Male Deception in Short-Term Mating as a Function of Personality
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Date
2007Item status
Restricted AccessAuthor
Fryer, Claire
Metadata
Abstract
Deception is one solution which evolved to solve the adaptive problem of obtaining a mate.
This study investigated the nature of deception used by males in short-term mating and
whether use of this strategy was related to the Five Factor Model. Participants (N = 104)
completed questionnaires assessing intersexual and intrasexual deceptive acts, a personality
adjective checklist, mating effort and mate value. Consistent with previous findings, males
deceived in ways that corresponded with female mate selection criteria and to raise their
dominance and competition among males. We predicted that an increase in deception for
characteristics typical of a short-term strategy, i.e. extraverted males, high in mating effort
and mate value. Two dimensions were found in the nature of deception used in mating;
external appearance management and internal appearance management. Significant
individual differences that moderated the use of deception were extraversion and openness.
Low extraversion, high mating effort and extraverted males with increased perceived mate
value predicted greater use of external appearance management. Internal appearance
management was predicted by high extraversion and those low in openness scoring highly
in mate value. Increased mating effort also predicted more internal appearance
management for males low in openness and high in extraversion. These results are
consistent with a deceptive personality and that of a male likely to pursue a short-term
strategy, supporting the use of deception in short-term mating. Overall, this study
contributes to research which investigates personality psychology from an evolutionary
perspective and supports the role that individual differences in personality play in
evolution.