No CrossRef data available.
Article contents
Synthetic love in the digital age: AI-mediated emotional investment and gendered romantic dependence
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 June 2026
Abstract
Digital technology has transformed romantic relationships, influencing men’s and women’s emotional investment differently. Drawing on “Romantic Relationships Matter More to Men than to Women,” this commentary examines how artificial intelligence (AI)-driven dating, social and virtual platforms reshape partner search and mourning. It analyses synthetic love-from digital mediation to AI companions-arguing that these technologies may reinforce male emotional dependency and heighten post-breakup vulnerability.
Information
- Type
- Open Peer Commentary
- Information
- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press
Target article
Romantic Relationships Matter More to Men than to Women
Related commentaries (43)
Sexual relationships matter more to men than to women
A cultural lens on romantic dependence
A matter of context: Gender differences vary across life stage, historical context, and individual characteristics
A memory lens on gender differences in romantic relationships
Are men more dependent or more powerful than women?
Beyond social structures: An evolutionary network perspective on gendered romantic dependency
Broader gender inequities shape why romantic relationships matter more to men than to women
Concluding that romantic relationships matter more to men than to women is too simple
Considering error management theory can provide a more comprehensive model as to why romantic relationships matter more to men than women
Culture, not nature: How traditional masculinity shapes male attitudes toward relationships
Desperate to connect: Men’s dependence on romantic relationship in a competitive mating landscape
Do romantic relationships matter less to women than to men because men provide lower-quality emotional support?
Do romantic relationships matter more to men than to women? An evolutionary psychology perspective
Evolutionary reasons why men are more likely to engage in romantic behavior than women
Fear of relationship dissolution: The influence of gendered post-breakup life course expectations
Gender differences in partner and ex-partner dreams
If men benefit more, should women demand more? A commentary on relationship dependence and mate selectivity
Impaired emotional regulation in the elderly men following female partner loss
Inconsistent use of evolutionary frameworks in accounts of romantic relationships
Men’s dependence in intimate relationships has broader harm beyond men’s wellbeing
Morality in romantic relationships
Only genderless society can solve the problem of emotional support for men
Parenthood as an inflection point for men and women’s patterns of interdependence
Parsimony and basic principles in human “romantic” relationships
Partner-serving moral cognition helps men to maintain romantic relationships from which they benefit more than women
Profound romantic relationships matter more to women than to men
Reassessing romantic dependency: Gendered vulnerabilities and cultural realities beyond the Western lens
Romantic relationships matter more to men than to women: Based on Darwinian gender differences of fitness-enhancing effects in having sexual partners
Scant evidence, sweeping claim: Do romantic relationships matter more to men?
Sex and romance are close evolutionary bedfellows
Synthetic love in the digital age: AI-mediated emotional investment and gendered romantic dependence
Testing sex differences in the relationship context needs the inclusion of gay and lesbian couples
The asymmetric structure of male-female bonding explains gender differences in relationship dependence
The costs and rewards of men’s romantic dependence: A gendered perspective
The cultural plasticity of intimacy behavior: A socioecological attachment perspective
The obsolete male and the mismatch in sexual desire
The support-deficit perspective is now the parsimonious explanation for gender differences in human mating
Unveiling gender dynamics in romantic relationships: A comprehensive analysis
Using self-determination theory to consider gender differences in the importance of romantic relationships
Well-being and resilience against oppressive narratives after romantic dissolution
Who benefits most from romantic relationships and who bears the burdens?
Why do romantic relationships matter more to men than to women? The commitment problem and market competition for useful men
Why does the belief that women are more romantic persist despite empirical evidence?
Author response
Understanding gender differences across relationship stages requires integrating evolutionary, ontological, and proximate mechanisms