Papers by Todd K Shackelford
reproducing species, the sex that invests more in offspring (typically the female) will be more d... more reproducing species, the sex that invests more in offspring (typically the female) will be more discriminating about mating. Second, the sex that invests less in offspring (typically the male) will be more intrasexually competitive for sexual access to the higher-investing sex. These premises have been supported in research with numerous species, including humans. Human females, like the females of most biparental species, invest more in offspring, whereas males invest more in mating effort. These sex differences are greatest in short-term mating contexts (Buss, ,b, 2004)). Some scholars believe that evolutionary psychological research is conducted to justify racism, sexism, or other undesirable "-isms." For example, Tang-Martinez (1997, p. 116) describes a common feminist view that evolutionary psychology is, "inherently misogynistic and provides a justification for the oppression of women." More recently, however, the feminists to whom Tang-Martinez refers are committing what is known as the naturalistic fallacy: the error of deriving what ought to be from what is. This error can be demonstrated clearly with an example: No sensible person would argue that a scientist researching the causes of cancer is thereby justifying or promoting cancer. Yet, some people continue to argue that investigating rape from an evolutionary perspective justifies or legitimizes rape (e.g., Marshall & Barrett, 1990, cited in Thornhill & Palmer, 2000). Related to the naturalistic fallacy is the false belief of genetic determinism: the idea that behavior is unalterable, programmed, or otherwise unchangeable. This argument has been debunked numerous times. Biologist John Maynard Smith noted that genetic determinism is, "an
It’s not all about her: Men’s relative mate value and mate retention
The Evolution of Sexuality
Evolutionary psychology, 2015
Sexual conflict and evolutionary psychology: towards a unified framework.- Darwinian literary ana... more Sexual conflict and evolutionary psychology: towards a unified framework.- Darwinian literary analyses of sexuality.- Assortative mating, class, and caste.- Do men and women perform oral sex as mate retention behavior?.- The French connection:Parent-offspring conflict and the English Revolution.- An evolutionary functional analysis of the hormonal predictors of women's sexual motivation.- Evolutionary science of female orgasm.- The functional design and phylogeny of women's sexuality.- Transgendered male androphilia in the human ancestral environment.- Two behavioral hypotheses for the evolution of male homosexuality in humans.- The evolution of culturally- variable sex differences: Men and women are not always different, but when they are...it appears not to result from patriarchy or sex role socialization.- Sperm competition and the evolution of human sexuality. variable sex differences: Men and women are not always different, but when they are...it appears not to result from patriarchy or sex role socialization.- Sperm competition and the evolution of human sexuality.
Activating sperm competition psychology: An experimental study. Presented in symposium: “Sexual conflict in humans”
Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, Jul 1, 2019
We investigated cross-trait assortative mating for the traits of physical attractiveness and inte... more We investigated cross-trait assortative mating for the traits of physical attractiveness and intelligence using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. It was hypothesized that more physically attractive individuals would have a spouse that was more intelligent, but that this association would be moderated by sex. Specifically, we predicted that more physically attractive women would have more intelligent husbands, but that a man's physical attractiveness would not predict his wife's intelligence. The results of correlation and regression analyses were consistent with these predictions, although the effect sizes were small. Additionally, we identified an interaction in which women's physical attractiveness was more strongly associated with their husbands' intelligence for more intelligent women than for less intelligent women. We conclude with suggestions for further research addressing cross-trait assortative mating for physical attractiveness and intelligence. Physically attractive women had more intelligent husbands. A man's physical attractiveness was not associated with his wife's intelligence. The results provide new information on cross-trait assortative mating.
The Oxford handbook of sexual conflict in humans
Oxford University Press eBooks, Nov 1, 2012
Sexual conflict--what happens when the reproductive interests of males and females diverge--occur... more Sexual conflict--what happens when the reproductive interests of males and females diverge--occurs in all sexually reproducing species, including humans. The Oxford Handbook of Sexual Conflict in Humans is the first volume to assemble the latest theoretical and empirical work on sexual conflict in humans from the leading scholars in the fields of evolutionary psychology and anthropology. Following an introductory section that outlines theory and research on sexual conflict in humans and non-humans, ensuing sections discuss human ...
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Aug 3, 2006
Personality and Individual Differences, Feb 1, 2022
We investigated whether women (n = 223) higher in the Dark Triad traits (narcissism, psychopathy,... more 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.
Men's risk-taking predicts their partner-directed cost-inflicting behaviors
Personality and Individual Differences, Dec 1, 2018
Abstract Within the context of a long-term intimate relationship, men engage in a wide variety of... more Abstract Within the context of a long-term intimate relationship, men engage in a wide variety of behaviors that function to maintain a partner's investment in and reduce the risks associated with a partner's defection from that relationship. Some of these behaviors entice a partner's continued investment through the provision of benefits, while others inflict costs for defection. These cost-inflicting behaviors, while potentially valuable, are also risky, as they may ultimately increase the odds of a romantic partner's defection or retaliation. Given the riskiness of cost-inflicting behaviors, we hypothesize that men's use of these behaviors can be predicted by men's tendency toward risk-taking behavior more generally, but only when that risk-taking is indicative of lower mate value or relationship investment. To test this hypothesis, we investigated whether and how performance of behaviors within five risk-taking domains (ethical, financial, recreational, health/safety, and social) predict men's use of cost-inflicting behaviors. Using path analysis and data from partner-reports from 122 female undergraduate students in a committed, heterosexual, sexual relationship, we confirmed that men's performance of cost-inflicting behavior is predicted by men's unethical risky behavior and, to a lesser extent, financial and recreational risky behavior.
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Sep 2, 2018
Mate retention behaviors are designed to reduce the risk of partner infidelity or relationship de... more Mate retention behaviors are designed to reduce the risk of partner infidelity or relationship defection. In the current research, we used k-means cluster analysis to identify distinct strategies of mate retention behaviors. Participants were 637 individuals (56.3% male) in a romantic relationship with an opposite-sex individual for at least three months (M = 78.7; SD = 95.8), and aged between 18 and 70 years (M = 29.3; SD = 10.5). Participants completed the Mate Retention Inventory-Short Form . The results suggested three distinct mate retention clusters or strategies: (1) Disengaged (infrequent use of both benefit-provisioning and cost-inflicting behaviors); ( ) Exhaustive (frequent use of both benefit-provisioning and cost-inflicting behaviors); and (3) Benevolent (frequent use of benefit-provisioning and infrequent use of cost-inflicting behaviors). The results also indicated, for example, that men more than women use a benevolent strategy, women more than men use a disengaged strategy, and men using an exhaustive strategy report being less physically intimate with their partners than men using a benevolent strategy. We discuss the results with reference to evolutionary hypotheses of mate retention, and we highlight limitations of the current research and important directions for future research.
The SAGE Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology
SAGE Publications Ltd eBooks, 2021
Mate attraction, retention and expulsión. 'Atracción, retención y expulsión de la pareja
Evolutionary psychology, 2014
Over the course of history, human beings have taken keen interest in the mating activity. The sur... more Over the course of history, human beings have taken keen interest in the mating activity. The survival of the human species has been dependent on sexual mating and human reproduction; the need for sexual companionship has played a pivotal role in building societies and establishing social as well as intimate relationships. To overcome the problem of finding a suitable sexual partner, men and women adopt different strategies, based on their roles in the society. This paper discusses the impact of Evolutionary Psychology on Human mating and sexual behavior. David Buss's Sexual Strategies Theory is considered one of the major research programs to investigate how this relationship works. This paper aims to provide an emotional and cultural perspective on how evolutionary psychology has influenced human sexual and mating behaviors. It can be said that Buss's theory, despite being one of its kind, has failed to look at the complete picture. These limitations are due to various reasons; such as over emphasis on the polygamous nature of men, the evaluation of parental investment of both sexes, the problems each of the sexes can solve by using these strategies and how mating is considered an individual activity instead of a cooperative one. The cultural, philosophical and emotional take on the evolution of human sexual behavior brings a fresh and creative outlook.
Female adaptations for rape avoidance. Presented in symposium: “Sexual conflict in humans”
Evolutionary Psychology, Jul 1, 2013
Previously we (Vonk and Shackelford, 2012, in press) proposed an integration of comparative psych... more Previously we (Vonk and Shackelford, 2012, in press) proposed an integration of comparative psychology and evolutionary psychology into a new field of "comparative evolutionary psychology." This integrative discipline incorporates principles from ethology, ecology, biology, anthropology, and psychology, broadly defined. We present in this special issue a collection of original empirical and theoretical review articles in which leading researchers propose ways to successfully integrate comparative and evolutionary approaches within their particular areas of study. We showcase the key contributions of these articles and highlight several empirical and theoretical challenges, as well as key future directions, for comparative evolutionary psychology.
Predicting Mate Poaching Experiences from Personality Traits Using a Dyadic Analysis
The Journal of Sex Research
The SAGE Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology
Book Reviews-Female Infidelity and Paternal Uncertainty: Evolutionary Perspectives in Mel Anti-Cuckoldry Tactics
Mate attraction, retention and expulsión. 'Atracción, retención y expulsión de la pareja
Author's personal copy Female attractiveness mediates the relationship between in-pair copulation frequency and men's mate retention behaviors
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Papers by Todd K Shackelford