Evolution and relationships: A call for integration

In this introduction to the special issue on evolutionary approaches to rel ationships, we first review some of the major theories and milestones that have shaped and informed modern evolutionary thinking. In doing so, we disc uss some of the major evolutionary theories that are most relevant to inter personal relationships, and we describe how these theories are structurally linked. We then discuss the importance of theorizing about and studying ph enomena from multiple levels of explanation-ultimate, ontogenetic, and prox imate. Several misconceptions that continue to plague evolutionary psycholo gy are then discussed, and we suggest ways in which evolutionary psychologi sts have unwittingly created, perpetuated. or sometimes exacerbated certain misconceptions. We conclude that the science of relationships could benefi t from an infusion of more evolutionary thinking, and we propose that evolu tionary psychology could benefit by having more relationship researchers.