Citation

Mitchell VE, Mogilski JK, Zeigler-Hill V, Welling LLM. Pers. Individ. Dif. 2019; 142: 110-115.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.paid.2019.01.045

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Prior research has evaluated which personality traits predict mate poaching behavior (i.e., attempts to attract an individual known to be in a relationship with another person) by soliciting retrospective reports of mate poaching success. Here we investigate differences in personality among those who are presently within poached versus non-poached relationships. Furthermore, we distinguish relationships wherein the poacher was physically intimate with versus romantically interested in their partner when they were in a relationship with another person. Men within poached relationships scored higher on detachment, negative affectivity, disinhibition, antagonism, and psychoticism compared to non-poacher men. Furthermore, men who had been physically intimate with their partner while their partner was in a relationship with someone else scored higher on ethical risk-taking compared to non-poacher men. Women within poached relationships had higher scores on antagonism, detachment, and ethical risk-taking compared to non-poachers, although female poachers scored similarly to non-poacher men on all measures. These results suggest that individuals may use distinct mate poaching strategies associated with varying degrees of risk, and that men and women may employ these strategies differently.

Language: en

Keywords

HEXACO; Mate poaching; Personality; Risk-taking; Romantic relationships