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Gelbart, B., Walter, K. V., Conroy-Beam, D., Estorque, C., Buss, D. M., Asao, K....Zupančič, M. (2025). The function of love: A signaling-to-alternatives account of the commitment device hypothesis. Evolution and Human Behavior. 46 (2)

B. Gelbart et al.,  "The function of love: A signaling-to-alternatives account of the commitment device hypothesis", in Evolution and Human Behavior, vol. 46, no. 2, 2025

@article{gelbart2025_1765977437534,
	author = "Gelbart, B. and Walter, K. V. and Conroy-Beam, D. and Estorque, C. and Buss, D. M. and Asao, K. and Sorokowska, A. and Sorokowski, P. and Aavik, T. and Akello, G. and Alhabahba, M. M. and Alm, C. and Amjad, N. and Anjum, A. and Atama, C. S. and Duyar, D. A. and Batres, C. and Bendixen, M. and Bensafia, A. and Bizumic, B. and Boussena, M. and Butovskaya, M. and Can, S. and Carrier, A. and Cetinkaya, H. and Croy, I. and Cueto, R. M. and Czub, M. and Dronova, D. and Dural, S. and Duyar, I. and Ertugrul, B. and Espinosa, A. and Estevan, I. and Esteves, C. S. and Fang, L. and Frackowiak, T. and Contreras Garduño, J. and Ugalde González, K. and Guemaz, F. and Gyuris, P. and Herak, I. and Hromatko, I.  and Hui, C.-M. and Jaafar, J. L. and Jiang, F. and Kafetsios, K. and Kavčič, T. and Kennair, L. E. O. and Kervyn, N. and Ha, T. T. K. and Khilji, I. A. and Lan, H. M. and Láng, A. and Lennard, G. R. and León, E. and Lindholm, T. and Linh, T. T. and Lopez, G.  and Van Luot, N. and Mailhos, A. and Manesi, Z. and McKerchar, S. L. and Meskó, N. and Misra, G. and Monaghan, C. and Mora, E. C. and Moya-Garófano, A. and Musil, B. and Natividade, J. C. and Niemczyk, A. and Nizharadze, G. and Oberzaucher, E. and Oleszkiewicz, A. and Omar-Fauzee, M. S. and Onyishi, I. E. and Özener, B. and Pagani, A. F. and Pakalniskiene, V. and Parise, M. and Pazhoohi, F. and Pisanski, A. and Pisanski, K. and Plohl, N. and Ponciano, E. and Popa, C. and Prokop, P. and Rizwan, M. and Salkičević, S. and Sargautyte, R. and Sarmány-Schuller, I. and Sharad, S. and Siddiqui, R. S. and Simonetti, F. and Stoyanova, S. Y. and Tadinac, M. and Correa Varella, M. A. and Vauclair, C.-M. and Vega, L. D. and Widarini, D. A. and Yoo, G. and Zaťková, M. and Zupančič, M.",
	title = "The function of love: A signaling-to-alternatives account of the commitment device hypothesis",
	journal = "Evolution and Human Behavior",
	year = "2025",
	volume = "46",
	number = "2",
	doi = "10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2025.106672",
	url = "https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/evolution-and-human-behavior"
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - The function of love: A signaling-to-alternatives account of the commitment device hypothesis
T2  - Evolution and Human Behavior
VL  - 46
IS  - 2
AU  - Gelbart, B.
AU  - Walter, K. V.
AU  - Conroy-Beam, D.
AU  - Estorque, C.
AU  - Buss, D. M.
AU  - Asao, K.
AU  - Sorokowska, A.
AU  - Sorokowski, P.
AU  - Aavik, T.
AU  - Akello, G.
AU  - Alhabahba, M. M.
AU  - Alm, C.
AU  - Amjad, N.
AU  - Anjum, A.
AU  - Atama, C. S.
AU  - Duyar, D. A.
AU  - Batres, C.
AU  - Bendixen, M.
AU  - Bensafia, A.
AU  - Bizumic, B.
AU  - Boussena, M.
AU  - Butovskaya, M.
AU  - Can, S.
AU  - Carrier, A.
AU  - Cetinkaya, H.
AU  - Croy, I.
AU  - Cueto, R. M.
AU  - Czub, M.
AU  - Dronova, D.
AU  - Dural, S.
AU  - Duyar, I.
AU  - Ertugrul, B.
AU  - Espinosa, A.
AU  - Estevan, I.
AU  - Esteves, C. S.
AU  - Fang, L.
AU  - Frackowiak, T.
AU  - Contreras Garduño, J.
AU  - Ugalde González, K.
AU  - Guemaz, F.
AU  - Gyuris, P.
AU  - Herak, I.
AU  - Hromatko, I. 
AU  - Hui, C.-M.
AU  - Jaafar, J. L.
AU  - Jiang, F.
AU  - Kafetsios, K.
AU  - Kavčič, T.
AU  - Kennair, L. E. O.
AU  - Kervyn, N.
AU  - Ha, T. T. K.
AU  - Khilji, I. A.
AU  - Lan, H. M.
AU  - Láng, A.
AU  - Lennard, G. R.
AU  - León, E.
AU  - Lindholm, T.
AU  - Linh, T. T.
AU  - Lopez, G. 
AU  - Van Luot, N.
AU  - Mailhos, A.
AU  - Manesi, Z.
AU  - McKerchar, S. L.
AU  - Meskó, N.
AU  - Misra, G.
AU  - Monaghan, C.
AU  - Mora, E. C.
AU  - Moya-Garófano, A.
AU  - Musil, B.
AU  - Natividade, J. C.
AU  - Niemczyk, A.
AU  - Nizharadze, G.
AU  - Oberzaucher, E.
AU  - Oleszkiewicz, A.
AU  - Omar-Fauzee, M. S.
AU  - Onyishi, I. E.
AU  - Özener, B.
AU  - Pagani, A. F.
AU  - Pakalniskiene, V.
AU  - Parise, M.
AU  - Pazhoohi, F.
AU  - Pisanski, A.
AU  - Pisanski, K.
AU  - Plohl, N.
AU  - Ponciano, E.
AU  - Popa, C.
AU  - Prokop, P.
AU  - Rizwan, M.
AU  - Salkičević, S.
AU  - Sargautyte, R.
AU  - Sarmány-Schuller, I.
AU  - Sharad, S.
AU  - Siddiqui, R. S.
AU  - Simonetti, F.
AU  - Stoyanova, S. Y.
AU  - Tadinac, M.
AU  - Correa Varella, M. A.
AU  - Vauclair, C.-M.
AU  - Vega, L. D.
AU  - Widarini, D. A.
AU  - Yoo, G.
AU  - Zaťková, M.
AU  - Zupančič, M.
PY  - 2025
SN  - 1090-5138
DO  - 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2025.106672
UR  - https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/evolution-and-human-behavior
AB  - Love is commonly hypothesized to function as an evolved commitment device, disincentivizing the pursuit of romantic alternatives and signaling this motivational shift to a partner. Here, we test this possibility against a novel signaling-to-alternatives account, in which love instead operates by dissuading alternatives from pursuing oneself. Overall, we find stronger support for the latter account. In Studies 1 and 2, we find that partner quality relative to alternatives positively predicts feelings of love, and love fails to mitigate the negative effects of desirable alternatives on relationship satisfaction—contradicting the classic commitment device account. In Study 3, using a longitudinal design, we replicate these effects and find that changes in partner quality relative to alternatives predict changes in love over time. In Study 4, we replicate the relationship between love and relative partner quality across 44 countries. In Study 5, we find a nearly one-to-one correspondence between the extent to which partner-directed actions are diagnostic of love and reductions in romantic alternatives' attraction to the actor. These results suggest that love may not act as a commitment device in the classic sense by disincentivizing the pursuit of alternatives but by disincentivizing alternatives from pursuing oneself.
ER  -