Feeling Jealous May Increase Some Men’s Support for Traditional Expectations of Women’s Sexual Behavior, Study Finds

A new experimental study suggests that sexual jealousy may shape men's attitudes toward cultural expectations surrounding women's sexual behavior. Researchers found that when men experienced heightened feelings of jealousy, they became somewhat more likely to support beliefs that women should remain sexually modest and chaste. The same effect was not observed to the same extent among women.

The study, titled "Effects of experimentally induced jealousy on support for feminine honor," was published in Cognition and Emotion. The findings offer new insight into how emotional experiences within romantic relationships may influence broader beliefs about gender roles and sexual behavior.

What Are Feminine Honor Norms?

Feminine honor norms refer to cultural beliefs that a woman's reputation depends largely on her sexual purity, modest appearance, and avoidance of behaviors that could invite criticism of her sexual conduct.

In many societies, a woman's behavior is viewed not only as a reflection of herself but also of her partner and family.

Although these norms may provide some individuals with a sense of identity or social protection, psychologists note that they can also restrict women's autonomy. In some settings, they have been used to justify monitoring women's behavior, limiting their sexual freedom, and applying different standards to women than to men.

Jealousy as a Form of Mate Guarding

The researchers propose that feminine honor norms may function as what they describe as ideological mate guarding.

From an evolutionary perspective, men historically faced uncertainty regarding biological paternity, creating pressure to reduce the risk of infidelity and increase confidence that parental investment benefited their own children.

Rather than relying solely on direct control over a partner, individuals may also support cultural beliefs that encourage sexual modesty and discourage behaviors perceived as increasing the likelihood of infidelity.

The research team, led by Pelin Gul of Iowa State University, predicted that temporary increases in sexual jealousy would lead to greater support for feminine honor norms. They also expected that people with a more restricted mating orientation—those who prefer long-term, exclusive relationships—would be more likely to endorse these beliefs.

How the Study Was Conducted

The first experiment included 388 men recruited online, with an average age of 33 years. Approximately 44% reported being married.

Participants were randomly assigned to either a jealousy condition or a control condition designed to induce anxiety without romantic jealousy.

Men in the jealousy condition imagined that a romantic partner or someone they cared deeply about was flirting with and becoming intimate with another person during a party. Throughout the exercise, participants described the thoughts and emotions they experienced while imagining the situation.

The control group instead imagined failing an important academic examination, a scenario intended to provoke stress without involving romantic relationships.

Afterward, participants rated their current level of jealousy and completed questionnaires measuring support for feminine honor norms as well as other honor-related beliefs.

The second experiment expanded the sample to 551 heterosexual adults from the United States, including 264 women, using the same experimental procedures to determine whether similar effects would appear across both genders.

What the Researchers Found

The jealousy manipulation successfully increased feelings of jealousy in both studies.

In the first experiment, however, there was no overall difference in average support for feminine honor norms between the jealousy and control groups.

Nevertheless, men who reported stronger feelings of jealousy—regardless of which condition they had been assigned to—also tended to express greater support for expectations that women remain sexually modest and chaste.

Men who preferred long-term, exclusive relationships also showed stronger endorsement of feminine honor norms.

The second experiment produced a clearer pattern.

Across all participants, stronger feelings of jealousy were associated with greater support for feminine honor norms. However, when researchers examined men and women separately, they found that the relationship was driven primarily by men.

Men exposed to the jealousy scenario expressed somewhat greater support for feminine honor beliefs than men in the control group. Among women, the same pattern was much weaker and did not emerge consistently.

The Findings Persisted After Accounting for Other Factors

The researchers considered several alternative explanations that might have influenced the results.

Their analyses accounted for factors including religiosity, political conservatism, age, feelings of threatened masculinity, and endorsement of other honor-related beliefs, such as masculine honor and family honor.

Even after adjusting for these variables, the association between jealousy and men's support for feminine honor norms remained statistically significant.

The authors argue that this strengthens the idea that jealousy itself may contribute to greater support for cultural expectations that restrict women's sexual behavior, rather than simply reflecting broader conservative beliefs.

They also note that previous research examining this topic was largely correlational, making the experimental design an important contribution to understanding possible causal relationships.

Important Limitations

The researchers caution that several limitations should be considered when interpreting the findings.

All measurements relied on self-report questionnaires, meaning participants may not have reported their emotions or attitudes with complete accuracy. Social desirability could have influenced responses, particularly given the sensitive nature of questions about jealousy and gender roles.

In addition, participants were heterosexual adults recruited online within the United States. The findings therefore may not generalize to LGBTQ+ populations or to societies where honor norms differ substantially or are enforced more strongly through cultural or legal institutions.

What the Findings May Mean

Despite these limitations, the study suggests that personal emotional experiences may shape broader beliefs about gender and sexuality.

The findings indicate that feelings of romantic insecurity may temporarily increase some men's support for cultural norms that encourage women's sexual restraint, while a similar effect appears considerably weaker among women.

The researchers emphasize that additional studies involving different cultures, relationship types, and populations will be needed to better understand how jealousy, mating strategies, and evolving attitudes toward gender equality interact across diverse social contexts.

Article prepared by Victoria Caldwell.