Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Verbal Compliments As A Differential Source Of Mate Poaching Threat For Men And Women, Christina M. Brown, Emily R. Daniels, Christopher J.N. Lustgraaf, Donald F. Sacco

Faculty Publications

Two studies tested whether people feel threatened by another individual verbally complimenting their romantic partner. Such compliments may indicate that the other person is a potential rival who will try to "poach" their mate. Across two studies, women were more threatened than men when imagining another person complimenting their partner's physical appearance. There were no sex differences in response to imagining another person complimenting their partner's sense of humor. When another person compliments one's partner's physical appearance, this indicates that they may be sexually attracted to the partner. Mediation analyses revealed that the sex difference occurs because women believe men …