Does Contraceptive Use Lead to Increased Affairs? A Response to Larmuseau et al.

Abstract

Several recent studies using genetic tools have indicated that extra pair paternity (EPP) rates in humans appear, in various cultures, to be around 1% [1–3], a degree well below previously proposed levels of 10–30% [4]. Since these genetic studies enable EPP rates to be assessed over hundreds of years, rates can be estimated before the widespread use of contraceptives, which have been proposed to potentially impact female choice and EPP rates [5]. In a recent article in TREE, Larmuseau et al. [6] noted that the 1% EPP rates have stayed near constant over several human societies and over the past few hundred years.