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Lesson 1: Sex and Evolution
Sociosexuality
Sociosexuality is the interest in casual (or uncommitted) sex. There is a large sex difference in human sociosexuality. Studies have found that across different cultures, men are more interested in uncommitted sex. We know that men and women typically experience different kinds of risks in their reproductive lives, so it makes sense that women are, on average, choosier when engaging in uncommitted sex—they have more to risk—and men are less picky.
One caveat is that these sex differences between men and women are more significant when you examine short-term mate choice. In the long-term, men and women are more likely to seek similar traits in their potential sexual/romantic partners.
The Clark & Hatfield Study
Clark and Hatfield (1989) conducted a fascinating study that demonstrated these sex differences between men and women in choosiness. They had an attractive woman approach different men on a large college campus. After introducing herself, the woman would claim to have noticed the man around campus and found him attractive. Then, she would ask the man three questions: Would you go out on a date with me? Would you go back to my apartment with me? Would you go to bed with me? Clark and Hatfield also repeated the experiment with an attractive man approaching different women walking around campus.
Before I share the results of this famous experiment with you, click on Predict the Results, and take a guess in the table that follows what percentage of female and male respondents agreed to each scenario.
Predict the Results
Fill in the blanks with your guess of what percentage of individuals accepted each kind of invitation. Predict for both females and males. Then expand the See the Actual Results section to see the real results from the study.
| Sex of Respondent | Date | Apartment | Bed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | |||
| Male |
See the Actual Results
| Sex of Respondent | Date | Apartment | Bed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 56% | 6% | 0% |
| Male | 50% | 69% | 75% |
The sex difference in this study was significant. While men and women were equally likely to agree to go out on a date with the study confederate, men were much more likely to agree to go back to the person’s apartment, and even more likely to agree to go to bed with her. In fact, while no women agreed to go to bed with the stranger, more men (75%) agreed to this scenario than to just going on a date (50%)! Several other studies have replicated these findings, supporting the conclusion that there is a large, well-established sex difference between men and women in interest in casual sex (sociosexuality), and this has been found across different cultures around the world.
It is worth noting, however, that the researchers also recognize that women may be rejecting any offers of hooking up with a stranger because of safety issues and the fact that it’s riskier for a woman to go back to a stranger’s apartment or agree to have sex with him without knowing anything else about him. Thus, there are other factors involved that may not be directly associated with interest in casual sex.