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Definition
When men can have multiple female partners, male mating competition increases, leading to riskier behavioral strategies.
Introduction
Most mammalian species are polygynyous, where a male can simultaneously have several female mates (Reichard and Boesch 2003). In polygynyous species, male reproductive success is more highly skewed than female reproductive success, both because of high-status males with multiple mates, and because fewer potential partners are available to lower status males. The greater intensity of intrasexual selection increases male risk-taking in the competition for resources and status.
Sexual Selection and Polygyny
Sexual selection helps explain sex differences in psychology and behavior, including greater male tendencies for risk-taking, competitiveness, and sensitivity to social hierarchy (Cronin 1991). Males compete more intensely for female sexual partners in most animal species because females usually invest more in offspring...
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References
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Kruger, D. (2016). Greater Polygyny Selects for Greater Risk-Taking. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2563-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2563-1
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