David Buss is one of the founders of the field of evolutionary psychology, currently at the University of Texas at Austin. 

His primary research focus is on strategies of human mating, and he is most well-known for his studies on mate selection, tactics of mate attraction, infidelity, tactics of mate retention, tactics of mate poaching, and the mating emotions of jealousy, lust, and love.

David has also authored several books for wide audiences, such as “The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating,” and most recently “When Men Behave Badly” and also textbooks such as “Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind.” 

This episode covers topics like freedom of sexual choice, error management in the sexual domain, jealousy, polyamory and online dating.

Mating evolution and long-term relationships

On average, men find women to be more attractive than women find men. And we know that a lot of mating, historically, that has over evolutionary time has been hypergamous, that is women marrying up in SES (Socioeconomic status) and polygynous mating system allows that to some degree. And we know that women have evolved mate preferences for men who are high in status. And so you have, these online dating formats, women going after the top 20% of the guys. And so then there are 80% of the guys who experience few or no mating opportunities. And this is a big problem because that top 20% of the males who receive all the female sexual attention are typically unwilling to commit to a long-term mating relationship.

Function of Jealousy

One of the functions of jealousy is that it evolved to preserve paternity certainty, on the part of the investing male.

On vulnerability and moving away

So you take a young woman surrounded by close kin who function as body guards and deterring sexual aggression. And in the modern environment, ship them off a thousand miles away to a college or university, where they have no kin around and they lose also their friendship network that they previously had in their hometown. And so you stripped them of their body guards, and that makes them vulnerable.

Recommended Resources:

• Error management theory - Wikipedia
• Martie G.Haselton, Ph.D. | University of California, Los Angeles
• The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker

Guest Profile:

• Faculty Profile at University of Texas at Austin
• David Buss on LinkedIn
• David Buss on Twitter
• David Buss on Facebook

His Work:

• Buss Lab
• David Buss on Google Scholar
• When Men Behave Badly: The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment, and Assault
• Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind
• The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating
• Why Women Have Sex: Understanding Sexual Motivations from Adventure to Revenge (and Everything in Between)
• The Murderer Next Door: Why the Mind Is Designed to Kill
• The Dangerous Passion: Why Jealousy Is as Necessary as Love and Sex