People With More Autistic-Like Traits Show Different Patterns of Affection in Relationships, Study Finds

People with higher levels of autistic-like traits in the general population may be less likely to use affectionate behaviors to maintain their romantic relationships, according to new research. The study, published in Evolutionary Psychology, also found that these traits were linked to more insecure attachment styles.

The study, titled Autistic-Like Traits in Members of the General Population and Mate Retention Tactics: The Mediation of Attachment Styles and Reproductive Strategies, was authored by Andrzej Łukasik and Agnieszka Łaba-Hornecka and adds nuance to ongoing debates about personality, evolution and modern romance.

The research was conducted by psychologist Andrzej Łukasik of the University of Rzeszow’s Collegium Medicum in Poland and his colleague. They set out to understand how subtle differences in personality and social functioning influence the ways people try to keep their partners close.

Autistic-like traits, often called ALTs, are patterns involving communication difficulties, social challenges and rigid thinking styles. These characteristics resemble some features of autism but can appear to varying degrees in people who do not have an autism diagnosis.

How the study was designed

The study focused on mate retention tactics, or behaviors used to prevent a partner from leaving or being unfaithful. Researchers distinguish between benefit-provisioning tactics, such as showing affection, giving compliments or gifts and offering emotional support, and cost-inflicting tactics, such as inducing jealousy, controlling behavior or making threats.

Łukasik’s team suspected that attachment style plays a central role in how people use these tactics. Attachment styles, typically described as secure, anxious or avoidant, reflect how individuals form and manage emotional bonds and how comfortable they feel with intimacy and dependence.

Earlier studies suggested that insecure attachment styles, particularly anxious and avoidant patterns, predict more frequent use of certain mate retention behaviors. The new research aimed to clarify how autistic-like traits, attachment patterns and broader evolutionary strategies interact in real-world relationships.

Autistic traits, attachment and strategy

The study drew on life history theory, an evolutionary framework examining how people allocate time and energy between mating and parenting. A fast strategy favors multiple short-term relationships and high mating effort, while a slow strategy emphasizes long-term bonds and parental investment.

Some evolutionary research had proposed that autistic-like traits could be associated with a slow reproductive strategy. However, these traits are also associated with insecure attachment, which is more often linked to fast strategies and a greater emphasis on finding or switching partners.

To examine these ideas, the researchers tested whether autistic-like traits were associated with either fast or slow strategies and whether attachment style explained or altered that relationship. Their goal was to understand how these factors might interact rather than considering them separately.

Who took part in the research

The researchers recruited 796 adults from Poland, with an average age of 36.4 years. Around 52% of participants were women, and everyone in the study had been in a romantic relationship for at least three months.

Participants completed several standardized questionnaires. The Autism-Spectrum Quotient measured autistic-like traits, the Experiences in Close Relationships scale assessed anxious and avoidant attachment, and the Mate Retention Inventory measured how frequently participants used positive or negative tactics.

Brief measures of mating effort and parental effort were also included to assess each participant’s likely reproductive strategy. The researchers then used structural equation modeling, a statistical technique that allows multiple variables and pathways to be examined simultaneously.

Key findings on attachment and behavior

People who scored higher on autistic-like traits were more likely to report both anxious and avoidant attachment styles. This pattern suggests they may simultaneously fear abandonment while feeling uncomfortable with emotional closeness in relationships.

Higher autistic-like traits were also associated with less frequent use of benefit-provisioning mate retention tactics. These individuals reported relying less on affectionate gestures, gifts or overt support as ways of maintaining their romantic bond.

Initial models suggested they might also use fewer cost-inflicting tactics. However, after researchers controlled for age, the association changed direction: autistic-like traits were modestly associated with greater use of negative tactics such as jealousy or controlling behaviors.

The role of age and life history

Age emerged as an important factor. Older participants generally reported using fewer negative tactics, which partially obscured the relationship between autistic-like traits and cost-inflicting behaviors in the initial data.

The analysis showed that as participants aged, they typically reported less attachment anxiety, lower mating effort and greater parental effort. They also reported using both positive and negative mate retention tactics less frequently, consistent with more stable and settled relationships.

By contrast, autistic-like traits were only weakly associated with life history strategy. The results did not support the expectation that these traits clearly predict either a fast or slow reproductive strategy among modern adults.

Why attachment styles matter most

Attachment styles emerged as an important bridge between personality traits and relationship behavior. Anxious attachment was associated with greater mating effort, lower parental effort and more frequent use of both benefit-provisioning and cost-inflicting tactics.

People with anxious attachment may use a combination of affectionate gestures and distancing or punitive behaviors, reflecting heightened sensitivity to perceived rejection or infidelity. This combination can create turbulence even when the underlying goal is to keep a partner close.

Avoidant attachment was also associated with greater mating effort and lower parental effort but predicted less frequent use of benefit-provisioning tactics. People with avoidant patterns may prefer greater emotional distance and therefore engage less often in affectionate, bonding behaviors.

Limitations and future directions

The study relied on cross-sectional, self-reported data, limiting conclusions about cause and effect. It cannot establish whether autistic-like traits contribute to particular attachment styles or whether relationship experiences influence both over time.

The Autism-Spectrum Quotient may also capture aspects of social anxiety or broader interpersonal difficulties rather than exclusively autistic features. This overlap could affect interpretation of the findings, particularly those involving evolutionary strategies.

The weak associations between autistic-like traits and life history outcomes suggest that broad evolutionary models may not fully explain contemporary relationship patterns. The authors argue that more precise measures and longitudinal studies are needed to understand how these traits influence relationships across the lifespan.

Implications for relationships and support

Despite these limitations, the study highlights why some people with higher autistic-like traits may experience particular challenges in maintaining satisfying long-term relationships. They appear less likely to use positive tactics that typically promote trust and connection.

At the same time, they may be somewhat more likely, particularly when younger, to use negative tactics previously associated with conflict, distress and lower relationship satisfaction. This combination could make it more difficult to develop stable, mutually supportive relationships.

The authors suggest that greater awareness of how attachment styles interact with autistic-like traits could inform counseling and therapy. Interventions encouraging more constructive, benefit-provisioning behaviors while addressing anxiety or avoidance around intimacy might improve relationship outcomes for some couples.

Article prepared by Victoria Caldwell.