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Variation in Women’s Mate Preferences Over the Development of a Monogamous Relationship Corresponds with Changes in Men’s Life History Strategy

Owens, Rebecca, Driscoll, Helen and Farrelly, Daniel (2020) Variation in Women’s Mate Preferences Over the Development of a Monogamous Relationship Corresponds with Changes in Men’s Life History Strategy. Evolutionary Psychological Science. ISSN 2198-9885

Item Type: Article

Abstract

Much research has examined how men’s mating strategies change over the development of a relationship consistent with predictions from Life History Theory. Specifically, research shows both physiological and behavioural indicators of mating effort decrease once men are mated, and further once they become fathers, unless they remain engaged in mating effort. This switch from mating to parenting effort is sexually selected, and therefore the corresponding shifts in women should be examined, though to date, women’s short- or long-term mate preferences have been studied as separate entities rather than as a transition from short- to long- term. We examined how women’s mate preferences changed over the development of a relationship, to see if they varied consistently with what is known about variation in men’s mating effort. Vignettes detailed four key milestones in the development of a relationship and women rated the importance of the man at each stage displaying indicators of mating or parenting effort. Women increasingly prioritised indicators of parenting effort in men as the relationship developed, consistent with what is known about men’s reduction in mating effort in favour of parenting effort over the development of a relationship. The results support predictions from Life History Theory and highlight the interacting mutually reinforcing nature of sexually selected behaviours.

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More Information

Depositing User: Rebecca Owens

Identifiers

Item ID: 12047
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-020-00246-w
ISSN: 2198-9885
URI: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/12047
Official URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40806-0...

Users with ORCIDS

ORCID for Rebecca Owens: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6630-5216
ORCID for Daniel Farrelly: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1505-686X

Catalogue record

Date Deposited: 18 May 2020 08:00
Last Modified: 14 May 2021 02:38

Contributors

Author: Rebecca Owens ORCID iD
Author: Daniel Farrelly ORCID iD
Author: Helen Driscoll

University Divisions

Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing > School of Psychology

Subjects

Psychology > Psychology

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