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Studies have found that more men than women endorse sexual infidelity as more distressing than emotional infidelity, whereas more women than men endorse emotional infidelity as more distressing than sexual infidelity. Some evolutionary psychologists have proposed that this sex difference can be best conceptualized as reflecting evolution-based differences in parental investment that produce a need for paternity certainty among men and a need for male investment in offspring among women. Nonetheless, a conspicuous subset of men report emotional infidelity as more distressing than sexual infidelity. Current theorizing explains between-sex differences but not within-sex differences. We hypothesized that attachment-style differences may help to explain both between- and within-sex differences in jealousy. As hypothesized, dismissing avoidant participants reported more jealousy regarding sexual than emotional infidelity (64.8%), and secure participants, including secure men, reported more jealousy regarding emotional than sexual infidelity (77.3%), chi(2)(3, N = 411) = 45.03, p < .001. A series of sequential logistic regression analyses indicated significant moderation of the sex-jealousy relationship by attachment style. Implications of an attachment perspective are discussed.
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... Another explanation for the observed average sex differences in jealousy comes from attachment theory, according to which attachment styles shape individual experiences and expressions of jealousy [47][48][49][50]. Sex differences in attachment styles emerge in adolescence and adulthood [51], and these sex differences, together with the high degree of within-sex variation in attachment styles, may provide a more complete (if not mutually exclusive) explanation for sex differences in the nature and strength of sexual/romantic jealousy [48]. ...
... Another explanation for the observed average sex differences in jealousy comes from attachment theory, according to which attachment styles shape individual experiences and expressions of jealousy [47][48][49][50]. Sex differences in attachment styles emerge in adolescence and adulthood [51], and these sex differences, together with the high degree of within-sex variation in attachment styles, may provide a more complete (if not mutually exclusive) explanation for sex differences in the nature and strength of sexual/romantic jealousy [48]. ...
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Technologies that stimulate human social and sexual impulses could affect users and societies. Here, we report on two experiments designed to test participant responses to (1) “virtual friend” chatbots that vary in capacity to engage users socially and emotionally (i.e., emotional sophistication) and (2) “digital lover” technologies—in the form of sex toys, sex robots, or virtual reality entities—that vary in capacity to physically stimulate users (i.e., physical sophistication). Participants (173 female, 176 male) read vignettes that each described a particular technology and then answered whether, if their romantic partner were to use the described technology, they would anticipate jealousy or anger, and whether they would prefer to see the technology banned. Participant anticipations of jealousy and anger were so similar that we combined them in a single composite measure. In experiment 1, both the anticipation of jealousy-anger and the inclination to ban chatbots increased with emotional sophistication, particularly in female participants. In experiment 2, both sexes anticipated greater jealousy-anger and were more inclined to ban more physically sophisticated digital lovers. Female participants expressed higher levels of both responses across the range of sophistication. Experiment 2 participants were more likely to anticipate jealousy-anger and more inclined to ban sex robots than sex toys or virtual reality lovers. Our results show only limited consistency with evolutionary theories concerning sex differences in jealousy. Generally, the anticipated levels of jealousy-anger and inclination to ban the described technologies were low, suggesting low levels of resistance to the idea of the technologies.
... Anxiously attached individuals show a higher amount of jealousy to jealousy-provoking situations (such as being touched by a close friend) while people with avoidance attachment style are less likely to express severe jealousy in these situations (Miller et al., 2014). It is demonstrated that emotional unfaithfulness is more upsetting than sexual infidelity for people with anxious attachment style (Levy & Kelly, 2010) and women (Tagler & Gentry, 2011) while people with avoidance attachment style (Levy & Kelly, 2010) and men (Tagler & Gentry, 2011) find sexual infidelity more upsetting than emotional infidelity. ...
... Anxiously attached individuals show a higher amount of jealousy to jealousy-provoking situations (such as being touched by a close friend) while people with avoidance attachment style are less likely to express severe jealousy in these situations (Miller et al., 2014). It is demonstrated that emotional unfaithfulness is more upsetting than sexual infidelity for people with anxious attachment style (Levy & Kelly, 2010) and women (Tagler & Gentry, 2011) while people with avoidance attachment style (Levy & Kelly, 2010) and men (Tagler & Gentry, 2011) find sexual infidelity more upsetting than emotional infidelity. ...
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This study examined the mediating role of romantic jealousy (cognitive, behavioral, and emotional jealousies) in the relationship between romantic attachment styles and both types of mate retention domains (cost-inflicting and benefit- provisioning mate retention behaviors) in married individuals in Iran. Our sample consisted of 209 married adults. The results showed that: (1) there was a positive correlation between anxious attachment style and both cost-inflicting and benefit-provisioning mate retention behaviors; (2) avoidance attachment style had a negative association with benefit- provisioning mate retention behaviors; (3) three types of romantic jealousy positively mediated the association between anxious attachment style and cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors; (4) the relationship between avoidance attachment style and the cost-inflicting domain was negatively mediated by emotional jealousy.
... Insecurely attached individuals who exhibit high levels of avoidance, such as those with fearful or dismissive attachment styles, display distinct patterns in romantic preferences and behaviors [35]. They generally show less interest in committed relationships [36], and they report lower levels of relationship satisfaction, higher frequency of divorce [37], and reduced emotional closeness [38]. ...
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Objectives Marital infidelity is a highly distressing experience for those involved. Understanding the psychological factors related to infidelity can help develop targeted interventions. The primary aim of this study was to assess the association between attachment styles and marital infidelity. Methods Seventeen studies were included, sourced from electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycInfo, with no time limitations, up to April 2023. The search employed terms like “attachment AND marital infidelity.” Study quality was evaluated using the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool from RevMan version 5.3. Results The meta-analysis involved a total of 13,666 participants, ranging from 208 to 4047 individuals. Findings showed that higher levels of anxiety and avoidance in attachment were significantly associated with increased marital infidelity (r = 0.18, 95 % CI = 0.14–0.22, p < 0.0001). Conversely, weaker attachment insecurity was linked to reduced rates of marital infidelity. Additionally, both dismissive and fearful attachment styles correlated with marital infidelity, with respective weighted effect sizes of r = 0.07, p < 0.001 (95 % CI = 0.04–0.10) and r = 0.19, p < 0.001 (95 % CI = 0.10–0.29). No association was found between preoccupied attachment and infidelity. Conclusion Individuals with insecure attachment styles, specifically those with high levels of anxiety or avoidance, are more likely to engage in marital infidelity. Attachment styles should be a focus in couples therapy, especially for treatment related to infidelity. Assessing and addressing these underlying attachment issues can better guide therapists in their work with couples facing infidelity.
... Many of the best-known psychological measurement tools available are linked to psychological conditions associated with anxiety and mood disorders (Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9); Kroenke et al., 2001; Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7); Jordan et al., 2017). Lesser-known tools and studies have utilized self-report measures for specific emotional states such as guilt (Amodio et al., 2007) disgust (Sherman et al., 2012) and jealousy (Levy and Kelly, 2010). Comparatively fewer tools support the exploration of emotion from a (therapeutic) process perspective, and those that use self-report measures of emotion have been criticized for not being systematically developed and having unknown reliability (Weidman et al., 2017). ...
... They inferred that individuals are more likely to be unfaithful if presented with greater chances for such behaviors (pp. [48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60]. Therefore, they were similarly encouraged to reflect on behaviors that constitute infidelity. ...
Thesis
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Two studies have been conducted. Study 1 attempted to elicit men’s sexual and emotional motivations for commission of infidelity. A total of 50 men (n=50) filled out a web-based questionnaire. 21 men (42%) acknowledged past experiences with infidelity, whereas the remaining 29 men (58%) renounced any extradyadic sexual involvements. The most frequently indicated sexual motivations were unsatisfying sexual experiences (38.1%), infrequent sexual activities (38.1%), and partner’s neglected physical appearance (19%). In contrast, the most frequently reported emotional motivations were emotional detachment (71.4%), relationship devaluation (47.6%), as well as feelings of being devaluated (19%). Contrary to common beliefs, the motivation of sexual displeasure was largely debunked by the motivation of emotional dissatisfaction (28.6% vs. 61.9%). Study 2 addressed two research questions – RQ1: Delineate and contrast sex differences in sexual and emotional motivations for infidelity and RQ2: Explore men’s emotional capacity for committed romantic relationships. A total of 218 individuals participated in the research study – men (n=80, 36.7%) and women (n=138, 63.3%). More women than men admitted to have been unfaithful to their romantic partner (W=34.06% vs. M=26.25%). The Chi-Square test revealed that there was no a statistically significant relationship between sex and reported commission of infidelity (x2 = 2.133, Sig = 0,344 > 0,05 =α). Sex differences in sexual and emotional motivations were mostly observed in degree and not in nature. The Man-Whitney U test results indicated that there were no statistically significant sex differences in reply to the type of infidelity preferred (Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) = 0.201 > α = 0,05). Men just as women predominantly fear romantic partner’s emotional infidelity.
... There are several other factors that may moderate the gender difference in emotional versus sexual jealousy. For example, the gender difference has been found to be attenuated when controlling for variables such as personal experiences of being a victim or perpetrator of infidelity (e.g., Bendixen, Kennair, Ringheim, et al., 2015;Tagler, 2010), attachment style (Burchell & Ward, 2011;Levy & Kelly, 2009), participant age (IJzerman et al., 2014), and women's use of hormone-based birth control (Geary et al., 2001). It must be noted that already long before the work by Buss et al, various studies had highlighted the sexual focus in male jealousy and the emotional focus in female jealousy. ...
Chapter
Evolutionary social science is having a renaissance. This volume showcases the empirical and theoretical advancements produced by the evolutionary study of romantic relationships. The editors assembled an international collection of contributors to trace how evolved psychological mechanisms shape strategic computation and behavior across the life span of a romantic partnership. Each chapter provides an overview of historic and contemporary research on the psychological mechanisms and processes underlying the initiation, maintenance, and dissolution of romantic relationships. Contributors discuss popular and cutting-edge methods for data analysis and theory development, critically analyze the state of evolutionary relationship science, and provide discerning recommendations for future research. The handbook integrates a broad range of topics (e.g., partner preference and selection, competition and conflict, jealousy and mate guarding, parenting, partner loss and divorce, and post-relationship affiliation) that are discussed alongside major sources of strategic variation in mating behavior, such as sex and gender diversity, developmental life history, neuroendocrine processes, technological advancement, and culture. Its content promises to enrich students’ and established researchers’ views on the current state of the discipline and should challenge a diverse cross-section of relationship scholars and clinicians to incorporate evolutionary theorizing into their professional work.
... In the realm of the sex difference in jealousy, very few studies have reported moderators to the sex difference in jealousy. One exception to this is the work done by Levy and Kelly (2010). Among the findings noted by Levy and Kelly was an increased propensity for securely attached men to be more bothered by the emotional aspects of an infidelity (compared to insecurely attached men). ...
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Sex differences in jealousy are a well-established research finding that suggests men (relative to women) will find the sexual components of an infidelity more distressing, whereas women (relative to men) will find the emotional components of an infidelity more distressing. This study uses a relatively novel sample of participants (individuals who engage in consensual non-monogamy) to test both cultural and evolutionary influences on jealousy. In our study using hypothetical scenarios, we found that men (relative to women) were more upset about the sexual components of the infidelity and that women (relative to men) were more upset about the emotional components of the infidelity. This occurred in both samples to the same magnitude suggesting that the differences between the men and women may be driven by evolutionary influences. Additionally, we found a main effect of relationship type such that participants who engaged in consensual non-monogamy had lower levels of jealousy overall. As such, this study provides relatively unique evidence for the ultimate origins of sex differences in jealousy.
... Levy, K., Kelly, K. (2010), 'Sex Differences in Jealousy: A Contribution from Attachment ...
Thesis
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The research aims to understand why people engage in cheating and why their partners forgive them, while some do not. The highly sensitive nature of the topic inquired upon is related to a lot of factors which involve, trust, shame, lust, etc. each of these factors shed light onto how a relationship is constructed in the current sociological perspective. A clear-cut definition of ‘relationship’ is provided, strictly in relation to a monogamous culture. To fully comprehend the act of cheating, the essential prerequisite is to differentiate between the types of cheating- sexual and emotional. The research is a qualitative venture into understanding the behaviour due to its complex nature and how a post-positivist approach would not deem to be fruitful for it. A total number nineteen participants were involved in the research, which were later split into three groups, whose detailed explanation is provided in the ‘Methods’ section. There has been use of few quantitative tools to support few instances of data which were essential to the study. However, the heart of the study remains purely qualitative in nature. Thematic analysis was further chosen as the type of analysis to comprehend the data and to successfully create themes and sub-themes. Proximity came out as a major factor in understanding why people engage in infidelity, however infidelity does not mean the individual has ceased to love their partner. The issue runs more complex. The research also differentiates between ‘forgiveness’ and ‘second chances’, these entities help in understanding the complex nature of the act of infidelity and how the partner who has been cheated on tolerates and makes their peace with the incident. Factors like suppression of emotions, which are largely full of contempt and negative are required for the relationship to start again, which is a tough task for the couple, especially the one who has been cheated on.
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Anthropologists have long recognized that cultural evolution critically depends on the transmission and generation of information. However, between the selection pressures of evolution and the actual behaviour of individuals, scientists have suspected that other processes are at work. With the advent of what has come to be known as the cognitive revolution, psychologists are now exploring the evolved problem-solving and information-processing mechanisms that allow humans to absorb and generate culture. The purpose of this book is to introduce the newly crystallizing field of evolutionary psychology, which supplied the necessary connection between the underlying evolutionary biology and the complex and irreducible social phenomena studied by anthropologists, sociologists, economists, and historians.
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