2008/04/01 by Nigel Barber · 2 citations
Psychology · Health Professions · Social Sciences · #Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior #Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health #Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1177/147470490800600203
openalex publication_date 2008/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/11
Evolutionary psychological meta-theory predicts that interest in “casual” sex should decline with its costs (e.g., acquiring HIV/AIDS or an infectious disease, unwanted pregnancy, loss of spousal commitment). Analyses of Schmitt's (2005) data on sociosexuality in 48 countries (including gender differences therein) tested these predictions using multiple regressions controlling for economic development and population density. Sociosexuality declined as HIV/AIDS increased and as teen births increased, supporting the hypothesis, but female sociosexuality increased with the risk of infectious disease. Sociosexuality was lower in countries in which there was a greater proportion of men in the population and marriages likely involved greater commitment. Country differences in sexual motivation partly reflect varying costs of extramarital sexuality with females possibly increasing their interest in sexual variety to boost heritable disease resistance.