Xim you figured them out (mostly).
I think you need to work a bit on the falls in love part. Women are as weak to that as males are, but never let them take it for granted early in a relationship.
I'm sure agreeing with you
mostly won't earn me any female TFP friends (heh) but I figured this out when I was 20, changed my sex life and relationships almost overnight. In a month or so of this I found a girl who I married, and we are both quite happy.
You might want to read 'The Red Queen' it looks at sex from a evolutionary standpoint. Here is a brief summary. I've been meaning to read this book myself.
Quote:
Chapter 6: Polygamy and the Nature of Men
We are designed for a system of monogamy plagued by adultery. Polygamy flourishes where it is allowed [is this contradictory?]. 3/4 of tribal cultures are polygamous. Powerful men have always had more than one mate, though usually only one legitimate wife who produces the heirs. Males are usually the seducer, women the seduced (exception: jacana, phalarope).
Homosexual promiscuity: Homosexuals are generally more promiscuous than heterosexuals. Male homosexuals are acting out male tendencies unfettered by the pressure of women toward monogamy. Lesbians are rarely promiscuous.
Harems and wealth. There is a polygyny threshold in which a suitably advantaged male attracts more than one mate, even in humans. It applies to humans regarding cattlemen of Kenya. Although first wives resent the new arrivals, the subsequent wives are receiving companionship, job sharing, and comfort (even career enhancement due to decreased responsibility). The mating system chosen is influenced by the distribution and population density of females.
Hunter gatherers... Sexual division of labor. Men seek power and building or dominating male-male coalitions. Men can always increase their reproductive success by philandering. Equitable sharing of hunted food is reciprocal altruism.
Chimps rise to alpha male status with cunning and coalitions as well as physical prowess. Coalitions in species can be based on reciprocity or relatedness.
Emperors have large harems. The more polygamous societies have male inheritance.
Laura Betzig posited via historical review that power in cultures is used for sexual success. Young virgins are recruited and guarded. Emperors become breeding machines with "onerous" duties. There is always one legitimate queen with legitimate heirs.
Slaves have been equated to concubines in Rome, etc. Many women were "employed" in castles and monasteries (in "gynoeciums" [women's apartments]).
For males, violence is rewarded by greater reproduction. Christians equated sex and sin prob. because of the trouble it leads to. Of Pitcairn survivors, many women but only 1 man survived due to sexual competition. Monogamy reduces murderous competition.
Chimps exhibit intergroup violence, killing the males of nearby groups and taking over the females. So do the Yanomamo's of Venezuela--they fight over women (this was disbelieved initially by anthropologists). The Iliad is a war over women. Armies are motivated over rape, as in Serbia. Democracy and the abolition of despotic power breeds monogamy.
Chapter 7: Monogamy and the Nature of Women
Polygamy is infrequent in hunter gatherers (exceptions: PNW Indians and Australian aborigines). Marriage is a child rearing institution. Women are not interested in overt polygamy but are often unfaithful. The Herod effect: Sarah Hrdy. Sperm competition theory. Female chimps have steady mates but sneak out to mate with a top male. Infanticide by a male mate halts maternal milk production and prepares them for new pregnancy. Female chimps mate with many males to share paternity and prevent infanticide. Human stepchildren are 65x more likely to die than children living with their parents [can this be true?]. Promiscuity and peacefulness of bonobos (pygmy chimps)--mating is so frequent it rarely leads to aggression.
Women seek monogamous marriages, lesbians are not promiscuous. Women are sometimes unfaithful. Species in which males have bigger testicles have more female polygamy [is this cause or effect?]. This allows more effective sperm competition. Man's are medium sized, with unusually low sperm/gram tissue. For birds, many of the chicks are not the ostensible father's--the fathers are cuckolded. Testicles are largest in polyandrous birds. Birds with large testicles tend to live in colonies where the females have ample opportunity for adultery.
A female with a mediocre husband having with good territory should have an affair with a genetically superior husband (the Emma Bovary strategy). Attractive males make inattentive fathers.
The amount of sperm retention in the vagina depends on orgasm. Faithful women and ardent lovers have high sperm retention (high fertility) orgasms compared to unfaithful women with their spouses (Baker and Bellis). Men and rats who have been away ejaculate more than ones who have been with the female all day (to overcome competition from other sperm).
Male birds behave in constant terror of infidelity of their females and mate frequently to compete (e.g., goshawks). Men keep an eye on their wives by proxy, gossip--for which language is required.
Human females have concealed ovulation, forcing males to mate regularly, exhibit continual sexual interest. This helps to prevent infanticide--neither the husband nor the lover knows if he is the father. Women use perpetual sexual availability to seduce philanderers in exchange for gifts.
Males may hold 2 territories, each with a committed mate. Men deceive their wives, not their lovers.
Jealousy is deep seated in men, a human universal. The absence of jealousy in a husband is worrisome to a wife. Couples who exhibit occasional jealousy are more likely to stay together. Men are less accepting of infidelity in their wives--there is also a legal double standard [really?].
Courtly love is about passing wealth to sons so they can be successful adulterers, cuckolding heiresses. Jousting impressed the ladies [and facilitated these relationships?] Tristan... The Church became obsessed with sex to prevent lords from siring legitimate heirs [can this be true?]. In the American South, the effort was to keep the wealth in the family. Incest laws are in part an effort for rulers to prevent wealth concentration in other families (and are not always followed by the rulers).
Men want to acquire power and use it to lure women who will bear heirs, and to acquire wealth to buy other men's wives who will bear bastards. Wealth and power are a means to women which lead to genetic eternity. Women want a husband who will provide care and food for her children, and a lover who will give them first-class genes.
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(note this summary is VERY basic, more like someones class notes)