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Jealousy/Morbid Jealousy
I am currently interested in individual differences in the expression of jealousy. Previous research has shown that universally, men and women experience jealousy for different reasons, but within each sex I expect there are differences in frequency and severity of the jealousy. Together with Todd Shackelford and Aaron Goetz, I am currently studying how men who suffer from erectile dysfunction may differ from normally functioning men in their expression of jealousy and associated pre-copulatory anti-cuckoldry tactics. I am also interested in the clinical disorder of Morbid Jealousy and the experiences of the individuals who suffer from the disorder and have compiled an archival database of case histories of Morbid Jealousy fur further study.

Female Short-Term Mating
Engaging in short-term mating seems to be not in the best reproductive interest of a woman, and yet it is clear that in fact women do use this mating strategy. Previous research has provided several reasons why mated women may engage in this risky behavior, but the reasons why non-mated women do so are less clear. Working with Emily Stone, I am currently trying to clarify the delineation between long-term and short-term mating, which I think is a necessary and missing foundation in the literature. Additionally, Cari Goetz and I are examining residual cues to mating status (using research by Sam Gosling as a foundation) in an attempt to determine if men and women can accurately identify who will be a good potential long-term or short-term mate. David Lewis , David Buss , Cari Goetz and I are also beginning a project investigating signals advertised by men and women in short-term mating contexts and how these signals may be perceived by the opposite sex.

Mate Preferences
Under what circumstances do men and women shift their mate preferences? It is most likely not beneficial to have static mate preferences across all contexts, but instead better to vary preferences based on contextual cues. Previous research supports this idea. Currently, Emily Stone, Viviana Weekes-Shackelford and I are investigating how having children may influence mate preferences.

Other Interests:
I am interested in behavioral shifts in women as they experience changes in their fertility status. With Jaime Confer , I have explored how the mate preferences and sexual fantasies of women change as they approach a drop-off in their fertility. Cari Goetz and I are beginning a project examining how these same women may advertise their fertility status in order to maximize their opportunities for producing more offspring. I am also interested in the costs associated with short-term mating and if there is a threshold at which those costs are no longer prohibitive.

If any of my research interests you or you would like to collaborate, please feel free to contact me and we can discuss further!