower relationship satisfaction, and there was no difference between the two groups on sociosexual orientation. We conclude with a discussion on cosplay’s effect on relationships and how cosplay relationships should be examined following this research.