Evolution, motivation, and the mating/parenting trade–off

AbstractAn evolutionary perspective on motivation implies an inverse relation between two motivational systems – one that regulates mate acquisition and the other that regulates parental care-giving. Study 1 (N = 2252) used correlational methods to test whether an inverse relation manifests at the level of chronic individual differences. Results revealed that short-term mating orientation (STMO) was inversely associated with a nurturant disposition toward children, but was positively associated with a protective disposition toward children. Studies 2 and 3 used experimental methods to test whether the inverse relation manifests at the level of temporary cognitive accessibility. Study 2 (N = 92) revealed that women (but not men) reported lower levels of STMO following an experimental procedure designed to activate the parental care motivational system. Conversely, results from Study 3 (n = 308) suggest that both men and women reported lower levels of tender emotional responses towards infants following an ...