Areas and Consequences of the Mismatch Between Ancestral and Modern Conditions on Mate-Retention Capacity
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Several people in contemporary postindustrial societies experience difficulties retaining intimate partners. This paper investigates the proximate reasons (the immediate causes of reduced capacity) and the ultimate reasons (the evolutionary causes behind those proximate mechanisms) that lead to such difficulties. I argue that the mechanisms or adaptations involved in partner retention evolved in ancestral preindustrial contexts and may not be effective in contemporary postindustrial settings. Relevant mismatches include the protection of human rights, dependence on intimate partners, freedom in mate choice, and access to parenting resources. I further argue that these mismatches have affected adaptations involved in partner retention, including the expression of undesirable traits, such as aggression and jealousy, insufficient mating effort, poor initial mate choice, and an impaired ability to meet the demands of parenting. As a consequence, many individuals today experience reduced mate-retention capacity, with implications that I explore.
Source: Humans
Author: Menelaos Apostolou
Institution: University of Nicosia
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,207
OpenAlex ID: W4416457306