Cuckolded Fathers Rare in Human Populations

Maarten H D Larmuseau; Koen Matthijs; Tom Wenseleers

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2016.03.004

Cuckolded Fathers Rare in Human Populations

Trends Ecol Evol. 2016 May;31(5):327-329. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.03.004. Epub 2016 Apr 11.

Authors

Maarten H D Larmuseau¹, Koen Matthijs², Tom Wenseleers³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Imaging and Pathology, Forensic Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Biology, Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK. Electronic address: maarten.larmuseau@bio.kuleuven.be.
² Faculty of Social Sciences, Centre of Sociological Research (CESO), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
³ Department of Biology, Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

PMID: 27107336
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.03.004

Abstract

Contemporary data of extra-pair paternity (EPP) in human populations may be biased by the use of modern contraceptives. Studies have now estimated historical EPP rates in several human populations. The observed low EPP rates challenge the idea that women routinely 'shop around' for good genes by engaging in extra-pair copulations.

Keywords: cuckoldry; extra-pair paternity; human behavioural ecology.

MeSH terms

Fathers*
Female
Humans
Male
Paternity*
Sexual Behavior