Why Women Stray

[James Brody]

This is a replay of information already presented in Evolution of Desire. Martie Haselton (see below) is a former David Buss student and a potential centerfold...ah, that we should all be so lucky!

JB
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"Designer Genes: Women May Stray When Ovulation Peaks
Study suggests infidelity could be part of evolutionary call for desirable mates

By Meryl Hyman Harris
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Jan. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Women who feel an urge for sex outside of their marriages might be hearing an evolutionary call to improve the species.

New research suggests that during ovulation, when women are ready to conceive, nature may encourage them to look beyond their male partners for a better gene pool, but only if they don't find their mates sexually attractive.

"The mating market is driven by supply and demand, and therefore not all women will attract long-term mates offering good genes," the study authors stated. Women innately deduce that a man they find sexy has better genes to pass on to a baby."

To be published in Evolution and Human Behavior

"Martie G. Haselton, assistant professor, communication studies and psychology, University of Californa, Los Angeles; Steven W. Gangestad, professor, psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Irwin Goldstein, M.D., founder and former director, Institute for Sexual Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, and editor-in-chief, Journal of Sexual Medicine; Jan. 4, 2006, Hormones and Behavior"

More at [url]http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=530053

[alexandra_k]

Hmm. That is reminding me of something I read somewhere (not so helpful that I can't remember where - sorry)...

Regarding marriage... Women are best to look for good providers (economically)
Regarding reproduction... Women are best to look for best genes (I think there is some work that has been done on pheremones (sp?) and compatability
Those two things may well come apart...
Thus... It is in a womans best interests to have her mate believe that she is faithful (so as to receive ecomomic support for her and her offspring)
And to be unfaithful (so as to mate with the most compatible genes)

Male promiscuity seems to be better tolerated - so long as he continues to provide economic support for his mate and offspring.

From a guys pov... The woman had better be faithful or the guy is spending their resources on providing for another guys kids.

I think this has come from fairly recent work on female promiscuity...