Relationship status and gender-related differences in response to infidelity

Frontiers in Psychology

Psychology

Nobutoshi Okubo¹  Tsukasa Kato² 

[1] Institute of Human Sciences, Toyo University, Tokyo, Japan;Laboratory of Stress Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Human Environments, Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan;

关键词: infidelity;    jealousy;    sexual imagination hypothesis;    gender similarity;    2D:4D digit ratio;    evolutionary psychology;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1158751

 received in 2023-02-04, accepted in 2023-05-09,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionThe sexual imagination hypothesis suggests that responses to a partner’s infidelity emerge from the sociocultural factors that affect individuals’ imagining of that occurrence irrespective of biological sex, including relationship status (i.e., the experience of a serious, committed relationship). Nevertheless, evolutionary psychological perspectives predict that responses to a partner’s infidelity emerge from a sex-specific evolved innate mechanism.MethodsA lower 2D:4D digit ratio is associated with more robust responses to a partner’s sexual infidelity. In this study, participants (660 males and 912 females) were requested to measure finger lengths, reactions to their partners’ sexual and emotional infidelity, and relationship status.ResultsA logistic regression and multiple regression analyses revealed that relationship status was uniquely associated with responses to a partner’s sexual and emotional infidelity beyond the effects of sex and 2D:4D. Those in committed relationships were more upset or distressed over their partners’ infidelity, particularly over sexual infidelity, than those not in committed relationships.DiscussionThe results supported the sexual imagination hypothesis indirectly, while evolutionary psychological perspectives were met with skepticism. Our findings implied that sex differences in jealousy result from relationship status, and that responses to partners’ infidelity are more alike than different.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Kato and Okubo.