Assortative Pairing and Life History Strategy

Abstract

A secondary analysis was performed on preliminary data from an ongoing cross-cultural study on assortative pairing. Independently sampled pairs of oppositesex romantic partners and of same-sex friends rated themselves and each other on Life History (LH) strategy and mate value. Data were collected in local bars, clubs, coffeehouses, and other public places from three different cultures: Tucson, Arizona; Hermosillo, Sonora; and San José, Costa Rica. The present analysis found that slow LH individuals assortatively pair with both sexual and social partners more strongly than fast LH individuals. We interpret this phenomenon as representing (1) an adaptation for preserving coadapted genomes in slow LH strategists to maintain high copying fidelity genetic replication while producing a lower number of offspring in stable, predictable, and controllable environments and (2) a bet-hedging adaptation in fast LH strategists, favoring the genetic diversification of a higher number of offspring in unstable, unpredictable, and uncontrollable environments.

Evidence for Shared Genetic Dominance Between the General Factor of Personality, Mental and Physical Health, and Life History Traits

“…We conclude that, considering the small sample size available in the MIDUS twin data, the possibility of nonadditive genetic effects (D) cannot be conclusively rejected. Moreover, assortative mating effects have not been taken into account in these models but we know they exist on comparable measures at a statistically significant level and are crossculturally replicable (r = 0.26, p = .0001; Figueredo & Wolf, 2009). As such, they will increase the DZ twin correlations and increase the confidence in our conclusion about not being able to rule out a nonzero nonadditive genetic component.…”

Youth Injuries as a Function of Sex, Life History, and Neighborhood Safety

“…mini-k is a shortened version of the K-scale, with fewer questions and shown to be similarly valid as, and convergent with, the larger K-scale measure (see Figueredo, Vásquez, Brumbach, Sefcek, Kirsner, & Jacobs, 2005); mini-k has also been demonstrated to be valid crossculturally (Figueredo et al, 2006). The mini-k scale has received extensive validation (Figueredo et al, 2014;Figueredo & Wolf, 2009;Gladden, Figueredo, & Jacobs, 2008;Gladden, Sisco, & Figueredo, 2008), (α=.74). mini-k assesses individual differences in endorsement of items related to (slow-paced) life history strategy.…”

Life History Selection and Phenotypic Diversification

“…As it has been shown that slow life history strategists have evolved systematically higher standards of mate value for partner selection (which serve the function of at least partially avoiding the potential hazards of the higher levels of homozygosity entailed by positive assortative mating; Figueredo & Wolf, 2009), it is therefore likely that these genetic dregs are more prone to accumulate in the portion of the mating pool composed of individuals with faster life history strategies (given their generally lower standards of mate value for sexual partners and increased tolerance for higher degrees of disassortative mating). These dynamics should therefore automatically generate higher levels of comorbidity among different forms of psychopathology at the faster than the slower end of the life history speed continuum, as well as systematically higher levels of psychopathology in general at the faster end of that continuum.…”