Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Benefit Provisioning

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

  • 534 Accesses

Synonyms

Benefit-provisioning behaviors; Benefit provisioning domain; Benefit provisioning; Benefit-provisioning behaviors; Benefit-provisioning mate retention behaviors

Definition

Benefit-provisioning behaviors are mate retention behaviors that are intended to increase the incentives of staying mated to the current partner and, in turn, deter defection from the relationship. These behaviors can include things such as buying gifts for the partner, altering one’s appearance, and different sexual behaviors.

Introduction

After attracting a mate, humans are faced with the adaptive problem of retaining the mate. Successful mate retention prevents other problems associated with reproduction such as cuckoldry and defection of resources (Buss 1988). Therefore, it is likely that a series of adaptations would have evolved to aide individuals in their mate retention. Indeed, an entire taxonomy of these mate retention behaviors have been identified, and these mate retention behaviors range in...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Barbaro, N., Pham, M. N., Shackelford, T. K., & Zeigler-Hill, V. (2016). Insecure romantic attachment dimensions and frequency of mate retention behaviors. Personal Relationships, 23, 605–618.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M. (1988). From vigilance to violence: Tactics of mate retention in American undergraduates. Ethology and Sociobiology, 9, 291–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M., & Shackelford, T. K. (1997). From vigilance to violence: Mate retention tactics in married couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 346–361.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M., Shackelford, T. K., & McKibbin, W. F. (2008). The mate retention inventory-short form (MRI-SF). Personality and Individual Differences, 44, 322–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). Four ways five factors are basic. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 653–665.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Miguel, A., & Buss, D. M. (2011). Mate retention tactics in Spain: Personality, sex differences, and relationship status. Journal of Personality, 79, 563–586.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greiling, H., & Buss, D. M. (2000). Women’s sexual strategies: The hidden dimension of extra-pair mating. Personality and Individual Differences, 28, 929–963.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holden, C. J., Shackelford, T. K., Zeigler-Hill, V., Starratt, V. G., Miner, E. J., Kaighobadi, F., Jeffrey, A. J., & Buss, D. M. (2014a). Husband’s esteem predicts their mate retention tactics. Evolutionary Psychology, 12, 655–672.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holden, C. J., Zeigler-Hill, V., Pham, M. N., & Shackelford, T. K. (2014b). Personality features and mate retention strategies: Honesty-humility and the willingness to manipulate, deceive, and exploit romantic partners. Personality and Individual Differences, 57, 31–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jonason, P. K., Li, N. P., & Buss, D. M. (2010). The costs and benefits of the Dark Triad: Implications for mate poaching and mate retention tactics. Personality and Individual Differences, 48, 373–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, K., & Ashton, M. C. (2012). The H factor of personality: Why some people are manipulative, self-entitled, materialistic, and exploitive – and why it matters for everyone. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miner, E. J., Starratt, V. G., & Shackelford, T. K. (2009). It’s not all about her: Men’s mate value and mate retention. Personality and Individual Differences, 47, 214–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paulhus, D. L., & Williams, K. M. (2002). The dark triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 556–563.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, D. P., & Buss, D. M. (2001). Human mate poaching: Tactics and temptations for infiltrating existing mateships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 894–917.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Starratt, V. G., & Shackelford, T. K. (2012). He said, she said: Men’s reports of mate value and mate retention behaviors in intimate relationships. Personality and Individual Differences, 53, 459–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, USA

    Christopher J. Holden

Authors
  1. Christopher J. Holden
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher J. Holden .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland Univ Dept of Psycholgy, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana Weekes-Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  3. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this entry

Cite this entry

Holden, C.J. (2016). Benefit Provisioning. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_142-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_142-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation