Abstract
Drawing on the power of evolutionary theory to explain behavior across cultures and species, particularly in the domains of sex and reproduction, evolutionary psychology has now emerged as a major perspective in the study of intimate relationships. This chapter applies this perspective to the study of love, commitment, and mate retention. It presents an overview of the evolutionary basis of long-term mating and high parental investment in humans. The chapter discusses two emotional-motivational systems, love and anger-upset, that play major roles in regulating relationship feelings and behavior. It highlights recent evolutionary research on the love system and its links to relationship ideals, investment, and dependence. Finally, the chapter reviews the anger-upset system and its links to jealousy, mate-retention strategies, and relationship violence.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology |
| Publisher | John Wiley and Sons Ltd |
| Pages | 419-442 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780470939376 |
| ISBN (Print) | 0471264032, 9780471264033 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 8 2015 |
Keywords
- Anger-upset system
- Emotional-motivational systems
- Evolutionary psychology
- Human reproduction
- Love system
- Mate retention
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Psychology