Cross-sex and intrasexual theory of mind: Perceptions of sex-typical sexual desires
Paola A. Baca, William Costello Rebecka K. Hahnel-Peeters, Andrew G. Thomas , David P. Schmitt, David M. Buss
Abstract
Theory of mind refers to the ability to infer the thoughts, motivations, and desires of others. Although traditionally studied as domain-general, an evolutionary psychology perspective leads to the hypothesis that theory of mind mechanisms may be sexually dimorphic in domains where male and female minds differ, such as sexual desires. Using an error management perspective, we conducted a preregistered study with 710 adults (452 men; M age = 34.54, SD = 12.26). We hypothesized that adaptive inferential biases such as men's sexual over-perception bias, would also be reflected in inferences about the typical sexual desires of the opposite sex. Drawing on three questions derived from Sexual Strategies Theory, we tested the predictions that men would (1) overestimate the number of sexual partners women desire, (2) underestimate the time women require before wanting sex, and (3) overestimate women's comfort with sex without love. In contrast, we predicted women would infer men's sexual desires more accurately. The results provided partial support for these predictions. Men overestimated women's desire for sexual variety and underestimated the time women required before engaging in sexual activity. Unexpectedly, women showed similar biases when estimating the desires of men. We also explored same-sex mindreading and found that both men and women overestimated the sexual desire of their same sex peers. We discuss possible explanations of this observed pattern. One invokes intrasexual competition, whereby individuals inflate perceptions of their peers' sexual desires to simultaneously derogate rivals, enhance their own mate value, and remain vigilant against mate poaching and infidelity threats. Unrestricted sociosexuality and Dark Triad traits, particularly psychopathy in both sexes, were associated with exaggerated perceptions of others' sexual desires. These findings contribute novel insights to the theory of mind literature and potential sources of conflict between the sexes.
