Do unfaithful men spend more on their mistresses than wives? New study reveals the truth
By Shweta Kumari | First Published Nov 18, 2024, 6:11 PM ISTA new research reveals that both men and women prioritize spending on their committed relationships, leaving extramarital or casual relationships with significantly less financial investment.
A groundbreaking study published in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences has challenged the long-standing stereotype that men lavishly spend on affair partners. Instead, the research reveals that both men and women prioritize spending on their committed relationships, leaving extramarital or casual relationships with significantly less financial investment, the PsyPost reported.
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The research team, led by Olivia James, a graduate student at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and Keelah Williams, an associate professor at Hamilton College, found their inspiration in the avian world. "We initially became interested in this topic after hearing a wildlife biologist give a talk about the curious mating behavior of fairy wrens, a bird endemic to Australia,” the authors explained.
“Fairy wrens engage in both monogamous and extrapair relationships, similar to human relationships. When courting extrapair females outside their nest, the male fairy wren will present the female with a flower petal as a token of their interest. This same courtship ritual doesn’t occur when the male courts a monogamous partner.”
The team conducted three studies targeting hypothetical scenarios, real-life gift-giving behaviors, and societal stereotypes.
Using a sample of 139 participants, researchers asked individuals to imagine various relationship contexts, including scenarios involving either committed or extramarital partners. Participants were tasked with estimating gift expenditures in these hypothetical settings. The findings revealed that participants allocated more funds to maintain long-term relationships than to nurture casual or affair-based ones.
A larger group of 233 participants recalled their own relationship histories, detailing the cost of gifts received in both committed and extramarital contexts. The results showed no significant financial disparity between gifts given in these relationships, debunking the idea of extravagant spending on affair partners.
The final phase explored societal assumptions. A sample of 151 participants estimated how others might spend in similar scenarios. Despite persistent stereotypes suggesting men spend lavishly on affair partners, participants overwhelmingly believed that both genders prioritize spending on their committed relationships.
“The main takeaway from this research is that stereotypes about men spending more lavishly on gifts for their partners in romantic relationships, and affair partners in particular, are not reflective of current gift-giving behaviors in the United States,” James and Williams shared, reported PsyPost.
“From a functional perspective, this suggests that gift giving may be used more as a strategy for promoting a long-lasting relationship, instead of as a method for initiating or maintaining an affair,” they added.
The study, “Gift Giving in Inpair and Extrapair Relationships,” was authored by Olivia M. James, Amanda C. Kim, Jessica D. Ayers, and Keelah E. G. Williams.
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