Predicting Mate Poaching Experiences from Personality Traits Using a Dyadic Analysis

Mate poaching is “behavior intended to attract someone who is already in a romantic relationship.” We investigated actor and partner effects of the five-factor personality traits and the dark triad traits on several mate poaching experiences. We used actor-partner interdependence modeling with data secured from both members of 187 heterosexual married, cohabiting and dating couples from Croatia. In a round-robin design, each participant rated their own and their partner’s personality traits, and their own poaching experiences. The results showed that men’s lower agreeableness had the most consistent relationship with poaching experiences in both men (actor effects) and women (partner effects). The role of other personality traits from the five- factor model was limited to specific aspects of poaching. Regarding the dark triad traits, men’s psychopathy and Machiavellianism were the most consistently related to poaching experiences in both men and women, whereas narcissism did not demonstrate a consistent actor or partner effect on poaching. The results showed that men’s poaching is associated with their own personality traits, whereas women’s poaching with their own and their partner’s personality traits. We interpret the results in the context of life history theory and mate switching hypothesis.