Sexual strategies pursued and mate attraction tactics deployed.

Abstract Two studies tested evolutionary hypotheses about the use and perceived effectiveness of specific mate attraction tactics as a function of sexual strategy pursued. Participants and a close same-sex friend of each participant reported on the participant’s sexual strategy and deployment of attraction tactics. In Study 1, participants’ mate attraction tactics differed predictably depending on whether they were pursuing a long-term (sexually restricted) versus short-term (sexually unrestricted) sexual strategy. In Study 2, participants’ sexual strategy predicted their judgments of tactic effectiveness. In both studies, friends’ perceptions of participants’ sexual strategy and mate attraction tactics corroborated participants’ own self-reports. Discussion highlights the unique adaptive problems of mating, such as detecting rivals and inhibiting rivalry, that arise in the context of managing same-sex friendships.

[1]  D. Schmitt.  Sociosexuality from Argentina to Zimbabwe: A 48-nation study of sex, culture, and strategies of human mating , 2005, Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

[2]  P. Pye-Smith.  The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex , 1871, Nature.

[3]  R. Thornhill,et al.  Changes in women's sexual interests and their partner's mate–retention tactics across the menstrual cycle: evidence for shifting conflicts of interest , 2002, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

[4]  J. Simpson,et al.  Individual differences in sociosexuality: evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. , 1991, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[5]  D. Buss,et al.  Can men and women be just friends , 2000 .

[6]  M. Hebl,et al.  Sociosexuality and everyday social interaction , 1995 .

[7]  D. Buss,et al.  Derogation of Competitors , 1990 .

[8]  D. Buss.  The evolution of human intrasexual competition: tactics of mate attraction. , 1988, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[9]  J. Simpson,et al.  Fluctuating asymmetry, sociosexuality, and intrasexual competitive tactics. , 1999, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[10]  D. Buss,et al.  Sexual strategies theory: an evolutionary perspective on human mating. , 1993, Psychological review.

[11]  D. Buss,et al.  Strategic self-promotion and competitor derogation: sex and context effects on the perceived effectiveness of mate attraction tactics. , 1996, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[12]  C. Darwin.  The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex: INDEX , 1871 .

[13]  D. Seal,et al.  Extradyadic romantic involvement: Moderating effects of sociosexuality and gender , 1994 .

[14]  T. Shackelford,et al.  Poaching, promiscuity, and deceit: Combatting mating rivalry in same-sex friendships , 2001 .

[15]  J. Simpson,et al.  Sociosexuality and Romantic Partner Choice , 1992 .