Theoretical Paper

Sexual behavior and jealousy: An evolutionary perspective

Author: Irina Grigorovici
Titu Maiorescu University, Bucharest, Romania
Email: irinagrigorovici@gmail.com

Evolutionary psychology introduces sexual behavior as a result of the evolutionary process, and is closely related to and dependent on environmental factors. Morphological, psychological and behavioral differences between sexes are explained as the consequences of the sexual selection process and of the conflict between the different reproductive ways of men as compared to women (Buss, 2008). The human species exhibits a series of behavioral and psychological characteristics that differentiate the two sexes. These are called “sexual dysmorphism” and, from an evolutionary psychology perspective, there are three explanations for it: (1) Differences may be a result of natural selection, which occurred differently in women and men; (2) gender differentiation can be a result of competition for resources and (3) sexual dysmorphism is most likely the result of sexual selection (Andersson, 1994).


Keywords: Evolutionary psychology, sexual dysmorphism, parental investment and sexual selection, polygyny mating system