Abstract
This study aimed to test the predictive power of individual differences in life history strategies (HS) on responses to conflicts in romantic relationships in a Brazilian sample (N = 251). Additionally, we investigated the moderator role of psychopathy and endorsement of basic values in the relationship between life HS and responses to conflicts. The results showed that fast HS (vs. slow HS) predicted less constructive responses to conflict. In addition, the psychopathy trait and interactive values moderated the relationship between the fast HS and destructive responses to conflicts: when medium and high on psychopathy, individuals employ more destructive responses. In turn, when medium and high on interactive values, individuals respond less destructively to conflict. Overall, these empirical findings are theoretically sound within evolutionary assumptions. In conclusion, the current results support that individual differences in life HS may predict relationship outcomes. In addition, this study adds to the literature on romantic relationships by connecting individual variables like personality and human values to evolutionary hypotheses for the understanding of romantic interactions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Code Availability
The codes used during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Almeida, A. C. (2016). Marital satisfaction and human values of couples from remarried and intact families [in Portuguese]. Unpublished master’s dissertation. Brazil: Federal University of Paraiba.
Bardi, A., & Schwartz, S. H. (2003). Values and behavior: Strength and structure of relations. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29(10), 1207–1220. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167203254602
Baumeister, R. F. (2005). The cultural animal: Human nature, meaning, and social life. Oxford University Press.
Belsky, J., Schlomer, G. L., & Ellis, B. J. (2012). Beyond cumulative risk: Distinguishing harshness and unpredictability as determinants of parenting and early life history strategy. Developmental Psychology, 48(3), 662–673. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024454
Bjorklund, D. F., Blasi, C. H., & Eliss, B. J. (2016). Evolutionary developmental psychology. In D. M. Buss (Ed.), The handbook of evolutionary psychology (pp. 904–924). Wiley.
Brewer, G., Bennett, C., Davidson, L., Ireen, A., Phipps, A. J., Stewart-Wilkes, D., & Wilson, B. (2017). Dark triad traits and romantic relationship attachment, accommodation, and control. Personality and Individual Differences, 120, 202–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.09.008
Buss, D. M. (1989). Sex differences in human mate preferences: Evolutionary hypotheses tested in 37 cultures. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 12(1), 1–49. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X00023992
Buss, D. M. (2005). The handbook of evolutionary psychology: John Wiley & Sons.
Buss, D., & Schmitt, D. (1993). Sexual strategies theory: An evolutionary perspective on human mating. Psychological Review, 100(2), 204–232. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.100.2.204
Buss, D. M., & Schmitt, D. P. (2019). Mate preferences and their behavioral manifestations. Annual Review of Psychology, 70, 77–110. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-103408
Carbonneau, N., & Vallerand, R. J. (2013). On the role of harmonious and obsessive romantic passion in conflict behavior. Motivation and Emotion, 37(4), 743–757. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-013-9354-5
Charnov, E. L. (1993). Life history invariants. Oxford University Press.
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Erlbaum.
Conroy-Beam, D., & Buss, D. M. (2016). Do mate preferences influence actual mating decisions? Evidence from computer simulations and three studies of mated couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111(1), 53–66. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000054
Conroy-Beam, D., Goetz, C. D., & Buss, D. M. (2015). Why do humans form long-term mateships? An evolutionary game-theoretic model. In Advances in experimental social psychology, (Vol. 51, pp. 1–39). Academic Press.
Couto, R. N. (2017). Forgiveness and post-traumatic growth in the framework of divorce: An explanation induced in human values [in Portuguese]. Unpublished master’s dissertation. Brazil: Federal University of Paraiba.
Del Giudice, M. (2020). Rethinking the fast-slow continuum of individual differences. Evolution and Human Behavior, 41(6), 536–549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.05.004
Dusek, G. A., Yurova, Y. V., & Ruppel, C. P. (2015). Using social media and targeted snowball sampling to survey a hard-to-reach population: A case study. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 10, 279–299. https://doi.org/10.28945/2296
Ellis, B. J., Figueredo, A. J., Brumbach, B. H., & Schlomer, G. L. (2009). Fundamental dimensions of environmental risk. Human Nature, 20(2), 204–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-009-9063-7
Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Buchner, A., & Lang, A. G. (2009). Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behavior Research Methods, 41, 1149–1160. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149
Figueredo, A. J., Vásquez, G., Brumbach, B. H., Schneider, S., Sefcek, J. A., Tal, I. R., Hill, D., Wenner, C. J., & Jacobs, W. J. (2006). Consilience and life history theory: From genes to brain to reproductive strategy. Developmental Review, 26(2), 243–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2006.02.002
Figueredo, A. J., Vásquez, G., Brumbach, B. H., Sefcek, J. A., Kirsner, B. R., & Jacobs, W. J. (2005). The K-factor: Individual differences in life history strategy. Personality and Individual Differences, 39(8), 1349–1360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.06.009
Figueredo, A. J., Wolf, P. S. A., Olderbak, S. G., Gladden, P. R., Fernandes, H. B. F., Wenner, C., Hill, D., Andrzejczak, D. J., Sisco, M. M., Jacobs, W. J., Hohman, Z. J., Sefcek, J. A., Kruger, D., Howrigan, D. P., MacDonald, K., & Rushton, J. P. (2014). The psychometric assessment of human life history strategy: A meta-analytic construct validation. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 8(3), 148–185. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0099837
Figueredo, A. J., Gladden, P. R., & Beck, C. J. A. (2012). Intimate partner violence and life history strategy. In T. K. Shackleford & A. T. Goetz (Eds.), Oxford library of psychology. The Oxford handbook of sexual conflict in humans. (p. 72–99). Oxford University Press.
Fincham, F. D., & Beach, S. R. (2010). Of memes and marriage: Toward a positive relationship science. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 2(1), 4–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1756-2589.2010.00033.x
Fonsêca, P. N., Lopes, B. J., Gusmão, E. E. S., Pessoa, V. S. A., Couto, R. N., & Silva, M. I. F. (2017). Marital forgiveness: An explanation based on human values. Trends in Psychology, 25(4), 1913–1926. https://doi.org/10.9788/tp2017.4-20pt
Fox, J. (2017). Using the R Commander: A point-and-click interface or R. Chapman and Hall/CRC Press.
Freitas, N. B. C. (2017). Strategies for the resolution of marital conflicts: An explanation from personality and human values [in Portuguese]. Unpublished master’s dissertation. Brazil: Federal University of Paraiba.
Gluck, M., Heesacker, M., & Choi, H. D. (2020). How much of the dark triad is accounted for by sexism? Personality and Individual Differences, 154, 109728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.109728
Gottman, J. M. (1998). Psychology and the study of marital processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 169–197. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.49.1.169
Gouveia V. V. (2013). Functional theory of human values: Fundamentals, applications and perspectives [in Portuguese]. São Paulo, Brazil: Casa do Psicólogo.
Gouveia, V. V., Milfont, T. L., & Guerra, V. M. (2014). Functional theory of human values: Testing its content and structure hypotheses. Personality and Individual Differences, 60, 41–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.12.012
Gouveia, V. V., Monteiro, R. P., Gouveia, R. S. V., Athayde, R. A. A., & Cavalcanti, T. M. (2016). Avaliando o lado sombrio da personalidade: Evidências psicométricas do Dark Triad Dirty Dozen. Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 50(3), 420–432. Retrieved from http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=28450492010
Henrich, J., Heine, S. J., & Norenzayan, A. (2010). The weirdest people in the world? Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 33(2–3), 61–83. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X0999152X
Hurst, J. E., & Kavanagh, P. S. (2017). Life history strategies and psychopathology: The faster the life strategies, the more symptoms of psychopathology. Evolution and Human Behavior, 38(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.06.001
Jonason, P. K., & Tost, J. (2010). I just cannot control myself: The Dark Triad and self-control. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(6), 611–615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.05.031
Jonason, P. K., & Webster, G. D. (2010). The dirty dozen: A concise measure of the dark triad. Psychological Assessment, 22(2), 420–432. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019265
Jonason, P. K., Foster, J. D., Kavanagh, P. S., Gouveia, V. V., & Birkás, B. (2018). Basic values and the Dark Triad traits. Journal of Individual Differences, 39(4), 220–228. https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000267
Jonason, P. K., Icho, A., & Ireland, K. (2016). Resources, harshness, and unpredictability: The socioeconomic conditions associated with the Dark Triad traits. Evolutionary Psychology, 14(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704915623699
Jonason, P. K., Koenig, B. L., & Tost, J. (2010). Living a fast life: The Dark Triad and life history theory. Human Nature, 21(4), 428–442. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-010-9102-4
Jonason, P. K., Luevano, V. X., & Adams, H. M. (2012). How the Dark Triad traits predict relationship choices. Personality and Individual Differences, 53(3), 180–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.03.007
Jonason, P. K., Lyons, M., Bethell, E. J., & Ross, R. (2013). Different routes to limited empathy in the sexes: Examining the links between the Dark Triad and empathy. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(5), 572–576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.11.009
Kaplan, H. S., & Gangestad, S. W. (2005). Life history theory and evolutionary psychology. In D. M. Buss (Ed.), The handbook of evolutionary psychology (pp. 68–95). Wiley.
Kardum, I., Hudek-Knezevic, J., Mehic, N., & Pilek, M. (2018). The effects of similarity in the Dark Triad traits on the relationship quality in dating couples. Personality and Individual Differences, 131, 38–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.04.020
Kenrick, D. T. (2006). A dynamical evolutionary view of love. In R. J. Sternberg & K. Weis (Eds.), Psychology of love (2nd ed., pp. 15–34). Yale University Press.
Lopes, G. S., Barbaro, N., Sela, Y., Jeffery, A. J., Pham, M. N., Shackelford, T. K., & Zeigler-Hill, V. (2017). Endorsement of social and personal values predicts the desirability of men and women as long-term partners. Evolutionary Psychology, 15(4), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704917742384
Loureto, G. D. L., Gouveia, V. V., Fonsêca, P. N., Gonçalves, M. P., Santos, W. S., Monteiro, R. P., & Freires, L. A. (2022). Desirability of a long-term partner: Effects of life strategies and endorsement of basic values. Personality and Individual Differences, 184, 111181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111181
Lyons, M. (2019). Mating strategies (mate competition, mate attraction, and established relationships). In M. Lyons (Ed.), The Dark Triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy in everyday life (pp. 81–110). Academic Press.
Maio, G. R. (2017). The psychology of human values. European Monographs in Social Psychology. Psychology Press.
Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and personality. Harper and Row.
Mayer, J., Savard, C., Brassard, A., Lussier, Y., & Sabourin, S. (2020). Subclinical psychopathic traits and romantic attachment in treatment-seeking couples. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 46(1), 165–178. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12387
Mealey, L. (1995). The sociobiology of sociopathy: An integrated evolutionary model. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 18(3), 523–599. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X00039595
Miles, J., & Shevlin, M. (2001). Applying regression & correlation: A guide for students and researchers. Sage Publications.
Olderbak, S., & Figueredo, A. J. (2009). Predicting romantic relationship satisfaction from life history strategy. Personality and Individual Differences, 46(5–6), 604–610. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2008.12.019
Olderbak, S. G., & Figueredo, A. J. (2010). Life history strategy as a longitudinal predictor of relationship satisfaction and dissolution. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(3), 234–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.03.041
Olver, J. M., & Mooradian, T. A. (2003). Personality traits and personal values: A conceptual and empirical integration. Personality and Individual Differences, 35(1), 109–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00145-9
Overall, N. C., & Sibley, C. G. (2008). When accommodation matters: Situational dependency within daily interactions with romantic partners. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44(1), 95–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2007.02.005
Paulhus, D., & Williams, K. (2002). The Dark Triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Journal of Research in Personality, 36(6), 556–563. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00505-6
R Development Core Team. (2015). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Retrieved from https://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/fullrefman.pdf
Revelle, W. (2019). Package ‘psych’. Retrieved from https://personality-project.org/r/psych-manual.pdf
Richardson, G. B., Sanning, B. K., Lai, M. H., Copping, L. T., Hardesty, P. H., & Kruger, D. J. (2017). On the psychometric study of human life history strategies: State of the science and evidence of two independent dimensions. Evolutionary Psychology, 15(1), 1474704916666840. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704916666840
Rogers, R. (2008). Detection strategies for malingering and defensiveness. In R. Rogers (Ed.), Clinical assessment of malingering and deception (3rd ed, pp. 14–35). New York, NY: Guilford.
Rohan, M. J. (2000). A rose by any name? The values construct. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4(3), 255–277. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0403_4
Rusbult, C. E., & Zembrodt, I. M. (1983). Responses to dissatisfaction in romantic involvements: A multidimensional scaling analysis. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 19(3), 274–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(83)90042-2
Rusbult, C. E., Bissonnette, V. L., Arriaga, X. B., & Cox, C. L. (1998). Accommodation processes during the early years of marriage. In T. N. Bradbury (Ed.), The developmental course of marital dysfunction (pp. 74–113). Cambridge University Press.
Rusbult, C. E., Johnson, D. J., & Morrow, G. D. (1986). Determinants and consequences of exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect: Responses to dissatisfaction in adult romantic involvements. Human Relations, 39(1), 45–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872678603900103
Rusbult, C. E., Verette, J., Whitney, G. A., Slovik, L. F., & Lipkus, I. (1991). Accommodation processes in close relationships: Theory and preliminary empirical evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(1), 53–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.60.1.53
Rusbult, C. E., Zembrodt, I. M., & Gunn, L. K. (1982). Exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect: Responses to dissatisfaction in romantic involvements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43(6), 1230–1242. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.43.6.1230
Swogger, M. T., Walsh, Z., & Kosson, D. S. (2007). Domestic violence and psychopathic traits: Distinguishing the antisocial batterer from other antisocial offenders. Aggressive Behavior, 33(3), 253–260. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.20185
Trivers, R. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. Harvard University.
Vaillant, G. E. (2002). Aging well. Little, Brown.
Wieselquist, J., Rusbult, C. E., Foster, C. A., & Agnew, C. R. (1999). Commitment, pro-relationship behavior, and trust in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(5), 942–966. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.5.942
Young, E. S., & Simpson, J. A. (2019). An evolutionary, life history theory perspective on relationship maintenance. In B. G., Ogolsky, J. K., Monk (Eds.) Relationship maintenance: Theory, process, and context (pp. 29–46). Cambridge University Press.
Funding
This work was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Brazil, http://cnpq.br/) awarded to the second author.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Gleidson Diego Lopes Loureto: Conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, writing — review and editing. Valdiney V. Gouveia: Conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, writing — review and editing. Patrícia Nunes da Fonsêca: Writing — review and editing. Marina Pereira Gonçalves: Writing — review and editing. Walberto Silva dos Santos: Writing — review and editing. Renan Pereira Monteiro: Writing — review and editing. Leogildo Alves Freires: Writing — review and editing.
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Ethics Approval
All the procedures performed in the studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Consent to Participate
Before data collection, we obtained the informed consent of all the participants.
Consent for Publication
Before data collection, we obtained the informed consent of all the participants in terms of publication of the findings.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Loureto, G.D.L., Gouveia, V.V., da Fonsêca, P.N. et al. Predicting Responses to Conflicts in Romantic Relationships from Life History Strategies, Psychopathy, and Values. Evolutionary Psychological Science 8, 10–19 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-021-00308-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-021-00308-7