Pair-Bonding, Romantic Love, and Evolution

Abstract

This article evaluates a thesis containing three interconnected propositions. First, romantic love is a "commitment device" for motivating pair-bonding in humans. Second, pair-bonding facilitated the idiosyncratic life history of hominins, helping to provide the massive investment required to rear children. Third, managing long-term pair bonds (along with family relationships) facilitated the evolution of social intelligence and cooperative skills. We evaluate this thesis by integrating evidence from a broad range of scientific disciplines. First, consistent with the claim that romantic love is an evolved commitment device, our review suggests that it is universal; suppresses mate-search mechanisms; has specific behavioral, hormonal, and neuropsychological signatures; and is linked to better health and survival. Second, we consider challenges to this thesis posed by the existence of arranged marriage, polygyny, divorce, and infidelity. Third, we show how the intimate relationship mind seems to be built to regulate and monitor relationships. Fourth, we review comparative evidence concerning links among mating systems, reproductive biology, and brain size. Finally, we discuss evidence regarding the evolutionary timing of shifts to pair-bonding in hominins. We conclude there is interdisciplinary support for the claim that romantic love and pair-bonding, along with alloparenting, played critical roles in the evolution of Homo sapiens.

Broadening the investment model

“…For example, some authors have argued that love is a commitment device (Frank, 1988;Kirkpatrick, 1998). To the extent to which this is true, people who experience greater feelings of love toward their partner-independently of perceived partner responsiveness-should find alternatives less desirable and feel more committed to long-term pair-bonding (Eastwick, 2009;Fletcher, Simpson, Campbell & Overall, 2015). We encourage future research to explore this and other possibilities empirically.…”

Is Romantic Desire Predictable? Machine Learning Applied to Initial Romantic Attraction

“…Machine Learning Applied to Initial Romantic Attraction Achieving a high-quality romantic relationship is a goal with both evolutionary (Fletcher, Simpson, Campbell, & Overall, 2015) and practical consequence (Kiecolt-Glaser & Newton, 2001). Yet, the task of finding a suitable partner can be time-consuming and anxiety-provoking (Spielmann, MacDonald, Maxwell, Joel, Peragine et al, 2013).…”

Translation, cultural adaptation, and content validity index of the Juvenile Love Scale to the Brazilian context

“…Jankowiak and Fischer 2 analyzed 166 different societies and found reports of passionate love in 147 (88.5%) of them. These results are endowed by evidence that behaviors related to romantic love are also observed in other animal species through partners' choice mechanisms 3 . Altogether, passionate love seems to have an evolutive component, which is related to motivation towards a preferred mating partner 4 .…”

“…Cognitive components consist of [1] intrusive thought or concern for the partner; [2] idealization of the other or the relationship; and [3] desire to get to know each other and be known by him/her. The emotional components are [1] attraction to the partner, especially sexual; [2] positive feelings when things are going well; [3] negative feelings when things go wrong; [4] yearning for reciprocity; [5] desire for a whole and permanent union; and [6] physiological arousal (sexual). Finally, the behavioral components consist of [1] actions to determine the feelings of others; [2] studying the other person; [3] be at the disposition for the other; and [4] the maintenance of physical proximity.…”