Abstract
Narratives depicting an imbalanced sex ratio in a romantically-themed context (e.g., the “love triangle”) are featured in various types of entertainment media. Exposure to media messages depicting skewed sex ratios have been shown to influence romantic and sexual preferences and selectivity among audiences. The current study examined the extent to which individuals' intention to commit infidelity is influenced by these types of narratives. In an experiment, participants were exposed to descriptions of film narratives depicting a skewed (male-biased vs. female-biased) sex ratio. Participants’ intention to engage in infidelity was significantly and directly influenced by exposure to an abundance of partners; however, perceptions of actual sex ratio did not mediate these effects. Findings are discussed in light of biological market theory and priming.
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Alexopoulos, C., Taylor, L.D. & Roberts, L. Media Messages Depicting Partner Abundance Increase Intention to Commit Infidelity. Sexuality & Culture 26, 2242–2252 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-022-09995-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-022-09995-1