Manpal Singh Bhogal

Source: Mika Baumeister / Unsplash A new study published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence explores why people engage in abusive behavior on online dating websites and apps. The answer, according to the researchers, has to do with two well-known evolutionary phenomena: mate value discrepancy, or the difference in resource value between oneself and one’s romantic partner, and intrasexual competition, or the rivalry that occurs between individuals for potential mates.

Article First Online: 27 May 2019 Abstract Research has focused on the role of prosocial behaviors in mate choice, across both social and evolutionary psychology. Several studies provide strong support for the role of altruism in mate choice, whereby people find prosociality attractive in potential mates.

This study aimed to investigate indirect aggression between females from an evolutionary perspective, considering indirect aggression as a mechanism of intra-sexual competition. Previous research suggests that females who are dressed provocatively, or appear ‘sexually available’, are more likely to be victims of indirect aggression from other females.