The evolution of sex differences in jealousy: Failure to replicate previous results

The evolutionary account of jealousy predicts that men will experience more distress from incidences of sexual than emotional infidelity, whereas for women, the converse will hold true. Physiological responses to imagined sce nes of infidelity were recorded in the current study. Results generally fai led to support the evolutionary hypothesis and to replicate the findings of prior research (Buss, Larsen,Westen, & Semmelroth, 1992). A potential meth odological confound was also examined and shown to affect the current resul ts to only a small degree. The reliability and validity of previous finding s are therefore brought into question. (C) 2000 Academic Press.