Looking deeper: Extradyadic behaviors, jealousy, and perceived unfaithfulness in hypothetical dating relationships

Abstract

This report expands on past research dealing with extradyadic (ED) relations in dating relationships by examining behaviors beyond those of a strictly sexual or romantic nature that college‐age men and women consider to be unfaithful. Undergraduates (N= 219) from a U.S. university rated a hypothetical partner's ED sexual behavior, sexual fantasies, romantic attachments, flirting, group, and dyadic social activities including a member of the other gender outside the primary dating relationship as a function of relationship stage. Men and women rated all the ED behaviors as jealousy provoking except group social activities, and rated all the behaviors as unfaithful except dyadic and group social activities. Women reported greater jealousy than did men in response to a hypothetical partner's sexual fantasies, romantic attachments, and flirting behavior. Women also reported a hypothetical partner's romantic attachments and flirting behavior as more unfaithful than did men. Results are discussed in terms of support for evolutionary theory and the need to acknowledge environmental factors in examining gender differences.

Was That Cheating? Perceptions Vary by Sex, Attachment Anxiety, and Behavior

“…Yarab, Allgeier, and Sensibaugh (1999) found that those with higher levels of relationship commitment tend to perceive sexual behaviors as significantly more adulterous. We did ask participants if they were currently involved in an exclusive romantic relationship, and found that relationship Evolutionary Psychology -ISSN 1474-7049 -Volume 11(1).…”

Sociosexuality, Commitment, Sexual Infidelity, and Perceptions of Infidelity: Data From the Second Love Web Site

“…More restricted sociosexuality and greater satisfaction in the relationship are associated with more restrictive perceptions of what behaviors constitute infidelity (Mattingly et al, 2010). Greater commitment is associated with the perception of extradyadic sexual behaviors as more indicative of infidelity and as provoking greater jealousy (Yarab, Allgeier, & Sensibaugh, 1999). Still, only few studies focused on how these perceptions differ according to sexual infidelity in sexually monogamous relationships, and to the best of our knowledge none has examined whether these differences are associated with sociosexuality and commitment.…”

“…For these individuals, their unrestricted sociosexuality should be associated with more permissive perceptions of ambiguous, explicit and deceptive infidelity behaviors. For individuals without sexual infidelity, on the other hand, greater commitment should be associated with perceptions of greater infidelity Yarab et al, 1999).…”

Pushing the Wrong Buttons: Men's and Women's Attitudes toward Online and Offline Infidelity

“…8 Furthermore, researchers have revealed that individuals are more forgiving of extradyadic behaviors committed by members of their own gender compared to individuals of the opposite gender. 17 One of the reasons for these discrepancies could possibly be the variations in samples being used, including people who are experienced in relationships who are asked to reflect on their current relationship, compared to non-experienced participants who are asked to imagine a hypothetical cheating partner.…”