Research topics
I use evolutionary psychology to investigate how people think, feel, and behave in modern environments. Much of my work concerns mating and relationships, alongside questions about psychological wellbeing and how people respond to scientific findings.
I’m interested in both shared patterns and variation: what people have in common, how they differ, and how these differences relate to their circumstances and cultures.
Mate choice and relationship preferences
What do people want from a partner, and when do those priorities change?
My research examines the characteristics people find attractive, the trade-offs they make when choosing a partner, and their interest in different kinds of relationships. I investigate how preferences respond to changing circumstances and which patterns are shared across cultures.
This includes experiments on changes in short-term and long-term relationship preferences, cross-cultural comparisons of partner priorities, and research using large online dating datasets.
Related publications
Sex differences
Where do women and men differ in their mating psychology, and where are they similar?
I examine differences in relationship preferences, sexual interests, and behaviour, including their size and the circumstances in which they occur. I’m interested in how evolutionary theory can explain these patterns, including the implications of both women and men choosing partners and competing for relationships.
Related publications
Singlehood, relationships and wellbeing
How do people’s relationship circumstances relate to their psychological wellbeing?
My work with international collaborators compares the experiences of single and partnered people, including differences in emotional wellbeing and life satisfaction. I’m particularly interested in unwanted singlehood: being without a relationship when someone wants one.
Within this broader programme, I study men who identify as involuntarily celibate, or incels. This research examines their wellbeing, mating experiences, beliefs about themselves and others, and attitudes towards psychological support.
I have also collaborated on research into evolutionary mismatch: differences between modern lifestyles and the conditions in which human psychology evolved, and how these relate to health and wellbeing.
Related publications
Sexual conflict and harassment
What psychological processes contribute to sexual harassment, and how do people recognise and interpret it?
My research examines experiences and perceptions of harassment, including incidents involving people of the same and opposite sex. With colleagues, I investigate how these relate to sex, expectations about behaviour, and individual differences in openness to casual sexual relationships.
This work brings evolutionary questions about mating and competition into the study of unwanted sexual behaviour.
Related publications
Responses to scientific findings
Why do people react differently to scientific findings about women and men?
With colleagues, I investigate how people evaluate research on sex differences, including whether their reactions depend on which sex a finding appears to favour and its perceived implications.
This work examines judgements about research quality, emotional responses, and people’s expectations about how others will react. I’m interested in how these processes shape the reception and communication of psychological research.
Related publications
How I approach these questions
I work with colleagues internationally, combining experiments, cross-cultural comparisons, and analyses of large datasets. These approaches help us examine patterns across populations and test how preferences and behaviour respond to particular circumstances.
Visit my Publications page for individual papers. I also run the Centre for Evolutionary Perspectives on Intersexual Conflict (the EPIC centre) at Swansea University. Visit the EPIC website to meet the team and explore our current projects.