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The obsolete male and the mismatch in sexual desire

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2026

Guy Madison Open the ORCID record for Guy Madison [Opens in a new window]  and
Gijsbert Stoet Open the ORCID record for Gijsbert Stoet [Opens in a new window]
Guy Madison*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden guy.madison@umu.se
Gijsbert Stoet
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, England, UK g.stoet@essex.ac.ukhttps://www.umu.se/personal/guy-madison/ https://www.psytoolkit.org/cv/
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

This commentary challenges the target article’s sociocultural explanations for men’s greater relationship investment, proposing instead that evolved sex differences in sexual desire, combined with societal changes in industrialized welfare states, better account for observed patterns. As traditional male contributions lose value and sex differences in sexual desire increase with age, men face diminishing relational prospects and greater costs from breakups.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e113
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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