In addition to the Buss text listed below, the following reading list of journal articles and book chapters has been assembled and are available as PDFs. The usersname and password to access the readings are provided in the course syllabus.

<< click here to download a zip file (51MB) containing all the readings for the course >>

Agnew, C. R., Loving, T. J., & Drigotas, S. M. (2001). Substituting the forest for the trees: Social networks and the prediction of romantic relationship state and fate. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 1042-1057.

 

Aron, A., & Aron, E. N. (1997). Self-expansion motivation and including other in the self. In S. Duck (Ed.), Handbook of personal relationships: Theory, research, and interventions (2nd ed., pp. 251-270). London: John Wiley & Sons.

 

Aron, A., Norman, C. C., Aron E. N., McKenna, C., & Heyman, R. E. (2000). Couples’ shared perception in novel and arousing activities and experienced relationship quality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 273-284.

 

Aron, A., Steele, J. L., Kashdan, T. B., & Perez, M. (2006). When similars do not attract. Tests of a prediction from the self-expansion model. Personal Relationships, 13, 387-396.

 

Barta, W. D., & Kiene, S. M. (2005). Motivations for infidelity in heterosexual dating couples: The roles of gender, personality differences, and sociosexual orientation. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 22, 339-360.

 

Berscheid, E. (1999). The greening of relationship science. American Psychologist, 54, 260-266.

 

Berscheid, E., & Peplau, L. A. (1983). The emerging science of relationships. In H. Kelley et al. (Eds.), Close relationships (pp. 1-19). San Francisco: Freeman.

 

Birnbaum, G. E., & Gillath, O. (2006). Measuring subgoals of the sexual behavior system: What is sex good for? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 23, 675-701.

 

Bolger, N., Zuckerman, A., & Kessler, R. C. (2000). Invisible support and adjustment to stress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 953-961.

 

Branje, S. J. T., Frijns, T., Finkenauer, C., Engels, R., & Meeus, W. (2007). You are my best friend: Commitment and stability in adolescents’ same-sex friendships. Personal Relationships, 14, 587-603.

 

Bui, K. V. T., Peplau, L. A., & Hill, C. T. (1996). Testing the Rusbult model of relationship commitment and stability in a 15-year study of heterosexual relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 1244-1257.

 

Buunk, B. P., Angleitner, A., Oubaid, V., & Buss, D. M. (1996). Sex differences in jealousy in evolutionary and cultural perspective: Tests from the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States. Psychological Science, 7, 359-363.

 

Collins, N. L., & Allard, L. M. (2001). Cognitive representations of attachment. In G. J. O. Fletcher & M. S. Clark (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of social psychology: Interpersonal processes (pp. 60-85). Malden, MA: Blackwell.

 

De Backer, C. J. S., Nelissen, M., & Fisher, M. (2007). Let’s talk about sex: A study on the recall of gossip about potential mates and sexual rivals. Sex Roles, 56, 781-791.

 

DeSteno, D. A., & Salovey, P. (1996). Evolutionary origins of sex differences in jealousy? Questioning the “fitness” of the model. Psychological Science, 7, 367-372.

 

Donnelly, D. A., & Burgess, E. O. (2008). The decision to remain in an involuntarily celibate relationship. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 70, 519-535.

 

Drigotas, S. M., Safstrom, C. A., & Gentilia, T. (1999). An investment model prediction of dating infidelity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 509-524.

 

Etcheverry, P. E., & Agnew C. R. (2004). Subjective norms and the prediction of romantic relationship state and fate. Personal Relationships, 11, 409-428.

 

Etcheverry, P. E., & Le, B. (2005). Thinking about commitment: Accessibility of commitment and prediction of relationship persistence, accommodation, and willingness to sacrifice. Personal Relationships, 12, 103-123.

 

Fenigstein, A., & Peltz, R. (2002). Distress over the infidelity of a child’s spouse: A crucial test of evolutionary and socialization hypotheses. Personal Relationships, 9, 301-312.

 

Finkel, E. J., & Eastwick, P. W. (2008). Speed-dating. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17, 193-197.

 

Frye, N. E. (2006). Relationship problems and physical aggression: The moderating role of temporal comparison. Personal Relationships, 13, 303-315.

 

Gable, S. L., Gonzaga, G. C., & Strachman, A. (2006). Will you be there for me when things go right? Supportive responses to positive event disclosures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 904-917.

 

Green, J. D., Burnette, J. L., & Davis, J. L. (2008). Third-party forgiveness: (Not) forgiving you close other’s betrayer. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 407-418.

 

Harris, C. R., & Christenfeld, N. (1996). Gender, jealousy, and reason. Psychological Science, 7, 364-366.

 

Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511-524.

 

Impett, E. A., & Gordon, A. M., & Strachman, A. (2008). Attachment and daily sexual goals: A study of dating couples. Personal Relationships, 15, 375-390.

 

Johnson, M. P. (2006). Violence and abuse in personal relationships: Conflict, terror, and resistance in intimate partnerships. In A. Vangelisti & D. Perlman (Eds.), Cambridge Handbook of Personal Relationships (pp. 557-576). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

 

Jones, J. T., Pelham, B. W., Carvallo, C., & Mirenberg, M. C. (2004). How do I love thee? Let me count the Js: Implicit egotism and interpersonal attraction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 665-683.

 

Khallad, Y. (2005). Mate selection in Jordan: Effects of sex, socio-economic status, and culture. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 22, 155-168.

 

Lenton, A. P., & Bryan, A. (2005). An affair to remember: The role of sexual scripts in perceptions of sexual intent. Personal Relationships, 12, 483-498.

 

Locke, K. D. (2008). Attachment styles and interpersonal approach and avoidance goals in everyday couple interactions. Personal Relationships, 15, 359-374.

 

Lohmann, A., Arriaga, X. B., & Goodfriend, W. (2003). Close relationships and placemaking: Do objects in a couple’s home reflect couplehood? Personal Relationships, 10, 437-449.

 

Milardo, R. M., & Allan, G. (1997). Social networks and marital relationships. In S. Duck (Ed.), Handbook of personal relationships: Theory, research, and interventions (2nd ed., pp. 505-522). London: John Wiley & Sons.

 

Milardo, R. M., Johnson, M. P., & Huston, T. L. (1983). Developing close relationships: Changing patterns of interaction between pair members and social networks. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 964-976.

 

Morse, K. A., & Neuberg, S. L. (2004). How do holidays influence relationship processes and outcomes? Examining the instigating and catalytic effects of Valentine’s Day. Personal Relationships, 11, 509-527.

 

Paul, E. L., & Hayes, K. A. (2002). The casualties of ‘casual’ sex: A qualitative exploration of the phenomenology of college students’ hookup. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 19, 639-661.

 

Pennebaker, J. W., Dyer, M. A., Caulkins, R. S., Litowitz, D. L., Ackerman, P. L., Anderson, D. B., & McGraw, K. M. (1979). Don’t the girls get prettier at closing time: A country and western application to psychology. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 5, 122-125.

 

Previti, D., & Amato, P. R. (2004). Is infidelity a cause or a consequence of poor marital quality? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 21, 217-230.

 

Rusbult, C. E. (1980). Commitment and satisfaction in romantic associations: A test of the Investment Model. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 16, 172-186.

 

Rusbult, C. E., Drigotas, S. M., & Verette, J. (1994). The investment model: An interdependence analysis of commitment processes and relationship maintenance phenomena. In D. J. Canary & L. Stafford (Eds.) Communication and relational maintenance (pp. 115-139). San Diego: Academic Press.

 

Shackelford, T. K., Goetz, A. T., Buss, D. M., Euler, H. A., & Hoier, S. (2005). When we hurt the ones we love: Predicting violence against women from men’s mate retention. Personal Relationships, 12, 447-463.

 

Smith, C. V. (2007). In pursuit of ‘good’ sex: Self-determination and the sexual experience. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 69-85.

 

Strachman, A., & Schimel, J. (2006). Terror management and close relationships: Evidence that mortality salience reduces commitment among partners with different worldviews. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 23, 965-978.

 

Vohs, K. D., Catanese, K. R., & Baumeister, R. F. (2004). Sex in “his” versus “her” relationships. In J. H. Harvey, A. Wenzel, & S. Sprecher (Eds.) The handbook of sexuality in close relationships (pp. 455-474). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

 

Wegner, D. M., Lane, J. D., & Dimitri, S. (1994). The allure of secret relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 287-300.

 

Willetts, M. C., Sprecher, S., & Beck, F. D. (2004). Overview of sexual practices and attitudes within relational contexts. In J. H. Harvey, A. Wenzel, & S. Sprecher (Eds.) The handbook of sexuality in close relationships (pp. 57-85). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

• Buss, D. M. (2003). The evolution of desire. New York: Basic.
 

Table of Contents 1. Origins of Mating Behavior 2. What Women Want 3. Men Want Something Else 4. Casual Sex 5. Attracting a Partner 6. Staying Together 7. Sexual Conflict 8. Breaking Up 9. Changes Over Time 10. Harmony Between the Sexes 11. Women's Hidden Sexual Strategies 12. Mysteries of Human Mating