Sexual Strategies Theory: Built for the Short Term or the Long Term?

Smiler, Andrew P.

doi:10.1007/s11199-010-9817-z

Cited by 32 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…Results from the current study [meta-analysis] support this theory" (p. 35). Despite strong theoretical rationale and extensive evidentiary breadth for hypothesized sex differences in desires for sexual variety (Schmitt and Pilcher 2004), several contributors to this special issue question the existence of sex differences in desires for sexual variety (Pedersen et al 2010;Smiler 2010). One proposed that if the differences do exist, they can be explained by "cultural" moderator variables (Tate 2010).…”

Section: Empirical Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary Psychology and Feminism

2011

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This article provides a historical context of evolutionary psychology and feminism, and evaluates the contributions to this special issue of Sex Roles within that context. We briefly outline the basic tenets of evolutionary psychology and articulate its meta-theory of the origins of gender similarities and differences. The article then evaluates the specific contributions: Sexual Strategies Theory and the desire for sexual variety; evolved standards of beauty; hypothesized adaptations to ovulation; the appeal of risk taking in human mating; understanding the causes of sexual victimization; and the role of studies of lesbian mate preferences in evaluating the framework of evolutionary psychology. Discussion focuses on the importance of social and cultural context, human behavioral flexibility, and the evidentiary status of specific evolutionary psychological hypotheses. We conclude by examining the potential role of evolutionary psychology in addressing social problems identified by feminist agendas.

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Section: Empirical Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary Psychology and Feminism

2011

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“…As a “general” theory of romantic and sexual attraction, Sexual Strategies Theory makes claims that are intended to be applied across cultures and thus are not specific to any particular group (Smiler 2011). Perhaps for this reason, very few studies have assessed its predictions among African Americans in particular and we are aware of no studies assessing Sexual Strategies Theory’s predictions about attractiveness among high school students of any race.…”

Section: Sexual Strategies Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The criticisms most relevant to this study are that it has received little testing outside of undergraduate populations in the U.S. and Europe or with members of racial minorities (Smiler 2011). The substantial literature documenting body size preferences among African Americans makes them a particularly important group to consider.…”

Section: Body Weight and Partner Preferences Among African Americans:mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Body Size in Mate Selection among African American Young Adults

Granberg

Simons

Simons³

2015

Sex Roles

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A profusion of studies have demonstrated that body size is a major factor in mate selection for both men and women. The particular role played by weight, however, has been subject to some debate, particularly with respect to the types of body sizes deemed most attractive, and scholars have questioned the degree to which body size preferences are constant across groups. In this paper, we drew from two perspectives on this issue, Sexual Strategies Theory and what we termed the cultural variability perspective, and used survey data to examine how body size was associated with both casual dating and serious romantic relationships. We used a United States sample of 386 African American adolescents and young adults between ages 16 and 21, living in the Midwest and Southeast, and who were enrolled in either high school or college. Results showed that overweight women were more likely to report casually dating than women in the thinnest weight category. Body size was not related to dating status among men. Among women, the results suggest stronger support for the cultural variability argument than for Sexual Strategies Theory. Potential explanations for these findings are discussed.

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“…Men's desire for a greater number of mates than women is explained by Tate (2010) in terms of gender roles (see also Perrin et al 2010), whereas Smiler (2010) notes that such findings reflect the preferences of a small minority of males whose data skew the mean value and thus generate an apparently uniform sex difference. In general, challenges to evolutionary psychology theorizing come from both sex similarities and differences in the Special Issue articles.…”

Section: Insights About Sex Differences and Similarities From Specialmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately, these questions become difficult to answer when authors do not use the terms, difference and similarity, in comparable or understandable ways across articles. For example, many authors conclude that men and women were "more similar than different" in their research, without explaining the meaning of this descriptor by specifying the magnitudes of similarity or difference that warrant such a statement (see Frisby et al 2010;Pederson et al 2010;Smiler 2010). Unless researchers develop a shared interpretation of what "more similar than different" means, the phrase seems merely rhetorical and should be avoided.…”

Section: Insights About Sex Differences and Similarities From Specialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feminism and the Evolution of Sex Differences and Similarities

2011

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Distrust between most evolutionary psychologists and most feminist psychologists is evident in the majority of the articles contained in this Special Issue. The debates between proponents of these perspectives reflect different views of the potential for transforming gender relations from patriarchal to gender-equal. Yet, with respect to the overall prevalence of sex differences or similarities, the articles in the Special Issue show that neither feminist psychologists nor evolutionary psychologists have uniform positions. Questions about how and if women and men differ are still under negotiation in the articles in this Special Issue as well as in other research related to evolutionary and feminist psychology. Clearer conclusions would be fostered by standardized metrics for representing male-female comparisons, more varied research methods for assessing both psychological and biological processes, greater diversity in populations sampled, and more researcher openness to taking into account findings that challenge their theories. Theoretical growth also is needed, especially to develop and integrate the many individual feminism-influenced theories represented in this Special Issue. To this end, we propose an integrative evolutionary framework that recognizes human culture in both ultimate and proximal causes of female and male behavior.

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Sexual Strategies Theory: Built for the Short Term or the Long Term?

Cited by 32 publications

References 50 publications

Evolutionary Psychology and Feminism

Evolutionary Psychology and Feminism

The Role of Body Size in Mate Selection among African American Young Adults

Feminism and the Evolution of Sex Differences and Similarities

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