Are Males in a Relationship Flirted with More? Testing for Mate Choice Copying in Humans

Ample anecdotal and some scientific evidence suggests that men who enter a relationship feel that they are flirted with more frequently than before they had a partner. This phenomenon has been interpreted as a form of mate choice copying; the idea that females prefer males that are in a relationship with another female. In two samples (N = 271 and N = 396) we replicate that people indicate that flirting increased after entering a relationship. However, on a more absolute measure (how often people feel they are flirted with), we did not find that those in a relationship felt to be flirted with more than those without one. Our findings cast doubt on the interpretation that ours (and similar) findings are support for mate choice copying, and we argue that alternative explanations should be considered.