In several recent papers the sex difference in regret predicted by sexual
strategies theory has been supported: men more than women report regret passing
up short-term sexual opportunities (inaction regret), while women regret having
had sexual encounters (action regret). However, the adaptive function of regret,
to improve future behavioral choices, has not been tested. In this first
longitudinal test of behavioral change following regret, we consider whether
regret actually results in adaptive shifts of behavior: will men who regret
passing up sex engage in more short-term sex following regret? Will women who
regret short-term encounters either choose better quality partners, reduce
number of one-night stands or shift their strategy to long-term relationships?
Across two waves (NT1 = 399, 65.4% women and NT2 = 222, 66.2% women) students
responded to questions about casual sex action regret and inaction regret, along
with possible outcomes, intrapersonal traits, and concurrent contextual
predictors. There was no clear evidence for the proposed functional shifts in
sexual behavior. Casual sex regret was associated with respondent sex and stable
individual differences, such as sociosexual attitudes, regret processing and
metacognitions, but the effect of these predictors were not consistent across
the two waves. Among the tested concurrent contextual predictors, sexual disgust
was the most consistent across waves. Regret is considered a gauge of the value
and quality of the short-term sexual encounter. However, tentatively we conclude
that after this first test of function using longitudinal data, we find no
evidence of a mating strategy shifting effect following sexual regret.