ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the theories of short-term mating and looks at the adaptive logic of men’s short-term mating and why it would loom larger in men’s than in women’s psychological repertoires. It examines the potential costs that men might incur from short-term mating. The chapter explores the specific adaptive problems that men must solve if they are to successfully pursue short-term mating. It explains the adaptive problems men must solve when pursuing short-term mating. The chapter discusses several empirical findings that support the hypothesis that men have an evolved short-term mating strategy. It analyzes the evidence for contexts that influence whether women pursue short-term mating. The chapter addresses five major hypotheses about the adaptive benefits to women of short-term mating. For short-term sexual psychology to evolve in women there must have been adaptive benefits associated with casual sex in some circumstances. Five classes of benefits have been proposed: resources, genes, mate switching, short-term for long-term mating goals, and mate manipulation.
