The present research proposal employs a new theoretical perspective called Constrained Mating Theory; this theory is informed by both evolutionary principles and theoretical and empirical insights from social psychology, including research on close relationships. Constrained Mating Theory predicts that the presence of a strong attachment bond between close relationship partners will diminish or refocus otherwise adaptive psychological processes that may threaten that bond. In other words, people who are strongly attached to their partners will experience hormonal and psychological shifts that maintain and protect the bond.
Study 1 explores whether the strength of men's attachment bonds predicts decreases in their testosterone levels over time and subsequent increases in supportive behaviors toward their partners. Studies 2a and 2b examine whether the function of women's ovulatory shifts (hormonal and psychological changes that vary with women's fertility) are rechanneled toward the adaptive purpose of protecting and strengthening the pair-bond when the bond is strong.
At the theoretical level, this work will integrate research in anthropology and evolutionary psychology, research on the role of hormones in human social and sexual behavior, and research on adult romantic attachment. Scholars in these various disciplines have typically come from very different theoretical traditions and have used very different methods; the research in the present proposal borrows from all of these fields. Specifically, this work is inspired by anthropological models of hominid evolution, evolutionary perspectives on humans' multiple mating motives, and attachment theory and its relevance to adult romantic relationships. Finally, the present work will promote a rich understanding of human pair bonding by employing a diverse set of methods, including biological methods that assess hormone concentrations, observational methods that capture live dyadic interactions, social cognitive methods that examine moment-to-moment social judgments, and experimental methods that identify causes of interpersonal attraction.
The proposed work will have a variety of positive broader impacts. The proposed research explores how people rechannel and/or control impulses that can lead to disastrous choices in the domain of close relationships (e.g., cheating on a partner). By identifying the conditions under which people are more or less likely to protect their close romantic relationships, this work can inform educators and therapists as they provide their students and clients (respectively) with tools to improve decision making. The researcher will also maintain an active role in the dissemination of findings. Research on evolutionary psychology and on romantic relationships frequently enjoys strong media coverage, and the researcher will continue his history of collaborating with the media to ensure that the lessons of this research reach a broader audience (and are communicated accurately). Finally, the research funded in this proposal will provide meaningful research training experiences for a graduate research assistant.
