When men already mated to ovulating women sense estrus, they not only want to be around the “hotness” of their mate, they want to keep other men away from it. Boyfriends engage in more “mate-guarding” behaviors when their girlfriends are ovulating; Susan’s behavior in her boyfriend’s absence from the lab helps us understand why. Mate-guarding men tend to interrogate their girlfriends and wives about where they’re going and whom they’re seeing. They snoop through their lovers’ belongings; they display more jealousy. But some mate-guarding behavior is positive. Men more frequently compliment
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