Evidence from a homosexual sample for a sex-specific rival-oriented mechanism: Jealousy as a function of a rival's physical attractiveness and dominance

Among heterosexual women in particular. a rival's physical attractiveness evokes jealousy, whereas among heterosexual men in particular. a rival's dominance evokes feelings of jealousy. The present study conducted with gay men and lesbian women examined whether these sex-differentiated responses reflect an evolved sex-specific rival-oriented mechanism according to which males and females pay attention to different rival characteristics or an evolved general partner-oriented mechanism, according to which males and females pay attention to those characteristics that their actual and potential partners find important. In an experiment, using a 2 (Participant Sex) X 2 (Rival Physical Attractiveness) X 2 (Rival Dominance) mixed factor design, homosexual participants were presented with a scenario in which their partners were flirting with an individual of the same sex. Lesbian women, but not gay men, reported more jealousy when they were exposed to a physically attractive rival as compared with a physically unattractive rival. Gay males, but not lesbian women, reported more jealousy when they were exposed to a rival high in dominance as compared with a rival low in dominance, especially when exposed to a physically unattractive rival. In addition, among women high in dominance. a dominant rival evoked relatively less jealousy, and among women high in social comparison orientation, an unattractive rival evoked relatively more jealousy. It is concluded that males and females posses an evolved sex-specific rival-oriented mechanism through which they respond more or less automatically to those rival characteristics that have been important in sexual selection in our evolutionary past.