Cost-inflicting Mate Retention Behaviors Research Articles

Erectile Dysfunction, Suspicious Jealousy, and Partner-Directed Behaviors in Heterosexual Romantic Couples.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) can have negative consequences for men and their intimate partners. The purpose of the present research was to replicate and extend the results of previous studies concerning the connections that ED has with partner-directed behaviors using a sample of heterosexual romantic couples. Specifically, we used an actor-partner interdependence mediation model to examine whether the associations that ED had with men's mate retention behaviors, partner-directed insults, partner-directed violence, and partner-inflicted injuries were mediated by suspicious jealousy, but not reactive jealousy. These associations were examined in 113 romantic couples, using men's self-reports, and partner-reports provided by their female partners. Results indicated that suspicious jealousy (but not reactive jealousy) mediated the associations that ED had with men's use of partner-directed behaviors, such that higher levels of ED were associated with men experiencing more suspicious jealousy, which, in turn, was associated with more cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors, benefit-provisioning mate retention behaviors, partner-directed insults, partner-directed violence, and partner-inflicted injury. However, there were some discrepancies between the reports provided by men and women such that these associations emerged more consistently in the partner-reports provided by women than in the self-reports provided by men. Discussion addresses evolutionary implications of these findings, as well as limitations of this research and directions for research concerning ED.

Sperm Competition Risk: The Connections That Partner Attractiveness and Infidelity Risk Have with Mate Retention Behaviors and Semen-Displacing Behaviors.

The present studies investigated the relationships between men's perceived risk of experiencing sperm competition (i.e., when the ejaculates of two or more men simultaneously occupy the reproductive tract of a single woman), and their use of strategies to detect, prevent, and correct their partner's sexual infidelity. We investigated these associations using self-reports provided by men (Study 1, n = 113), partner-reports provided by women (Study 2, n = 136), and dyadic reports (Study 3, n = 103 couples). The results of these studies indicated that the attractiveness of women was consistently associated with men's use of benefit-provisioning mate retention behaviors (e.g., buying expensive gifts for one's partner, showing signs of physical affection) and semen-displacing behaviors (e.g., deeper copulatory thrusting, more thrusts during copulation), whereas the infidelity risk of women was often associated with men's use of cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors (e.g., threatening to end the relationship, monopolization of partner's free time). Discussion addresses the evolutionary implications of these results, including the possibility that men use both benefit-provisioning mate retention behaviors and semen-displacing behaviors when they perceive their partner to be more attractive, ostensibly as a way to mitigate their risk of sperm competition. Discussion also explores the extent to which these results extend those of previous studies concerning sperm competition risk.

Mate-value and relationship satisfaction: The moderating roles of mate retention behaviors.

Previous research indicates that mate retention strategies are associated with mate value and affect relationship satisfaction. The current research aimed to replicate previous findings in a non-WEIRD society (Iran) and to extend this research by investigating the moderating roles of individual and coalitional mate retention. Participants (n = 754; 416 women) in a committed, heterosexual relationship from two independent samples reported (1) their relationship satisfaction, (2) their partner’s mate value, (3) the frequency of performing individual mate retention, and (4) the frequency of requesting coalitional mate retention. Results indicated that there were positive associations between mate value, individual and coalitional Benefit-Provisioning mate retention behaviors, and relationship satisfaction. We found negative associations between individual and coalitional Cost-Inflicting mate retention behaviors and relationship satisfaction. We found that mate retention moderated the relationship between mate value and relationship satisfaction. Limitations of the current study are noted, and future directions are discussed.

Sexual Communal Strength Partially Mediates the Associations between Mate Retention Behaviors and Relationship Satisfaction

ABSTRACT Mate retention behaviors are associated with several aspects of romantic relationships, but different categories of mate retention behaviors have divergent associations with relationship satisfaction. The present studies examined whether sexual communal strength – which refers to the motivation to meet the sexual needs of one’s partner – mediated the associations that benefit-provisioning and cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors had with relationship satisfaction. We investigated the associations that mate retention behaviors had with relationship satisfaction through sexual communal strength using men’s self-reports (Study 1) and women’s partner-reports (Study 2). We found that sexual communal strength partially mediated the associations that mate retention behaviors had with relationship satisfaction in both studies. Benefit-provisioning mate retention behaviors had a positive indirect association with relationship satisfaction through sexual communal strength in both studies, whereas cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors had a negative indirect association with relationship satisfaction through sexual communal strength in Study 1 but not in Study 2. We explore the reasons why sexual communal strength may play an important role in the connections that mate retention behaviors have with relationship satisfaction.

Women higher in psychopathy and more interested in marriage are subjected to more verbal insults by their long-term partner

We investigated whether women (n = 223) higher in the Dark Triad traits (narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism) are subjected to greater cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors by their long-term romantic partners, and we considered women's desire for marriage as a moderator. We found that women higher in narcissism reported lower levels of verbal insults associated with “derogating value as a person” inflicted by their partners. Women higher in psychopathy reported higher levels of verbal insults associated with derogating physical attractiveness, derogating value as a partner, accusations of sexual infidelity, and general cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors inflicted by their partners. Women higher in psychopathy and who also reported a higher desire for marriage were subjected to more cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors than women higher in psychopathy that reported a lower desire for marriage. In this context, mate retention behaviors may reduce the likelihood of infidelity by decreasing the self-worth of women higher on the Dark Triad traits so that they conclude they are unable to compete successfully for other partners.

The (bidirectional) associations between romantic attachment orientations and mate retention behavior in male-female romantic couples

Attachment orientations of anxiety and avoidance are associated with many important romantic relationship outcomes. An evolutionary perspective has informed research on the associations between attachment orientations and mate retention behaviors, which individuals perform to retain their romantic partner and maintain their relationship. In the current article, we report two dyadic studies (n = 104, United States; n = 978, Germany, Switzerland, Austria) that evaluated: (1) whether bivariate associations between attachment orientations and mate retention domains are replicable; (2) whether an individual's attachment orientation predicts their partner's mate retention behaviors; and (3) whether, over time, mate retention behaviors predict attachment orientations within couples. Results of both studies replicated previous bivariate associations between attachment anxiety and cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors. Longitudinal dyadic data from Study 2 demonstrated that cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors, specifically, predict future attachment anxiety in romantic partners. These results contribute to the emerging body of research addressing the associations between attachment orientations and mate retention behaviors, and suggest an important (bidirectional) role of attachment anxiety in predicting negative partner-directed behaviors in romantic relationships.

Narcissism and mate retention behaviors: What strategies do narcissistic individuals use to maintain their romantic relationships?

The present studies examined the possibility that narcissistic admiration (assertive self-enhancement and self-promotion) and narcissistic rivalry (self-protection and self-defense) would have divergent associations with benefit-provisioning and cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors. Study 1 ( N = 625) revealed that narcissistic admiration was associated with benefit-provisioning behaviors, whereas narcissistic rivalry was associated with cost-inflicting behaviors. Study 2 ( N = 349) showed that narcissistic admiration was positively associated with cost-inflicting behaviors when levels of suspicious jealousy were relatively high. Study 3 ( N = 373) revealed that both narcissistic admiration and narcissistic rivalry had positive indirect associations with cost-inflicting behaviors through the dominance-based orientation toward status. However, these aspects of narcissism had divergent indirect associations with cost-inflicting behaviors through the prestige-based orientation such that this indirect association was negative for narcissistic admiration but positive for narcissistic rivalry. These results demonstrate the similarities and important differences between narcissistic admiration and narcissistic rivalry with regard to the use of particular mate retention behaviors.

Religiosity, intrasexual rivalry, and mate retention behaviors in Iran

Religiosity as a significant cultural aspect can impact an array of reproductive behaviors. In particular, religiosity can influence intrasexual rivalry as a competitive strategy and content of mate retention behaviors among men and women. However, a few studies have examined the relationship between religiosity, intrasexual rivalry, and mate retention behaviors in non-Western cultures. In Study 1, we examine the province-level relationship between religiosity and reproductive outcomes (i.e., fertility, divorce, family values, and sex ratio) in Iran, a non-Western understudied culture. In Study 2, we use a multi-item measure of religiosity, a new multi-dimensional measure to assess intrasexual rivalry (Intrasexual Rivalry Scale; two components of rival-derogation and self-promotion), and Mate Retention Inventory-Short Form (MRI-SF) in a community sample (N = 211). Results suggested that province-level religiosity in Iran is associated with male-biased sex ratio, lower degrees of divorce, and higher levels of fertility. Study 2's findings showed that religiosity is inversely associated with self-promoting intrasexual traits. We demonstrated that self-promotion is related to benefit-provisioning and rival-derogation attitudes in a same-sex individual or is associated with cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors. We demonstrated that religiosity can predict important mating outcomes in both province- and individual-levels in Iran.

Mate competition in Pakistan: Mate value, mate retention, and competitor derogation

Mate retention and competitor derogation are two key components of human mate competition. In a conservative, religious sample from Pakistan (N = 255), the current study investigated evolutionarily informed hypotheses regarding a) sex differences in competitor derogation and mate retention, b) the relationship between mate value and mate retention tactics, and c) the role religiosity plays in predicting the type of mate retention behaviors. The results indicated that across both sexes, higher mate value predicted greater use of mate retention tactics and also predicted overall competitor derogation. Men more than women used tactics of resource display, violence, intra-sexual threats, sexual inducements, derogation of mate, possessive ornamentation, and monopolization. The results also showed that greater religiosity predicted increased use of cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors among men and decreased use among women. To our knowledge, the current study is the first to investigate mating psychology in Pakistan from an evolutionary perspective.

Consideration of Cosmetic Surgery As Part of Women's Benefit-Provisioning Mate Retention Strategy.

Individuals perform mate retention behaviors to minimize the risk of partner infidelity and relationship dissolution. The current study investigates whether consideration of cosmetic surgery can be conceptualized as part of a broader strategy of mate retention for women, but not men. We hypothesized that women’s consideration of cosmetic surgery would be positively associated with performance frequencies of Benefit-Provisioning and Cost-Inflicting mate retention behaviors. We recruited 203 individuals (54% women) in committed heterosexual relationships from Tehran, Iran. Results indicate a positive association between consideration of cosmetic surgery and Benefit-Provisioning mate retention behaviors for women, but not men. There was no association between consideration of cosmetic surgery and Cost-Inflicting mate retention behaviors. Women therefore may consider cosmetic surgery to improve their physical attractiveness as part of a Benefit-Provisioning strategy to retain a long-term mate. We discuss limitations of the study and highlight future directions for research from an evolutionary perspective.

Endorsement of existence values predicts mate retention behaviors

People deploy mate retention behaviors to thwart a long-term romantic partner's infidelity. Cost-Inflicting mate retention behaviors (e.g., inducing a partner's jealousy) are riskier than Benefit-Provisioning mate retention behaviors (e.g., showing love and care for a partner), because the former increase the odds of a partner's defection or retaliation. Individual differences in endorsement of Existence values—i.e., valuing Personal Stability, Health, and Survival—may be associated with the type of mate retention behaviors people perform. We hypothesized that individuals who endorse Existence values more (versus less), would perform less frequent Cost-Inflicting mate retention behaviors (controlling for performance of Benefit-Provisioning mate retention behaviors; Hypothesis 1), and more frequent Benefit-Provisioning mate retention behaviors (controlling for performance of Cost-Inflicting mate retention behaviors; Hypothesis 2). Participants (n=164), each in a heterosexual, romantic relationship of at least three months duration, completed a survey that included the Mate Retention Inventory-Short Form and the Basic Values Survey. Endorsement of Existence values was negatively associated with performance of Cost-Inflicting mate retention behaviors (supporting Hypothesis 1), and positively associated with performance of Benefit-Provisioning mate retention behaviors (supporting Hypothesis 2). We situate these results within an evolutionary framework on mate retention, and discuss their theoretical and applied utility.

The Big Five personality dimensions and mate retention behaviors in Iran

Personality dimensions are associated with various romantic relationship outcomes. The current study examined associations among the Big Five personality dimensions and mate retention domains in a community sample in Iran. Participants (n=308) completed a survey that included measures of personality and mate retention behaviors. The results revealed that Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience were negatively associated with Cost-Inflicting mate retention behaviors (e.g., mate concealment, threatening infidelity), and that these associations remained significant when controlling for key demographic variables of sex, age, education, and relationship length. The results highlight the relationship between personality dimensions and mate retention in a non-Western culture. Limitations of the current study are noted and future directions are discussed.

Husband's Esteem Predicts his Mate Retention Tactics

Men sometimes enact mate retention tactics to thwart a partner's infidelity or prevent their defection from the relationship. These tactics include low-risk acts that render the current relationship more attractive by bestowing benefits on the woman, as well as cost-inflicting acts that render defection from the relationship risky or dangerous for her. Previous research has linked men's mate retention behavior with men's mate value (value as a current or potential partner) using women's reports. The current research addresses limitations of that research using self-reports and cross-spousal reports from 107 married couples concerning their self-esteem and their esteem for their partner. The results indicate that the level of esteem that wives have for their husbands is positively associated with their perception of their husband's use of positive inducements and negatively associated with their husband's self-reported use of cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors (i.e., Direct Guarding, Intersexual Negative Inducements, and Intrasexual Negative Inducements). The level of self-esteem reported by men was negatively associated with their self-reported direct guarding behavior. Discussion explores the possibility that esteem-both self-esteem and esteem from one's partner-functions as an internal gauge of relative mate value.

He said, she said: Men’s reports of mate value and mate retention behaviors in intimate relationships

Previous research indicates that men may have evolved psychological mechanisms that motivate behaviors designed to retain a long-term partner. Some of these behaviors function by inflicting (or threatening to inflict) costs on a partner who might be tempted to be unfaithful or to terminate the relationship, whereas others function by bestowing benefits on a partner to encourage her fidelity and commitment. Previous research indicates that men of higher mate value are more likely than men of lower mate value to engage in benefit-provisioning mate retention behaviors, whereas lower mate value men are more likely than higher mate value men to engage in cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors. Existing evidence, however, rests on women’s self-reports of their own and their partner’s mate value as well as their partner’s mate retention behaviors. The current study investigates the extent to which the relationships between mate value and mate retention exist when men report on their own and their partner’s mate value and their own retention behaviors. Results suggest that men’s reports are sensitive to the relationship between women’s mate value and men’s mate retention, but not men’s mate value and men’s mate retention.

Do Women Pretend Orgasm to Retain a Mate?

The current study tested the hypothesis that women pretend orgasm as part of a broader strategy of mate retention. We obtained self-report data from 453 heterosexual women (M age, 21.8 years) in a long-term relationship (M length, 32.8 months) drawn from universities and surrounding communities in the southeastern United States. The results indicated that (1) women who perceived higher risk of partner infidelity were more likely to report pretending orgasm, (2) women who reported greater likelihood of pretending orgasm also reported performing more mate retention behaviors, and (3) women's perceptions of partner infidelity risk mediated the relationship between pretending orgasm and the performance of cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors, such as Intersexual Negative Inducements ("Flirted with someone in front of my partner") and Intrasexual Negative Inducements ("Yelled at a woman who looked at my partner"). Thus, pretending orgasm may be part of a broader strategy of mate retention performed by women who perceive higher risk of partner infidelity.

It’s not all about her: Men’s mate value and mate retention

Men may have evolved psychological mechanisms that motivate mate retention behaviors to prevent their partners from being sexually unfaithful or defecting from the relationship because these events are likely to have inflicted reproductive costs on males over human evolutionary history. In the current research, 235 women provided information about their own and their long-term partners’ mate value relative to alternatives, as well as information about their partners’ mate retention behaviors. Men’s mate value is a better predictor of men’s mate retention behaviors than is women’s mate value. Specifically, men of higher mate value perform more benefit-provisioning and fewer cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors than men of lower mate value. The discussion notes limitations and highlights directions for future research.

Mate value of romantic partners predicts men’s partner-directed verbal insults

To prevent a partner’s infidelity and defection from the relationship, men perform mate retention behaviors, sometimes inflicting costs on their partners. These cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors are considered high-risk because in addition to decreasing the likelihood of future infidelity, they also may increase the likelihood of future relationship defection. Although previous research has indicated that mate value (expected future reproduction; [Trivers, R.L. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. In: B. Campbell (Ed.), Sexual selection and the descent of man, 1871-1971. Aldine, Chicago, pp. 136-179]) may be related to mate retention generally [Buss, D.M. (2003). The evolution of desire (rev. ed.). New York: Basic Books; Buss, D.M., & Shackelford, T.K. (1997). From vigilance to violence: Mate retention tactics in married couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 346-361], research has not addressed cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors specifically. The current research examines the relationship between men’s and women’s mate values and men’s use of partner-directed insults—a specific type of cost-inflicting mate retention behavior. One hundred fifty-eight women provided information about their own mate value, their partner’s mate value, and their partner’s verbal insults. The results indicate that although men’s and women’s mate values independently predict men’s partner-directed insults, men’s mate value is a better predictor than is women’s mate value. Women who report that their partners have lower mate value also report that their partners insult them more frequently than women who report that their partners have higher mate value.