Male Sex, Masculinization, Sexual Orientation, and Gynephilia Synergistically Predict Increased Sexual Jealousy

Abstract

A robust, cross-cultural sex difference is typically found in jealousy responses to reveal emotional versus sexual infidelity. The only factor that seems to moderate this sex difference is sexual orientation, with male heterosexuals conspicuously reporting the greatest distress to sexual infidelity. Attempts at considering additional effects of psychological feminization and masculinization on jealousy responses have proven less reliable. In a sample of 4465 participants aged between 16 and 80 years (M = 35.41, SD = 13.07), including gay, lesbian, heterosexuals, bisexuals, and pansexuals, we examined how four indicators of feminization–masculinization were associated with sexual orientation and, subsequently, to jealousy responses to infidelity. We found that an exclusive gynephilic orientation and male sex in combination shifted the typical emotional jealousy focus toward more sexual jealousy. The four indicators of feminization–masculinization were linked to sexual orientation and, subsequently, to variable jealousy responses among men, but were only linked to sexual orientation among women. These findings support the position that female versus male mating psychology is not simplistically dimorphic. Instead, sex differences probably result from many different and continuous “psychological dials” that interact with each other, while also functioning in ways that are partially modular or independent.