Absence Makes the Adaptations Grow Fonder: Proportion of Time Apart From Partner, Male Sexual Psychology, and Sperm Competition in Humans (Homo sapiens)

Sperm competition occurs when the sperm of multiple males concurrently occupy the reproductive tract of a female and compete to fertilize an egg. We used a questionnaire to investigate psychological responses to the risk of sperm competition for 237 men in committed, sexual relationships. As predict...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of comparative psychology (1983) 2007-05, Vol.121 (2), p.214-220
Main Authors: Shackelford, Todd K, Goetz, Aaron T, McKibbin, William F, Starratt, Valerie G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Competition
Copulation
Drive
Female
Human
Humans
Male
Male Attitudes
Males
Pair Bond
Personal Satisfaction
Psychology
Regression Analysis
Rejection (Psychology)
Reproductive system
Separation Reactions
Sexual Attitudes
Sexual Behavior
Sexual Reproduction
Sexuality
Social Environment
Sperm
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Summary:Sperm competition occurs when the sperm of multiple males concurrently occupy the reproductive tract of a female and compete to fertilize an egg. We used a questionnaire to investigate psychological responses to the risk of sperm competition for 237 men in committed, sexual relationships. As predicted, a man who spends a greater (relative to a man who spends a lesser) proportion of time apart from his partner since the couple's last copulation reported (a) greater sexual interest in his partner, (b) greater distress in response to his partner's sexual rejection, and (c) greater sexual persistence in response to his partner's sexual rejection. All effects were independent of total time since the couple's last copulation and the man's relationship satisfaction. Discussion addresses limitations of the current research and situates the current results within the broader comparative literature on adaptation to sperm competition.
ISSN:0735-7036
1939-2087
DOI:10.1037/0735-7036.121.2.214