Human Mate Poaching

Abstract

Mate poaching refers to efforts to attract people who are already involved in committed relationships. The current dyadic, 5-week prospective study examined mate poaching behaviors in the context of opposite-sex friendships. Actors’ mate poaching behaviors predicted decreases in their friend’s commitment to their romantic partners, increases in their friend’s perceptions of actors’ mate value, and increases in their friend’s romantic desire for actors over time. These results are the first to suggest an interpersonal process in which mate poaching behaviors elicit psychological changes in targets that facilitate actors’ mate poaching goals. Furthermore, these results are the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of mate poaching tactics in friendships.

Additional Resource: Human Mate Poaching Tactics Are Effective: Evidence From a Dyadic Prospective Study on Opposite-Sex “Friendships”