Source: https://labs.la.utexas.edu/buss/files/2013/02/The-Mate-Switching-Hypothesis-FINAL-PUBLISHED-2017.pdf
"The costs of mate switching start with potential damage to reputational components of her mate value. Among the Kipsigis of Kenya, for example, divorced women command a lower ‘bride-price’ (Borgerhoff Mulder, 1995). In cultures that tie ‘family honor’ to the sexuality and mating of their female members, mate switching can levy costs on an entire kin network. If an infidelity preceded the breakup, she may be branded as a cheater—potentially decreasing her attractiveness as a mate (Marlowe, 2004)."
"Assessment of mate value cannot be a static snapshot at a single point in time. Any dimension of mate value—such as emotional stability, dependability, extant encumbering commitments, status and resource trajectories—may be in flux at any time and require temporal tracking. The need for tracking does not end after a mate is selected. A mate showing stellar career promise may fail to live up to expectations."
"Evidence suggests that women indeed continue to track their partner's mate value across the relationship and use this information to invest or disinvest from relationships. For example, cross-cultural evidence indicates that inadequate economic support from the husband is a consistently cited reason for divorce (Betzig, 1989). Furthermore, the magnitude of women's mate retention effort positively correlates with her partner's income and status striving (Buss & Shackelford, 1997)."
"They also point to changes within women in their preferences as a result of changes in their mate value, of which ovulation cyclical variation is one source. We hypothesize that continuous self-monitoring provides informational input into prospects for one's own mate switching. Several empirical predictions follow: Women whose mate value increases substantially will become (1) more emotionally dissatisfied with their current partner, (2) more likely to evade a partner's mate guarding efforts, (3) more likely to cultivate backup mates, (4) more likely to initiate new relationships with higher mate value men, and (5) less inclined to stay with their current partners."
"According to the mate switching hypothesis, affairs serve several key functions. First, affairs serve as a form of mate insurance, keeping a backup mate in tow should a switch become warranted at some point in the future (Greiling & Buss, 2000). Second, they allow opportunities for close-up assessment of an alternative mate, information that would be difficult or impossible to gauge from a distance. Affairs allow more accurate assays of the three key qualities of the potential mate—mate value, interest, and availability. They also afford more accurate tests of compatibility, be it sexual or emotional, or synchronization of long-term goals. In this sense, affairs can function as trial runs, simulations of a long-term relationship, without making a full commitment."
"The costs of mate switching start with potential damage to reputational components of her mate value. Among the Kipsigis of Kenya, for example, divorced women command a lower ‘bride-price’ (Borgerhoff Mulder, 1995). In cultures that tie ‘family honor’ to the sexuality and mating of their female members, mate switching can levy costs on an entire kin network. If an infidelity preceded the breakup, she may be branded as a cheater—potentially decreasing her attractiveness as a mate (Marlowe, 2004)."
"Assessment of mate value cannot be a static snapshot at a single point in time. Any dimension of mate value—such as emotional stability, dependability, extant encumbering commitments, status and resource trajectories—may be in flux at any time and require temporal tracking. The need for tracking does not end after a mate is selected. A mate showing stellar career promise may fail to live up to expectations."
"Evidence suggests that women indeed continue to track their partner's mate value across the relationship and use this information to invest or disinvest from relationships. For example, cross-cultural evidence indicates that inadequate economic support from the husband is a consistently cited reason for divorce (Betzig, 1989). Furthermore, the magnitude of women's mate retention effort positively correlates with her partner's income and status striving (Buss & Shackelford, 1997)."
"They also point to changes within women in their preferences as a result of changes in their mate value, of which ovulation cyclical variation is one source. We hypothesize that continuous self-monitoring provides informational input into prospects for one's own mate switching. Several empirical predictions follow: Women whose mate value increases substantially will become (1) more emotionally dissatisfied with their current partner, (2) more likely to evade a partner's mate guarding efforts, (3) more likely to cultivate backup mates, (4) more likely to initiate new relationships with higher mate value men, and (5) less inclined to stay with their current partners."
"According to the mate switching hypothesis, affairs serve several key functions. First, affairs serve as a form of mate insurance, keeping a backup mate in tow should a switch become warranted at some point in the future (Greiling & Buss, 2000). Second, they allow opportunities for close-up assessment of an alternative mate, information that would be difficult or impossible to gauge from a distance. Affairs allow more accurate assays of the three key qualities of the potential mate—mate value, interest, and availability. They also afford more accurate tests of compatibility, be it sexual or emotional, or synchronization of long-term goals. In this sense, affairs can function as trial runs, simulations of a long-term relationship, without making a full commitment."
