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3 - Extra-Pair Sexual Interest

from Part I - Precopulatory Adaptations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 June 2022

By
Marissa A. Harrison
Edited by
Todd K. Shackelford
Todd K. Shackelford
Affiliation:
Oakland University, Michigan
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Summary

Extrapair sex, although not a dominant human mating strategy, has been a part of our mating landscape throughout human history. Although prevalence rates vary across studies, a conservative estimate is that at least 1 out of 5 persons have cheated on a committed partner. In this chapter I discuss theories and evidence addressing extrapair interest and behavior (i.e., cheating on a committed partner) as produced by adaptations. Topics include the costs and benefits of extrapair behavior, comparisons to nonhuman animal extrapair behavior, sex differences, and purported female cyclical variations in extrapair orientation. I briefly discuss proximate factors that predict proclivity to cheat. I also touch on infidelity advertisement, cheating detection, forgiving a partner’s infidelity, and infidelity in popular culture. I conclude with some observations about the state of the field. Regardless of causes and correlates, infidelity can be costly, yet humans remain interested in and intrigued by the phenomenon.

Keywords

Extrapair copulationEPCsex differencesinfidelity
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Sexual Psychology , pp. 57 - 90
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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