A Reconsideration of Sex Differences in Response to Sexual and Emotional Infidelity

Abstract

Previous studies have found that males are more upset over sexual infidelity than females whereas females are more upset over emotional infidelity than males. We hypothesized that such sex differences are explained by explicit sexual imagery by males. The hypothesis was tested in a laboratory using vivid infidelity scenarios and photographs to induce detailed and sexually oriented imagery of a partner's infidelity. In the main experiment, participants included 64 males and 64 females who were currently in committed relationships. The results showed that participants became more upset when they imagined sexual infidelity vividly and realistically than when they did not and there were no significant sex differences in jealousy found when sexual infidelity was imagined in this matter. Overall, our findings suggested that the sex differences in jealousy resulted from males' tendency to imagine sexual infidelity more vividly than females.

Sexual Behaviour, Knowledge and Use of Contraceptives Among Undergraduate Students

“…It is believed that young people hardly need education to engage in sexual behaviour as it is normal physiological response to puberty. Nevertheless, it is known that certain factors encourage sexual activities that constitute risky or unhealthy sexual behavior [7][8][9][10] . For instance, fashion has been a paradoxical feature in sexuality and attractiveness.…”

Testing the sexual imagination hypothesis for gender differences in response to infidelity

“…However, some researchers have questioned the validity of the EJM hypothesis due to contradictory findings [6–10] and alternative interpretations to account for the gender differences in infidelity response. The sexual imagination hypothesis [10, 11] states that gender differences in infidelity responses are derived from men’s explicit sexual imagery [10, 11].…”

“…The sexual imagination hypothesis [10, 11] states that gender differences in infidelity responses are derived from men’s explicit sexual imagery [10, 11]. According to this hypothesis, men and women will not differ in responses to a partner’s sexual infidelity, if women too can imagine sexual infidelity as vividly and realistically as men.…”

“…According to this hypothesis, men and women will not differ in responses to a partner’s sexual infidelity, if women too can imagine sexual infidelity as vividly and realistically as men. However, men are more upset by a partner’s sexual infidelity than women are, because men are more likely than women to imagine explicit details (for a review, see [10]). For example, Geer and McGlone [12] found that men were faster and more accurate in recognition tasks involving erotic sentences than women are.…”

“…In addition, data from men and women who have actually experienced infidelity showed no significant gender differences in sexual infidelity reactions [14–18]. Moreover, Kato [10] found that there were no significant gender differences in jealousy when sexual infidelity was imagined in a laboratory using vivid infidelity scenarios and photographs to induce detailed explicit imagery of a partner’s infidelity.…”