Fisher, M., Voracek, M., Rekkas, P., & Cox, A. (2008). Sex differences in feelings of guilt arising from infidelity. Evolutionary Psychology, 6, 3,

Introduction Evolution Male jealousy evolved as a cuckoldry avoidance mechanism because paternity is not assured Women should be threatened by emotional infidelity because it increases the probability resources will be redirected to a rival woman and her children Guilt Stimulate individuals to examine the hardship that they cause others to evoke reparative behaviors and is a mechanism to protect one’s reputation 20-25% of American respondents reported at least one sexual affair during their lifetime Infidelity is a major cause for divorce Choosing to end the relationship stems from the form of infidelity that took place (Sexual vs. Emotional)

Hypothesis Men will feel guiltier from imagined emotional rather than sexual infidelity Women will feel guilt from imagined sexual rather than emotional infidelity

Methods Participants 66 Females (M age= 27.7) 65 Males (M age= 28.4) All from metropolitan city of Toronto, Canada 57% committed relationship 33% not in a romantic relationship 10% casual relationship Procedure Criteria: Alone and unhurried Female researcher approached individuals at a public locations Fill out informed consent form Survey: variation of Buss et al.’s Sexual Jealousy Scale (designed to probe guilt rather than jealousy) Short debriefing session Complete surveys returned in a sealed unmarked envelope

Results Chi-Square Analysis Significant Sex Difference Women chose imagined emotional infidelity as a major cause of guilt Men chose imagined sexual infidelity as a major cause of guilt Women, not men, report that sexual infidelity would more likely lead to relationship dissolution

Discussion The hypothesis was wrong Originally hypothesized that women would feel more guilt from imagined sexual infidelity than emotional infidelity Men would feel more guilt from emotional infidelity than sexual infidelity Results revealed the opposite Men and women were are aware of the importance placed on the types of affairs each gender perceives as worse

Critical Review Pro Investigating guilt which was an under-investigated area Variety of relationship statuses (single, casual, & romantic) Debriefed Con No external validity (small sample size and random selection) Individuals didn’t necessarily experience infidelity Responses were to imagined situations The redesigned version of the Buss et al. scale was not offered Contradictions (ex. Males vs. females for ending a relationships)

Quiz 1. Participants were selected from? a) Tokyo b) New York City c) Toronto d) Marina Del Rey 2. What percent of Americans reported having at least one affair in their lifetime? a) 10-15% b) 20-25% c) 15-20% d) 50-65% 3. The survey used to measure guilt was called? a) Infidelity and Guilt Scale b) Sexual Jealousy Scale c) Infidelity and Sexual Scale d) Sexual Infidelity Scale 4. Men experience more guilt with imagined emotional infidelity? (T/F) 5. For women a relationship will end based on emotional infidelity? (T/F) 6. For women emotional infidelity means an increased probability that a man’s resources will be redirected? (T/F)