THOUGHTS ON STATUS SEEKING. When men compete: “in a sense, women are outsourcing the cognitive burden of mate selection onto the men. The men organize some kind of contest, the women stand back and observe, and then choose the victor, or the men the other males decide is talented. This is likely why in mixed sex environments, men do a lot of talking. They’re partaking in a kind of verbal jousting with one another, a playful form of verbal combat, in an attempt to show off their wit, their sense of humor, their cleverness, and so on.”

When women compete: “Females often target their rivals’ fidelity and chastity, questioning their sexual past or low standards for sexual activity. . . . They use rumors, gossip, innuendo, threats of friendship termination, and so on. Their competitions are less deadly, but also more prolonged. Women are generally less forgiving of their rivals and more likely to hold a grudge compared with men.”