Short Term Sexual Strategies Chapter 6

Rewards and Risks to Men Triver’s parental investment theory Short term mating increases number of potential offspring Risks Disease Reputational damage Decrease in parental investment Violent attacks Retaliatory affairs

Adaptive Problems for Men to Solve in Short-term Mating Partner variety Motivational mechanism- desire for variety Relaxed standards Minimum time constraints Accessibility Identifying fertile women Avoiding commitment

Evidence for Evolved Short-term Mating Strategies Physiological Evidence Testicle size Variations in sperm insemination

Psychological Evidence: Desire for Sexual Variety

Psychological Evidence: Time Elapsed Before Seeking Intercourse

Psychological Evidence: Lowered Standards Relaxed standards for many characteristics, including Kindness Intelligence Loyalty Emotionally stable Higher standards for experience and promiscuity

Psychological Evidence Minimizing Commitment The Affective Shift Hypothesis The Closing Time Phenomenon Sexual Fantasies Men report twice the number More often report variety, greater number, switching partners Sexual Regret Omission vs. commission

Behavioral Evidence Extramarital Affairs Prostitution Statistics vary, but men more likely than women to have affairs Prostitution “They’re not paying you for the sex… they’re paying you to go away afterwards”

Women’s Short-term Mating The biological irony of the double standard is that males could not have been selected for promiscuity is historically females had always denied them opportunity for expression of the trait Robert Smith (1984)

Are Women Naturally Monogamous? 20-50% of women have affairs Women seek extrapair copulations (ECP’s) more often during fertile phase of cycle Women more likely to experience orgasm with affair partner than with long-term partner

Rewards of Short-term Mating for Women Resources- financial, protection, access to status Good genes- “sexy son hypothesis” Mate switching and expulsion Short-term for long-term goals Mate assessment Testing her own mate value Mate skill acquisition Mate manipulation: retaliatory affairs, increase commitment

Risks of Short-term Mating for Women Reputational damage Greater risk for abuse Abandonment Lost opportunities for long-term mating Loss of resources from long-term mate Increased sibling competition among half siblings Disease

Empirical Evidence Limited evidence overall Mate switching Women report that affairs make it easier to break up Women report that affairs help them to find a better mate Resource accrual Access to resources is critical factor in women’s assessments of their likelihood of affairs

Empirical Evidence Short-term for Long-term Goals Women prefer short-term mates who are not in a relationship and who are not promiscuous Good Genes Symmetrical men more likely to have affairs with women in committed relationships Women place greater value of physical attractiveness and masculinity for short-term mates

Empirical Evidence Good GenesMenstrual phase shifts in preferences for Symmetry and overall attractiveness Facial masculinity Height Creative intelligence Muscular build Social dominance Women who rate regular partners as low on sexual attractiveness have more desire for ECP’s but only during ovulation

Context Effects: Individual Differences Based on Sociosexual Inventory, short-term strategists emphasize sexual gratification with partners, mate skill development, and resources Place less importance on commitment Worry less about reputational damage

Additional Contextual Factors Father absence- stepfather presence Developmental stage in life Sex ratio Mate value and self-esteem Higher mate value men have more opportunities and are more likely to use short-term strategies Higher mate value in women NOT related to strategy Low self-esteem in women related to more short-term strategies