Menstrual cycle effects on jealousy:A study in Curaçao

Most studies on changes in female behavior and preferences across the menstrual cycle have been conducted in samples comprised of largely white undergraduate students from Western populations. The present study examined cyclical shifts in reactive, preventive and anxious jealousy in a sample of 71 Afro-Caribbean women from Curaçao, a country in the Caribbean. We expected that, because of the risk of conceiving, especially preventive jealousy would be relatively high when fertile to safeguard the male’s protection, provisioning and investment. The results showed that, when fertile, women experi... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Buunk, A.P.
van Brummen-Girigori, Odette
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2016
Reihe/Periodikum: Buunk , A P & van Brummen-Girigori , O 2016 , ' Menstrual cycle effects on jealousy : A study in Curaçao ' , Evolution, Mind and Behaviour , vol. 14 , pp. 43-54 . https://doi.org/10.1556/2050.2016.0003
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-26617203
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://hdl.handle.net/11370/89152dfd-76a2-45ab-ba33-1d03a1779249

Most studies on changes in female behavior and preferences across the menstrual cycle have been conducted in samples comprised of largely white undergraduate students from Western populations. The present study examined cyclical shifts in reactive, preventive and anxious jealousy in a sample of 71 Afro-Caribbean women from Curaçao, a country in the Caribbean. We expected that, because of the risk of conceiving, especially preventive jealousy would be relatively high when fertile to safeguard the male’s protection, provisioning and investment. The results showed that, when fertile, women experienced indeed particularly more preventive jealousy, and also somewhat more anxious jealousy, but not more reactive jealousy, than when non-fertile. In addition, preventive jealousy was higher the later the age of the first menarche. We discuss possible explanations for the functionality of preventive jealousy during the fertile phase of the cycle, and for the functionality of such jealousy among women with a slow life history strategy.