Understanding Promiscuity in Strategic Friend Selection from an Evolutionary Perspective

Two studies assessed sex differences and the effects of relationship status and a person’s own promiscuous proclivities in strategic friendship formation. In Study 1, participants generated overt and subtle promiscuity cues. In Study 2, a different sample of participants reported their willingness to befriend a person based on these overt and subtle promiscuity cues as well as cues of non-promiscuity and positive and negative non-sexual behaviors. Women more than men sought friendships with same-sex people showing positive non-sexual behavior and cues of non-promiscuity, but women did not show greater aversion than men to subtle or overt promiscuity cues in potential friends. Men and women in relationships were less likely to befriend promiscuous people and more likely to befriend non-promiscuous people than those not in relationships. Finally, promiscuous and non-promiscuous men and women showed preference for friendships with people showing levels of promiscuity similar to their own. Same-sex friendships represent a fundamental aspect of human social interaction. Festinger, Schacter, and Back’s (1950) seminal study which discovered the link between proximity and liking sparked much research on numerous facets that influence our odds of turning stranger into friend. Such facets include social skills (Friedman, Riggo, & Cassella, 1988), physical attractiveness (Patzer, 1985), and availability (Berg & Clark, 1986), to name a few (see Fehr (1996) for a review). Researchers have also examined sex differences in friendships. Men invest in friendships with other men to facilitate hierarchies of status and power (Baumeister & Sommer, 1997). Cross and Madson (1997) report that women nurture friendships for socio-emotional bonding that revolve around group activities such as sewing, food preparation, and child care. Relative to male friendships, female friendships are characterized by affiliative behaviors such as smiling, disclosure, and attention to other