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Do romantic relationships matter more to men than to women? An evolutionary psychology perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2026

William Costello Open the ORCID record for William Costello [Opens in a new window] ,
Andrew G. Thomas ,
Tania Reynolds  and
David M. Buss
William Costello*
Affiliation:
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA williamcostello@utexas.edu dbuss@austin.utexas.edu Swansea University, Swansea, UK a.g.thomas@swansea.ac.uk
Andrew G. Thomas
Affiliation:
Swansea University, Swansea, UK a.g.thomas@swansea.ac.uk
Tania Reynolds
Affiliation:
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA tareyn@unm.edu
David M. Buss
Affiliation:
University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA williamcostello@utexas.edu dbuss@austin.utexas.edu
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

In their target article, Wahring et al. present compelling evidence that romantic relationships may matter more to men than women, but their explanations remain largely proximate. We offer alternative evolutionary interpretations of the observed sex differences in falling in love, breakup initiation, remarriage, and mortality outside of relationships. We argue that these patterns better reflect sex-differentiated mating strategies, social alliance formation, vulnerabilities to singlehood, and the greater importance of female survival for offspring survival and hence for their reproductive success.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e96
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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