Long-term Mating Strategies Research Articles

Relationship Status Rather than Sociosexuality or Sexual Orientation Predicts Male Sexual Functioning.

Male sexual functioning is a prerequisite for conception and consequently for reproduction and is thus a crucial mechanism from an evolutionary and social perspective. Previous studies reported better sexual functioning in coupled compared to single individuals. However, it is not clear whether sexual functioning increases or decreases with a short-term casual sexual strategy, which is another possibility, along with a long-term strategy. Furthermore, sexual orientation may represent yet another mating strategy that may influence sexual functioning. Here, we aimed to test the possible associations between male sexual functioning and sexual strategies, as measured through sociosexuality, relationship status, and sexual orientation. We hypothesize that due to its relationship with the evolved motivation of mate acquisition and mate retention, both stable relationships and sociosexuality would be positively associated with male sexual functioning. We did not expect significant differences in sexual functioning among men with different sexual orientations. We sampled 427 healthy men of different sexual orientations (203 heterosexuals, 77 bisexuals, and 147 gay men) who completed the Male Sexual Function Index (MSFI) and its subscales of desire, arousal, erection, orgasm, and satisfaction; the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory-Revised; and sociodemographic questions. A multivariate general linear model showed that, compared to single individuals, partnered individuals reported greater MSFI-arousal, MSFI-erection, MSFI-orgasm, and MSFI-satisfaction. Sociosexuality and sexual orientation only weakly predicted MSFI domains. Male sexual functioning thus seems to be moderately associated with a long-term mating strategy and can thus serve for relationship maintenance rather than for acquiring new partners.

Study on the Sexual Attractiveness of Male Beard and Female Long Hair to the Opposite Sex

In contemporary society, men gradually increase their demand for shavers to keep their faces clean. Women also seem to pursue long hair by using a wig or artificial hair integrations. So, this paper will analyze these phenomena by studying the role of male beard and female long hair in mating selection from an evolutionary psychology perspective. This work is largely based on empirical evidence, previous studies , and relevant theories (such as short- and long-term mating strategies, parental investment theory, and good genes theory) to verify the hypotheses and generate the results. Unlike our initial assumptions, the result shows that women prefer men with beards in short-term relationships and men without beards in long-term relationships. The results also indicated that men prefer long-haired women more in long-term relationships while not having any preference for long-haired women in short-term relationships.

Attachment Security Priming Affecting Mating Strategies Endorsement among College Students.

Exposure to environmental cues reflecting potential threats to future survivability is associated with a stronger endorsement of short-term mating strategies. Less is known, however, about the effects of safety and security cues. In four studies, we examined the effects of attachment-related security cues compared to neutral cues on preferences for short- and long-term mating strategies. Preferences were assessed using self-report and behavioral measures. In line with Life History Theory (LHT) and our hypotheses, exposure to attachment-related security cues was mainly associated with a stronger preference for long-term mating strategies and a weaker preference for short-term strategies. Our internal meta-analysis of the experimental security manipulations across studies provided further support for the association between state attachment security and endorsement of mating strategies. We also found some predictable effects of gender and relationship status. Implications for LHT and attachment theory are discussed. (139 words).

Dependents as Signals of Mate Value: Long-term Mating Strategy Predicts Displays on Online Dating Profiles for Men.

Sexual strategies theory indicates women prefer mates who show the ability and willingness to invest in a long-term mate due to asymmetries in obligate parental care of children. Consequently, women’s potential mates must show they can provide investment – especially when women are seeking a long-term mate. Investment may be exhibited through financial and social status, and the ability to care for a mate and any resulting offspring. Men who care for children and pets (hereafter “dependents”) are perceived as high-quality mates, given that dependents signal an ability to invest; however, no studies have examined how dependents are associated with short-term and long-term mating strategies. Here, online dating profiles were used to test the predictions that an interactive effect between sex and mating strategy will predict displays of dependents, with long-term mating strategy predicting for men but not women. Moreover, this pattern should hold for all dependent types and, due to relative asymmetries in required investment, differences will be strongest regarding displays of children and least in non-canine pets. As expected, men seeking long-term mates displayed dependents more than men seeking short-term mates, but both men and women seeking long-term mates displayed dependents similarly. This pattern was driven mostly by canines. These findings indicate that men adopting a long-term mating strategy display their investment capabilities more compared to those seeking short-term mates, which may be used to signal their mate value.

Intuitive Perceptions of the Relationship Between Mating Strategies and Religiosity: Participant Religiosity Influences Perceptions, but Not Gender

Recent evidence suggests that the adoption of religious beliefs and values may be used strategically to enhance long-term mating strategies, which implies an intuitive connection between differences in mating strategy and religiosity. This connection was investigated in a two-part primary hypothesis: perception of long-term mating strategies should increase association with religiosity and decrease association with nonreligiosity, while perception of short-term mating strategies should decrease association with religiosity and increase association with nonreligiosity. This was studied using a novel methodology of developing two mating strategy narratives (short-term vs. long-term) constructed from a preestablished measure and exploiting the tendency to use the representativeness heuristic and conjunction error to study the intuitive links between mating strategies and religiosity. Study 1 served as a pilot study using undergraduates and confirmed the primary hypothesis. Studies 2 and 3 expanded on study 1 by using a more representative sample through a larger Qualtrics panel of participants more closely matched to the general US population and also added the variables of participant religiosity and gender to the analysis. These studies not only confirmed the primary hypothesis but also demonstrated that how religiosity is described has an effect on whether or not it is associated with long-term strategies. Gender did not have an effect on the association between mating strategy and religiosity, but in study 3, nonreligious individuals did not associate long-term mating strategies with religiosity.

Want to Hookup?: Sex Differences in Short-term Mate Attraction Tactics

While a great deal of psychological research has been conducted on sex-specific mate choice preferences, relatively little attention has been directed toward how heterosexual men and women solicit short-term sexual partners, and which acts are perceived to be the most effective. The present research relied on an act nomination methodology with the goal of determining which actions are used by men and women to solicit a short-term “hook-up” partner (study 1) and then determine which of these actions are perceived as most effective by men and women (study 2). Using sexual strategy theory, we hypothesized that actions that suggest sexual access would be nominated most often by women whereas actions that suggest a willingness to commit were expected to be nominated most often by men. Additionally, men and women were predicted to rate actions by men that suggest a willingness to commit as most effective and actions by women that suggest sexual access as most effective. The results were consistent with these hypotheses. These findings are discussed in the context of both short- and long-term mating strategies and mate solicitation. The relationship between motivation, sexual strategies, and sexual behavior are examined, along with the need for research on the hookup tactics and motivations of self-identifying gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals.

Plurality in mating: Exploring the occurrence and contingencies of mating strategies

People adopt a variety of strategies in order to achieve specific mating goals. The current research nominated nine different mating strategies, and attempted to estimate their occurrence. Evidence from an online sample of 6273 Greek-speaking participants, indicated that a mixed strategy was in the highest occurrence, followed by a long-term and a short-term mating strategy. Men were more likely than women to prefer a short-term and a mixed mating strategy, and that younger participants were more likely to prefer a mixed than a long-term mating strategy. In addition, heterosexual women with same-sex attraction were more likely than exclusively heterosexual women to prefer a short-term and a mixed strategy than a long-term mating strategy. Furthermore, we found that men were more likely than women and older participants were more likely than younger participants to indicate that they would cheat on their partners if they were in a long-term intimate relationship. Furthermore, heterosexual with same-sex attraction, bisexual and homosexual men and women were more likely than exclusive heterosexual participants to indicate that they would cheat on their partners when in a long-term intimate relationship.

Mating Strategies: Exploring Sex Differences and Similarities in the Greek Cultural Context

People employ at least three strategies when they engage in mating: They look for a long-term partner (long-term mating strategy), short-term partners (short-term mating strategy), or a long-term partner along with casual extra-pair ones (mixed mating strategy). The current research examines the degree to which the two sexes diverge in the adoption of these strategies. In an online sample of 2,307 Greek-speaking participants, it was found that men were more likely than women to prefer a short-term strategy or a mixed strategy rather than a long-term strategy. However, the two sexes were similar in that large majorities of both preferred a long-term strategy. It was also found that a short-term strategy was preferred more frequently by younger than by older participants, and a mixed strategy was reported more frequently by married participants than by those who were in a relationship or who were single.

Sexual selection and religion: Can the evolution of religion be explained in terms of mating strategies?

This article considers the application of sexual selection theory to the study of religion by discussing the basic concepts and theories in sexual selection and then outlines possibilities of its application to the study of the evolution of religion. The first section outlines basic principles in the sexual selection account, including the evolution of human mating strategies based on dimorphism, gender differences in human mating strategies, and the role of different cultural activities in mating dynamics. Such an overview may be useful for the readers who are less familiar with the basic assumptions of the sexual selection theory. The remaining sections demonstrate how religion may function as a signal for mating qualities associated with a long-term mating strategy and how different facets of religiosity may help to support long-term mating strategies. The key idea of the article is that there are good reasons to try to explain the evolution of at least some of the components of religion in terms of sexual selection.

New approaches to modeling primate socioecology: Does small female group size BEGET loyal males?

Humans are unusual in having stable male-female breeding bonds within multi-level societies. Such societies are not found in other apes, but have evolved independently in other primates, including several African papionins: hamadryas and Guinea baboons and gelada monkeys. Stable breeding bonds have been proposed to evolve either (1) because males can monopolize females when food distribution forces females to forage in small groups or (2) because females exchange exclusive mating for male services, such as protection from infanticide. Comparative studies are needed to test these hypotheses. In the meantime, we used an agent-based computer model to test the plausibility of these hypotheses. We simulated primates living in social groups within a larger population using a model we call BEGET (Behavior, Ecology, Genetics, Evolution, and Tradeoffs), which employed decision vectors, experimental evolution, realistic trade-offs, and phenotypic plasticity. We employed experimental evolution to generate male genotypes that varied in their competitive ability and in their long-term mating strategy. “Rover” males searched for and mated with any sexually receptive females whereas “Loyalist” males formed stable associations with particular groups of females. Much like living primates, the virtual primates exhibited tradeoffs between contest and scramble competition for access to females: Loyalists evolved larger body size than Rovers. We tested the effect of female foraging group size and the presence of infanticide and infant protection on the relative success of these strategies. We found that Loyalists achieved greater reproductive success than Rovers only when females were in groups smaller than four. Both Rovers and Loyalists sometimes evolved infanticidal behavior, but the presence of infanticide benefited Rovers rather than Loyalists, suggesting that the evolution of stable breeding bonds depends on the spatial distribution of females, rather than the risk of infanticide.

Be yourself: Authenticity as a long-term mating strategy

We hypothesize that “being yourself” is the dating strategy of individuals that have successful long-term relationships. Study 1 examined the relationships between authenticity and personality variables that predict relationship outcome. Study 2 employed a two-part acts nomination design to enumerate “being yourself” while dating and to examine personality correlates of “being yourself”. Study 3 explored whether individuals being themselves are attractive and if being yourself results in assortative mating with authentic individuals. Study 4 determined the effect of “be yourself” mindset priming on “be yourself” dating behavior. Study 1 found that authenticity is associated with emotional intelligence and positive relational outcomes. Study 2 found that “being yourself” dating behavior is associated with authenticity, secure attachment, and low narcissism. Study 3 found that “be yourself” dating behavior is attractive and facilitates assortative mating with authentic individuals. Study 4 found that rejection sensitive individuals are more likely to engage in “be yourself” dating behavior when made to feel safe to be themselves. “Be yourself” is the dating strategy that authentic individuals use to facilitate successful long-term relationships.

Gossip as an intrasexual competition strategy: Predicting information sharing from potential mate versus competitor mating strategies

Abstract We propose that one function of competitive information sharing is success in intrasexual competition. We posit that the decision to share potentially damaging information about a competitor is sensitive to the probability of that information diminishing a competitor's mate value. According to Sexual Strategies Theory ( Buss & Schmitt, 1993 ), men and women have evolved different psychological mechanisms underlying short-term and long-term mating strategies, and display somewhat different (although partially overlapping) preferences for long-term and short-term mate choice. In two experiments, we utilized a 2 × 2 factorial within-subjects design to manipulate a potential mate's mating strategy (long-term vs. short-term) and characteristics of a rival indicative of the rival's mating strategy (long-term vs. short-term). We predicted that participants would be more likely to share information about a competitor when that information mismatched the potential mate's preferences, thereby decreasing the perceived mate value of the competitor. Using Linear Mixed Effects Modeling, Study 1 found that men and women reported that they would be more likely to share that a competitor was promiscuous when the potential mate was interested in a long-term mate than when the potential mate was interested in a short-term mate. Study 2 demonstrated similar findings for ratings of effectiveness of sharing the information. Taken together, the two studies support the central hypothesis about the role of negative information sharing in intrasexual competition and the context-specificity of its deployment depending on mating strategy pursued.

Can sexual selection theory explain the evolution of individual and group-level religious beliefs and behaviors?

ABSTRACTAlthough the scientific study of religion is predicated on the evolution of the human mind, sexual selection theory and mating strategies have received relatively little attention as an adaptive cognitive mechanism that influences religious belief and behavior. The empirical study of two hypotheses can begin to show how sexual selection theory can explain certain aspects of religion: (1) religious beliefs and behaviors are strongly influenced by unconscious features of individual evolved mating strategies; and (2) religion helps to facilitate the features of long-term mating strategies in order to promote cooperation and cohesion in groups and regulate the often competitive and more negative features of human mating.

Transitory Environmental Threat Alters Sexually Dimorphic Mate Preferences and Sexual Strategy

The Environmental Security Hypothesis (ESH) proposes that when the environment is less secure, people will show greater preference for mates with survival-promoting traits (Pettijohn and Jungeberg in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(9), 1186–1197, 2004). In this study, we manipulated perceived environmental security and measured preference for different body and face characteristics as well as attitudes toward long-term (LTM) and short-term mating (STM) strategies. Participants (N = 100) received a cover story designed to lead experimental, but not control, participants to believe they would be required to handle a poisonous snake. Participants then completed a measure of sociosexual orientation and selected the three opposite-sex face and body types that they found most attractive from image matrices depicting physical characteristics varying systematically across body and face shape. Female bodies varied in body fat and waist-to-hip ratio, and male bodies varied in muscle mass and waist-to-chest ratio. Face stimuli varied in masculine–feminine facial shape and masculine–feminine facial coloration. Results indicated that, compared to controls, men in the environmental-threat condition showed a preference for higher body fat, and women in the environmental-threat condition showed a preference for higher muscle mass and more masculine faces. These women also showed a more positive attitude toward STM, but not LTM. In line with the ESH, our findings predominantly support a context-specific pattern of mate preference and sexual strategies.

Dog ownership increases attractiveness and attenuates perceptions of short-term mating strategy in cad-like men

Men may have evolved to specialize in short-term cad and long-term mating strategies. We hypothesized that dog ownership would increase the long-term attractiveness of men, especially for cads, as this would signal nurturance and suggest tendencies for relationship commitment. Women read vignettes in an experiment with four conditions varying by male mat- ing strategy described (dad vs. cad) and dog ownership (yes vs. no mention). Dog ownership and the dad vignette increased ratings of long-term attractiveness. Higher ratings of long-term attrac- tiveness for cads were mediated by lower ratings of the character on tendencies for a short-term mating strategy.

A Novel Quantitative Approach to Women’s Reproductive Strategies

The patterned way in which individuals allocate finite resources to various components of reproduction (e.g. mating effort, reproductive timing and parental investment) is described as a reproductive strategy. As energy is limited, trade-offs between and within aspects of reproductive strategies are expected. The first aim of this study was to derive aspects of reproductive strategies using complete reproductive histories from 718 parous Western Australian women. Factor analysis using a subset of these participants resulted in six factors that represented ‘short-term mating strategy’, ‘early onset of sexual activity’, ‘reproductive output’, ‘timing of childbearing’, ‘breastfeeding’, and ‘child spacing’. This factor structure was internally validated by replication using a second independent subset of the data. The second aim of this study examined trade-offs between aspects of reproductive strategies derived from aim one. Factor scores calculated for each woman were incorporated in generalised linear models and interaction terms were employed to examine the effect of mating behaviour on the relationships between reproductive timing, parental investment and overall reproductive success. Early sexual activity correlates with early reproductive onset for women displaying more long-term mating strategies. Women with more short-term mating strategies exhibit a trade-off between child quantity and child quality not observed in women with a long-term mating strategy. However, women with a short-term mating strategy who delay reproductive timing exhibit levels of parental investment (measured as breastfeeding duration per child) similar to that of women with long-term mating strategies. Reproductive delay has fitness costs (fewer births) for women displaying more short-term mating strategies. We provide empirical evidence that reproductive histories of contemporary women reflect aspects of reproductive strategies, and associations between these strategic elements, as predicted from life history theory.

The effect of eyelid constriction on perceptions of mating strategy: Beware of the squinty-eyed guy!

Facial features and expressions influence perceptions of attractiveness, personality, behavioral tendencies, and relationship preferences. We manipulated eyelid openness in facial images of two men. Consistent with our predictions, open eyelid images were associated more so with behaviors consistent with long-term mating strategies and lowered eyelid images were associated more so with behaviors consistent with short-term mating strategies. Participants generally rated the men depicted in the open eyelid images as more attractive; however, the difference between images decreased as the prospective relationship length decreased. Participants’ preferences matched their expectations for the people in the images, for example, mate-guarding concerns were stronger for the lowered eyelid images. Our results suggest that eyelid openness serves as a heuristic in evaluating an individual’s mating intentions. Understandably, we did not find effects seen for manipulations of structural characteristics such as facial masculinity and symmetry, which are thought to be indicators of genetic quality.

Mating by proxy: a novel perspective to donor conception

How single, partnered lesbian, and partnered heterosexual women undertaking donor insemination rate the importance of donor characteristics is explored in the context of Trivers's parental investment theory. Consistent with this theory, single women placed higher value on biographical traits reflective of the donor's level of potential resources (occupation, hobbies, age) and good character compared with either partnered lesbian or heterosexual women.

Reproductive strategies and relationship preferences associated with prestigious and dominant men

Women prefer dominant men as short-term mates and prestigious men as long-term mates. People associate short-term mating with masculine male facial features and long-term mating with feminine male facial features. The present study found that people associate dominant men with masculine facial features and short-term mating strategies, and prestigious men with feminine facial features and long-term mating strategies. Both men and women prefer high-prestige men for social relationships. Women prefer high-prestige men for long-term romantic relationships, yet prefer high-dominance men for brief sexual affairs. Although men were generally accurate in predicting women’s partner preferences, men overestimated the degree to which women would find the high-dominance man more attractive for all types of relationships.

Sex differences in response to cues of parental investment: An evolutionary social psychological perspective.

Past research on human mating behaviors has operationalized parental investment (PI) in terms of sex differences – with females reflecting high parental investment (and resultant long-term mating strategies) and males demonstrating low parental investment (and resultant short-term mating strategies). The present research draws on methods adopted from social psychology to operationalize parental investment in terms of conscious and non-conscious attitudinal indices. In a sample of young heterosexual adults, we examined sex differences in two measures of attitudes toward one’s ability/willingness to invest in parenting. One measure was a self-report index while the other was based on autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses. No sex difference was obtained regarding self-report responses to PI. However, males showed significantly larger increases in heart rate than females when presented with PI-relevant (compared with PI-neutral) stimuli. The findings are consistent with past research suggesting that males are less prepared to confront issues associated with parenting than are females. Further, the findings suggest that males are somewhat unaware of their own perceived lack of parental preparedness. The incongruity between males’ self-reports and their ANS responses is discussed with regard to Error Management Theory (EMT; Haselton & Buss, 2000). We also discuss more generally how this research may serve as a model for using the subjectivist tradition in social psychology to expand our study of objective variables derived from the evolutionary perspective.