The Societal Dilemma of Multiple Sexual Partners

ABSTRACT

Although human reproductive strategies, mating, do not preclude multiple sexual partners, virtually all marriage systems across the world reinforce a pair-bonding template. The question is addressed: why would cultural traditions so universally reinforce monogamy-pair-bonding-as a marriage system? Conversely, what happens when multiple partners are increased within a social group? Data are presented which suggest that an unraveling of the pair-bond template is aligned with a number of serious societal dysfunctions. In turn, these societal dysfunctions place the commonweal at a disadvantage in the competition among those societies, which generate alternative cultural formulae, based upon reduced numbers of sexual partners.

Key Words:

• Marriage systems
• cultural evolution
• mating behaviors
• pair-bonding