An Evolutionary Perspective on the Interaction of Age and Sex Differences in Short-Term Sexual Strategies

2002 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 949-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene W. Mathes ◽  
Christina A. King ◽  
Jonathan K. Miller ◽  
Ruth M. Reed
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Mating Strategies ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Sexual Strategies ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Sexual Strategies Theory ◽  
Age And Sex

Buss and Schmitt's sexual strategies theory (1993) suggests that short-term mating represents a larger component of men's than women's mating strategies. Assuming this sex difference there is potential for conflict. Symons argued that, because men are more interested in copulation than women, this gives women greater power in establishing conditions (short- vs long-term) under which copulation takes place. The result is that the conflict in sexual strategies is resolved in favor of women's relatively greater interest in long-term sexual strategies. This research tested the hypothesis that across ages men would decrease in desire to employ short-term mating strategies in favor of long-term mating strategies. Specifically, in Study I, men and women in their teens, twenties, and thirties or older were given a measure of desire for a committed relationship. It was predicted that women, regardless of age, would score high on desire for a committed relationship. In contrast, teenage boys would score low on desire for a committed relationship while men in their thirties or older would score as high as the women. In Study II both sexes in their teens, twenties, and thirties or older were given measures of desire for promiscuous sex. It was predicted that the women, regardless of age, would score low on desire for promiscuous sex. In contrast, teenage boys would score high on desire for promiscuous sex while men in their thirties or older would score as low as the women. Support was found for both predictions.

Testing sexual strategies theory predictions for age and gender using popular song lyrics

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spencer Fox ◽  
Tanner Reeb ◽  
Ella ingram
Keyword(s):  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Mating Strategies ◽  
Popular Song ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Sexual Strategies ◽  
Popular Songs ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Sexual Strategies Theory

Popular songs contain more references to evolutionarily-relevant reproductive themes than their unpopular counterparts. If these patterns result from preference adaptation, then popular song content should reflect human preferences. We compared two Sexual Strategies Theory (SST) predictions to popular song content: (1) that males will have higher interest in short-term mating compared with females, and (2) that individuals will increase long-term mating interest with age. We selected a random sample of popular genre songs from a single year and popular songs from artists whose careers spanned at least two decades (e.g. Aretha Franklin and Elton John), and tallied reproductive references in the lyrics using two complementary song frameworks to compare artist and genre reproductive strategies: classifying songs into short- and long-term mating strategies, and classifying lyrics into committal and non-committal references. Contrary to our expectation from SST, genders in both song samples used the same types and quantities of reproductive references, though male song choice significantly favored short-term interests. We found a significant age by gender interaction in song and content usage: male references and songs became more commitment-focused as the age of the artist increased, while reproductive references used by females remained focused on commitment regardless of age, though the relationship had little explanatory power. Surprisingly, we found that song popularity was predicted best by age, not song content, suggesting that artist demographics are an important predictor for song popularity. Our analysis revealed some consistency with SST, but we found that song lyrical classification frameworks need further improvement before being able to provide a temporally and culturally flexible framework for testing hypotheses regarding mating strategies and preferences.

Relationship between Short-Term Sexual Strategies and Sexual Jealousy

2005 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene W. Mathes
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Infidelity ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Sexual Strategies ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Women Subjects ◽  
Emotional Infidelity ◽  
Sexual Jealousy

In a classic study, Buss, Larson, Westen, and Semmelroth reported that men were more distressed by the thought of a partner's sexual infidelity (sexual jealousy) and women were more distressed by the thought of a partner's emotional infidelity (emotional jealousy). Initially, Buss and his associates explained these results by suggesting that men are concerned about uncertainty of paternity, that is, the possibility of raising another man's child while believing the child is their own. However, later they explained the results in terms of men's preference for short-term sexual strategies. The purpose of this research was to test the explanation of short-term sexual strategies. Men and women subjects were instructed to imagine themselves in a relationship which was either short-term (primarily sexual) or long-term (involving commitment) and then respond to Buss's jealousy items. It was hypothesized that, when both men and women imagined a short-term relationship, they would be more threatened by a partner's sexual infidelity, and, when they imagined a long-term relationship, they would be more threatened by a partner's emotional infidelity. Support was found for this hypothesis.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in the Motivation for Viewing Sexually Arousing Images

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maiko Kobayashi ◽  
Koyo Nakamura ◽  
Katsumi Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Sexual Motivation ◽  
Visual Images ◽  
Viewing Time ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Opposite Sex

AbstractSexual motivation strongly influences mate choice and dating behavior and can be triggered by merely viewing sexually arousing visual images, such as erotic pictures and movies. Previous studies suggested that men, more than women, tend to search for sexual cues that signal promiscuity in short-term mates. However, it remains to be tested whether sex differences in the motivation to view sexual cues can be observed by using robust and well-controlled behavioral measures. To this end, we employed a pay-per-view key-pressing task. Japanese self-identified heterosexual male and female participants viewed images of men, women, or couples with two levels of sexual arousal (sexual vs. less sexual). Participants could alter the viewing time of a presented image according to their willingness to keep viewing it. Male participants were the most eager to view sexually arousing images of the opposite sex, whereas female participants were more strongly motivated to view less sexual images of couples. Such sex differences may reflect differentiated reproductive strategies between men and women in terms of men’s motivation toward promiscuity and women’s motivation toward long-term relationships.

scholarly journals Sex Differences and Individual Differences in Human Facilitative and Preventive Courtship

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Arnocky ◽  
Shafik Sunderani ◽  
Graham Albert ◽  
Kate Norris
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Mating Strategies ◽  
Mate Value ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Undergraduate Men ◽  
Positive Reciprocity

Although cooperative mating strategies have been observed in other species, the extent to which men and women act to facilitate the mating success of others has been under-researched, especially among unrelated individuals. The present study addressed this gap in knowledge by exploring potential sex differences and individual differences in attitudes toward facilitating and preventing friends’ mating among 256 heterosexual undergraduate men and women. Results showed that women were more likely than men to express attitudes toward preventing the sexuality of friends, whereas no sex difference existed in facilitative mating. For both men and women, positive reciprocity beliefs and high self-perceived mate-value predicted positive attitudes toward facilitative mating. Among women, preventive mating was predicted by low sociosexuality and high intrasexual (within-sex) competitiveness.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in Romantic Kissing among College Students: An Evolutionary Perspective

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 147470490700500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Hughes ◽  
Marissa A. Harrison ◽  
Gordon G. Gallup
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Mate Assessment ◽  
Pair Bonds ◽  
Descriptive Account

This study provides a descriptive account of kissing behavior in a large sample of undergraduate college students and considers kissing in the context of both short-term and long-term mating relationships. Kissing was examined as a mate assessment device, a means of promoting pair bonds, and a means of inducing sexual arousal and receptivity. A total 1,041 college students completed one of three questionnaires measuring kissing preferences, attitudes, styles, and behaviors. Results showed that females place more importance on kissing as a mate assessment device and as a means of initiating, maintaining, and monitoring the current status of their relationship with a long-term partner. In contrast, males place less importance on kissing, especially with short-term partners, and appear to use kissing to increase the likelihood of having sex. The results suggest that kissing may play an important role as an adaptive courtship/mating ritual.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in the Motivation for Viewing Sexually Arousing Images

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maiko Kobayashi ◽  
Koyo Nakamura ◽  
Katsumi Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Sexual Motivation ◽  
Visual Images ◽  
Viewing Time ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Dating Behaviors

Sexual motivation strongly influences our mate choices and dating behaviors and can be triggered by merely viewing sexually arousing visual images, such as erotic pictures and movies. Previous studies suggested that men, more than women, tend to search for sexual cues that signal promiscuity in short-term mates. However, it remains to be tested whether the sex differences in the motivation to view sexual cues can be observed by using robust and well-controlled behavioral measures. To this end, we employed a pay-per-view key-pressing task. Japanese self-identified heterosexual male and female participants viewed images of men, women, or couples with two levels of sexual arousal (sexual vs. less sexual). Participants could alter the viewing time of a presented image according to their willingness to keep viewing it. The male participants were eager to view the sexual female images the most, whereas the female participants were more strongly motivated to view the less sexual images of couples. Such sex differences may reflect differentiated reproductive strategies between men and women; men’s motivation toward promiscuity and women’s motivation toward long-term relationships.

scholarly journals Sex Differences in Voyeuristic and Exhibitionistic Interests: Exploring the Mediating Roles of Sociosexuality and Sexual Compulsivity from an Evolutionary Perspective

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew George Thomas ◽  
Bridie Stone ◽  
Paul Bennett ◽  
Steve Stewart-Williams ◽  
Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Mating Strategy ◽  
Sexual Compulsivity ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Different Levels

AbstractSociosexuality and sexual compulsivity predict sex differences in voyeuristic interest in the population. In this study, we used a sample of 1113 participants from the UK (46% men) to consider whether sociosexuality and sexual compulsivity interacted to explain these sex differences and whether this relationship extended to the related domain of exhibitionism. In doing so, we tested novel predictions derived from an evolutionary perspective which views voyeuristic and exhibitionistic interest as manifestations of a short-term mating strategy. Participants reported their levels of repulsion toward voyeurism and exhibitionism and their interest in performing such acts under different levels of risk. There were clear sex differences in voyeuristic and exhibitionistic repulsion that were partially mediated by the serial combination of sociosexuality and sexual compulsivity. Examining the sexes separately revealed qualitatively different relationships between sociosexuality and sexual compulsivity when predicting exhibitionistic, but not voyeuristic, repulsion. Combined, sociosexuality and sexual compulsivity also mediated the sex difference in willingness to commit acts of voyeurism, but not exhibitionism, which was equally low for both sexes. The results highlight the role sociosexuality plays in voyeuristic and exhibitionistic interest, which coupled with an evolutionary perspective, may have implications for how we view courtship disorders.

The Relationship of Compliance with Coping Strategies and Self-Esteem

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gisli H. Gudjonsson ◽  
Jon Fridrik Sigurdsson
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Stressful Situation ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Summary: The Gudjonsson Compliance Scale (GCS), the COPE Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were administered to 212 men and 212 women. Multiple regression of the test scores showed that low self-esteem and denial coping were the best predictors of compliance in both men and women. Significant sex differences emerged on all three scales, with women having lower self-esteem than men, being more compliant, and using different coping strategies when confronted with a stressful situation. The sex difference in compliance was mediated by differences in self-esteem between men and women.

Sex Differences in Time Production Revisited

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Glicksohn ◽  
Yamit Hadad
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Absolute Error ◽  
Internal Clock ◽  
Target Duration ◽  
Log P ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Time Production ◽  
T Score

Individual differences in time production should indicate differences in the rate of functioning of an internal clock, assuming the existence of such a clock. And sex differences in time production should reflect a difference in the rate of functioning of that clock between men and women. One way of approaching the data is to compute individual regressions of produced duration (P) on target duration (T), after log transformation, and to derive estimates for the intercept and the slope. One could investigate a sex difference by comparing these estimates for men and women; one could also contrast them by looking at mean log(P). Using such indices, we found a sex difference in time production, female participants having a relatively faster internal clock, making shorter time productions, and having a smaller exponent. The question is whether a sex difference in time production would be found using other methods for analyzing the data: (1) the P/T ratio; (2) an absolute discrepancy (|P-T|) score; and (3) an absolute error (|P-T|/T) score. For the P/T ratio, female participants have a lower mean ratio in comparison to the male participants. In contrast, the |P-T| and |P-T|/T indices seem to be seriously compromised by wide individual differences.

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