M Apostolou
Biographic Data
| ID | 5136 |
|---|---|
| NAME | M Apostolou |
| GIVEN NAMES | M |
| FAMILY NAME | Apostolou |
| SIGNATURE | APOSTOLOU M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Nicosia |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0685-1848 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 40 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 29 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 40 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Do People Get the Friends They Want? A Cross‐Cultural Investigation
People desire friends who have qualities such as similarity, the ability to provide support, opportunities for socialisation, assistance in achieving self-serving goals and access to potential mates. In the current study, we aimed to examine the degree of overlap between the friends people consider ideal and those they actually have. Using a sample of 6224 participants from 12 countries, we found that, across five dimensions of friendship, ideal …
Voluntary Singlehood in a Greek-Speaking Cohort: Different Priorities and Giving Up Intimate Relationships as Reasons for Singlehood
People frequently choose not to be in an intimate relationship, but the reasons behind this choice vary. In the current study, we analyzed a dataset pooled from previous studies, consisting of 3226 Greek-speaking participants, 357 of whom were voluntarily single, to estimate the occurrence of different types of voluntary singlehood. We found that the largest subgroup, accounting for more than 60% of cases, consisted of individuals who indicated t…
Economic Development and Marriage Stability: Evidence for a Concave Relationship Between per Capita Income and Divorce Rate
When the economy grows, people become wealthier and more autonomous from their intimate partners. This autonomy potentially has a negative impact on relationship stability: As per capita income increases, so does the divorce rate. Nevertheless, there is evidence that, after a certain income level, the divorce rate starts to decline, suggesting that the relationship between the two factors is not linear. The purpose of the current research is to e…
Preferences for Closeness and Endurance in Friendship: A Cross-Cultural Investigation
Friendships vary in closeness and endurance: Some friendships are closer while others are more casual; some are more enduring while others last only as long as they are convenient. The present study examined friendship preferences in these dimensions. Using data from a cross-cultural sample ( N = 6224) taken from 12 countries, we found that the vast majority of participants preferred a combination of close and casual friendships, with a preferenc…
Strategies for Coping With the End of a Desirable Intimate Relationship: An Exploratory Study
Frequently, people find themselves in a situation where an intimate relationship they wish to keep ends, creating emotional pain that requires coping strategies. The aim of the present study is to investigate the various strategies people employ for this purpose. Using a mixed-methods approach, we identified 84 distinct acts, which we classified into 16 strategies and subsequently classified into five main strategies for coping with the end of a …
How People React to the Termination of an Intimate Relationship: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study
Intimate relationships frequently come to an end, and in the current research, we have endeavored to examine how individuals would potentially react in the scenario where their intimate partner decides to terminate a relationship they wish to continue. More specifically, employing open-ended questionnaires on a sample of 219 Greek-speaking participants, we identified 79 possible reactions. Subsequently, using close-ended questionnaires on a sampl…
Difficulties in Keeping an Intimate Relationship and Singlehood
An increasing number of people are single, meaning that they do not have an intimate partner. Existing research has focused on identifying the difficulties that people face in attracting mates. In the present paper, we propose that another factor contributing to singlehood is experiencing difficulties in maintaining intimate relationships. By analyzing data collected from 1099 Greek-speaking participants, we found that individuals who experienced…
Areas and Consequences of the Mismatch Between Ancestral and Modern Conditions on Mate-Retention Capacity
Several people in contemporary postindustrial societies experience difficulties retaining intimate partners. This paper investigates the proximate reasons (the immediate causes of reduced capacity) and the ultimate reasons (the evolutionary causes behind those proximate mechanisms) that lead to such difficulties. I argue that the mechanisms or adaptations involved in partner retention evolved in ancestral preindustrial contexts and may not be eff…
The Nature, Taxonomy, and Contingencies of Intimate Relationship Problems
Intimate relationships are frequently characterized by problems, which the current research aimed to identify. We first proposed an evolutionary theoretical framework to understand the nature of intimate relationship problems. Subsequently, we employed a mixed-methods approach to identify these problems. In particular, Study 1 used a combination of qualitative research methods on a sample of 258 Greek-speaking participants and identified 153 rela…
Strategies for meeting prospective mates: An explorative analysis in the Greek cultural context
Most people strive toward establishing long‐term romantic relationships, and the majority eventually succeed in doing so, which raises the question of how people meet prospective mates. In the current research, we used in‐depth interviews and open‐ended questionnaires in a sample of 218 Greek‐speaking participants, and we identified 44 acts that people perform in order to meet prospective mates, and 17 categories indicating where people met their…
Strategies for becoming a more desirable mate: Evidence from 14 countries
The current research aimed to study the strategies that people employ in order to become more desirable as mates in different cultural settings. More specifically, using a closed‐ended questionnaire on a sample of 7181 participants from 14 different countries, we identified 10 different strategies that people employ to become more appealing as mates. Participants indicated that they had more frequently used the “Enhance looks,” followed by the “S…
The association of Dark Triad personality traits with infidelity: Evidence from the Greek-cultural context
The Dark Triad is an important aspect of human personality, and there is evidence that it associated with infidelity. The current research aimed to examine the association between Narcissism, Psychopathy, and Machiavellianism traits and different aspects of infidelity in the Greek cultural context. In particular, using a sample of 509 Greek-speaking participants [57.5% women, mean age 36.5 ( SD = 11.7), 42.5% men, mean age 40.1 ( SD = 13.1)], we …
How people react to their Partners' infidelity: An explorative study
Infidelity is relatively common, with culprits not always been able to keep it secret from their partners. Accordingly, the current research aimed to study people's reactions to their partners' infidelity. More specifically, using qualitative research methods on a sample of 226 Greek‐speaking participants, Study 1 identified 94 possible reactions to infidelity. Study 2 employed quantitative research methods on a sample of 757 Greek‐speaking parti…
The Direct Reproductive Cost of Same-Sex Attraction: Evidence from Two Nationally Representative U.S. Samples
Why People Keep an Intimate Relationship: Investigating Ultimate and Proximate Reasons
Why people make friends: The nature of friendship
Friendship constitutes an important facet of human behavior, and the current research investigated the reasons that motivate people to make friends. First, a combination of qualitative research methods were used to identify 41 perceived reasons why people make friends. Using a sample of 1,316 Greek‐speaking participants, these reasons were classified into five broad factors. Participants indicated that the most important reasons for making friend…
Reasons of Singles for Being Single: Evidence from Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan and the UK
The current research aimed to examine the reasons people are single, that is, not in an intimate relationship, across eight different countries—Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, and the UK. We asked a large cross-cultural sample of single participants ( N = 6,822) to rate 92 different possible reasons for being single. These reasons were classified into 12 factors, including one’s perceived inability to find the right …
Reasons That Could Lead People to Divorce in an Evolutionary Perspective: Evidence from Cyprus
In the current research, we aimed to identify the reasons that could drive people to get a divorce. In Study 1, we employed qualitative research methods, and we identified 62 reasons that could potentially drive people to get a divorce. Using quantitative research methods, in Study 2 we classified these reasons into 7 broader factors. We found that being a harmful spouse was the most important factor for divorce, followed by incompatibility and i…
Unfolding Ageism: A Comparative Study of the Divided Ethnic Communities in Cyprus
The aims and objectives of this article are to present the first survey ever conducted in Cyprus of the views and perceptions that Cypriots have of old age. In particular, the researchers, Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot social workers, wanted to explore the issue of ageism within the two Cypriot communities, the Greek-Cypriot (Greek-speaking) and the Turkish-Cypriot (Turkish-speaking) populations. Against all odds, the two social workers, one …
Domains of Motivation in Men and Women for Initiating and Terminating Procreation in an Evolutionary Perspective
Children require considerable resources such as time and money to be raised. Still, despite the heavy costs involved, most people do decide to have children, a fact that raises the question of what motivates them to do so. Moreover, after having one or more children, people decide not to have additional ones, even though they might still be fertile. This raises the question of what motivates people to terminate procreation. The present paper aims…
Stay away, but I may need your help! Mate choice and manipulation of prospective parents‐in‐law
Mate choice involves intense manipulation between the parties involved. This research investigates the manipulation tactics that individuals use in two different scenarios, namely, in order to keep a distance from their mates' parents and in order to secure their help in maintaining an intimate relationship with their children. Study 1 found 29 acts that individuals used to keep the parents of their mates at a distance and 22 acts that individual…
Human sexuality: Views and perspectives among Cypriot social workers – A compass to human sexuality education
This article presents the first survey conducted in Cyprus in relation to the knowledge and perceptions of social workers and social work students on issues related to human sexuality. With the use of a sample of 155 participants, the researchers attempted to identify the major areas of human sexuality that concern Cypriot social workers and social work students. A variety of closed-ended questions, which resulted from two focus groups – one with…
Vigilance over Kin’s Romantic Relationships
Interparental disagreement over in‐law choice
Parents are influential over their children's mate choices, which raises the question of whether mothers and fathers agree when it comes to selecting spouses for their daughters and sons. Based on evolutionary reasoning, this article hypothesizes that there is interparental disagreement over in‐law choice. In particular, it is predicted that fathers are more willing than mothers to make in‐law choices so as to benefit themselves at the expense of…
Happiness in and out of nursing homes: The case of Cyprus
This study measures the level of happiness among elderly Cypriots living in their own home environments and in nursing homes. We find that the elderly living in their own home are significantly happier than the elderly living in nursing homes. On the basis of these findings, we propose that the role of social workers could be valuable regarding happiness of older Cypriots. Within the frame of the current results, we have identified a lack of alte…
Parental choice: What parents want in a son-in-law and a daughter-in-law across 67 pre-industrial societies
Parents are influential over mate choice, and in most human societies they choose spouses for their offspring according to their own preferences. However, surprising little is known about the qualities which make a woman desirable as a daughter-in-law and a man desirable as a son-in-law. Using evidence from 67 societies such traits are identified and three hypotheses are tested: first, the hypothesis is tested that parents desire in an in-law qua…
The Athlete and the Spectator Inside the Man: A Cross-Cultural Investigation of the Evolutionary Origins of Athletic Behavior
Athletic contests constitute an important aspect of human affairs. However, the evolutionary origins of athletic behavior, that is, behavior which is associated with participating in and watching athletic contests, are rather obscure, as they do not seem to contribute directly to increasing survival or reproductive success. This article argues that athletic behavior has been shaped in ancestral times jointly by intrasexual selection forces, where…
How People React to the Termination of an Intimate Relationship: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study
Intimate relationships frequently come to an end, and in the current research, we have endeavored to examine how individuals would potentially react in the scenario where their intimate partner decides to terminate a relationship they wish to continue. More specifically, employing open-ended questionnaires on a sample of 219 Greek-speaking participants, we identified 79 possible reactions. Subsequently, using close-ended questionnaires on a sampl…
The Direct Reproductive Cost of Same-Sex Attraction: Evidence from Two Nationally Representative U.S. Samples
Female Choice and the Evolution of Penis Size
Why People Keep an Intimate Relationship: Investigating Ultimate and Proximate Reasons
Reasons of Singles for Being Single: Evidence from Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan and the UK
The current research aimed to examine the reasons people are single, that is, not in an intimate relationship, across eight different countries—Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, and the UK. We asked a large cross-cultural sample of single participants ( N = 6,822) to rate 92 different possible reasons for being single. These reasons were classified into 12 factors, including one’s perceived inability to find the right …
Stay away, but I may need your help! Mate choice and manipulation of prospective parents‐in‐law
Mate choice involves intense manipulation between the parties involved. This research investigates the manipulation tactics that individuals use in two different scenarios, namely, in order to keep a distance from their mates' parents and in order to secure their help in maintaining an intimate relationship with their children. Study 1 found 29 acts that individuals used to keep the parents of their mates at a distance and 22 acts that individual…
Happiness in and out of nursing homes: The case of Cyprus
This study measures the level of happiness among elderly Cypriots living in their own home environments and in nursing homes. We find that the elderly living in their own home are significantly happier than the elderly living in nursing homes. On the basis of these findings, we propose that the role of social workers could be valuable regarding happiness of older Cypriots. Within the frame of the current results, we have identified a lack of alte…
Parent-offspring conflict over marital age and the age of a spouse
Differences in genetic relatedness between parents and offspring result in the ideal spouse not being the ideal in-law and the ideal in-law not being the ideal spouse. As a consequence, parents strive to control the mate choices of their children and get an in-law who complies with their own standards, whereas their children strive to escape from this control and get a spouse who is more compatible with their own preferences. On this basis, the h…
Why men collect things? A case study of fossilised dinosaur eggs
Inheritance as an instrument of parental control over mating
Wealth is often controlled by a society's male members and as such passes to future generations through the male line. Sons have a strong interest in the wealth they receive from their fathers, which enables the latter to employ inheritance rights so as to manipulate the former's mating decisions. On this basis, two hypotheses are tested. First, in societies where male offspring enjoy inheritance rights, men are more influential over marriage arr…
Bridewealth as an instrument of male parental control over mating: Evidence from the standard cross-cultural sample
Marriage is associated with some form of financial transaction, the most common of which is bridewealth. To bear the costs of bridewealth, sons rely on the assistance of their fathers, which in turn makes the latter influential over the former's mating decisions. Effectively, bridewealth becomes an instrument through which male parents impose their will on their male offspring. On these grounds three hypotheses are tested: first, it is hypothesis…
The location and mapping of ancient ruins on the castle of Lefkas (Greece) by resistivity and GPR methods
The present case history comprises a thorough investigation of the archaeological site of the Castle of Lefkas (Western Greece). The interior of the castle was ruined and is covered by drift produced by masonry materials and aeolian activity. The castle is to be used again and before the excavation the site was explored by geophysical means. The purpose was to collect as much information as possible in order to facilitate subsequent excavation, i…
Sexual selection under parental choice: The role of parents in the evolution of human mating
Parent-Offspring Conflict Over the Age of Prospective Spouses
Parents and their offspring are not genetically identical as, although all of the offspring’s genes come from their parents, not all of the parents’ genes are present in the offspring. The offspring make mate choices which maximize their own fitness, but because the two parties are not genetically identical these choices do not necessarily maximize the genetic fitness of their parents. Thus, conflict will arise between parents and offspring over …
Sexual selection under parental choice in agropastoral societies
Bridewealth as an instrument of male parental control over mating: Evidence from the standard cross-cultural sample
Marriage is associated with some form of financial transaction, the most common of which is bridewealth. To bear the costs of bridewealth, sons rely on the assistance of their fathers, which in turn makes the latter influential over the former's mating decisions. Effectively, bridewealth becomes an instrument through which male parents impose their will on their male offspring. On these grounds three hypotheses are tested: first, it is hypothesis…
Parental choice: What parents want in a son-in-law and a daughter-in-law across 67 pre-industrial societies
Parents are influential over mate choice, and in most human societies they choose spouses for their offspring according to their own preferences. However, surprising little is known about the qualities which make a woman desirable as a daughter-in-law and a man desirable as a son-in-law. Using evidence from 67 societies such traits are identified and three hypotheses are tested: first, the hypothesis is tested that parents desire in an in-law qua…
Why men collect things? A case study of fossilised dinosaur eggs
Inheritance as an instrument of parental control over mating
Wealth is often controlled by a society's male members and as such passes to future generations through the male line. Sons have a strong interest in the wealth they receive from their fathers, which enables the latter to employ inheritance rights so as to manipulate the former's mating decisions. On this basis, two hypotheses are tested. First, in societies where male offspring enjoy inheritance rights, men are more influential over marriage arr…
Circumventing Parental Choice and the Evolution of Rape
Psychometric Properties of the Achievement Goal Questionnaire-Revised Administered to Greek University Students
This study examined the generalizability of the Achievement Goal Questionnaire-Revised (AGQ-R) in a different cultural and ethnic context than other published studies and across different levels of specificity in the academic domain. The study assessed the structural validity and reliability of the questionnaire as administered to 105 Greek University students in both a course-specific context and in a more general academic context. Six plausible…
Parent-offspring conflict over marital age and the age of a spouse
Differences in genetic relatedness between parents and offspring result in the ideal spouse not being the ideal in-law and the ideal in-law not being the ideal spouse. As a consequence, parents strive to control the mate choices of their children and get an in-law who complies with their own standards, whereas their children strive to escape from this control and get a spouse who is more compatible with their own preferences. On this basis, the h…
We want them to be like us! Exploring in-law preferences for similarity in family background
Parents attempt to influence their children's mating decisions in order to get sons- and daughters-in-law who comply with their preferences. One trait that parents consider important in a prospective in-law is similarity in the family background. This paper attempts to identify the dimensions of similarity in a prospective son- and daughter-in-law's family that are of interest to parents, and to test several hypotheses. More specifically, it is h…
Interparental disagreement over in‐law choice
Parents are influential over their children's mate choices, which raises the question of whether mothers and fathers agree when it comes to selecting spouses for their daughters and sons. Based on evolutionary reasoning, this article hypothesizes that there is interparental disagreement over in‐law choice. In particular, it is predicted that fathers are more willing than mothers to make in‐law choices so as to benefit themselves at the expense of…
Happiness in and out of nursing homes: The case of Cyprus
This study measures the level of happiness among elderly Cypriots living in their own home environments and in nursing homes. We find that the elderly living in their own home are significantly happier than the elderly living in nursing homes. On the basis of these findings, we propose that the role of social workers could be valuable regarding happiness of older Cypriots. Within the frame of the current results, we have identified a lack of alte…
Female Choice and the Evolution of Penis Size
The Athlete and the Spectator Inside the Man: A Cross-Cultural Investigation of the Evolutionary Origins of Athletic Behavior
Athletic contests constitute an important aspect of human affairs. However, the evolutionary origins of athletic behavior, that is, behavior which is associated with participating in and watching athletic contests, are rather obscure, as they do not seem to contribute directly to increasing survival or reproductive success. This article argues that athletic behavior has been shaped in ancestral times jointly by intrasexual selection forces, where…
I Am Right for Your Child: Tactics for Manipulating Potential Parents-In-Law
Vigilance over Kin’s Romantic Relationships
Stay away, but I may need your help! Mate choice and manipulation of prospective parents‐in‐law
Mate choice involves intense manipulation between the parties involved. This research investigates the manipulation tactics that individuals use in two different scenarios, namely, in order to keep a distance from their mates' parents and in order to secure their help in maintaining an intimate relationship with their children. Study 1 found 29 acts that individuals used to keep the parents of their mates at a distance and 22 acts that individual…
Human sexuality: Views and perspectives among Cypriot social workers – A compass to human sexuality education
This article presents the first survey conducted in Cyprus in relation to the knowledge and perceptions of social workers and social work students on issues related to human sexuality. With the use of a sample of 155 participants, the researchers attempted to identify the major areas of human sexuality that concern Cypriot social workers and social work students. A variety of closed-ended questions, which resulted from two focus groups – one with…
Unfolding Ageism: A Comparative Study of the Divided Ethnic Communities in Cyprus
The aims and objectives of this article are to present the first survey ever conducted in Cyprus of the views and perceptions that Cypriots have of old age. In particular, the researchers, Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot social workers, wanted to explore the issue of ageism within the two Cypriot communities, the Greek-Cypriot (Greek-speaking) and the Turkish-Cypriot (Turkish-speaking) populations. Against all odds, the two social workers, one …
Domains of Motivation in Men and Women for Initiating and Terminating Procreation in an Evolutionary Perspective
Children require considerable resources such as time and money to be raised. Still, despite the heavy costs involved, most people do decide to have children, a fact that raises the question of what motivates them to do so. Moreover, after having one or more children, people decide not to have additional ones, even though they might still be fertile. This raises the question of what motivates people to terminate procreation. The present paper aims…
Reasons That Could Lead People to Divorce in an Evolutionary Perspective: Evidence from Cyprus
In the current research, we aimed to identify the reasons that could drive people to get a divorce. In Study 1, we employed qualitative research methods, and we identified 62 reasons that could potentially drive people to get a divorce. Using quantitative research methods, in Study 2 we classified these reasons into 7 broader factors. We found that being a harmful spouse was the most important factor for divorce, followed by incompatibility and i…
Why people make friends: The nature of friendship
Friendship constitutes an important facet of human behavior, and the current research investigated the reasons that motivate people to make friends. First, a combination of qualitative research methods were used to identify 41 perceived reasons why people make friends. Using a sample of 1,316 Greek‐speaking participants, these reasons were classified into five broad factors. Participants indicated that the most important reasons for making friend…
Reasons of Singles for Being Single: Evidence from Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan and the UK
The current research aimed to examine the reasons people are single, that is, not in an intimate relationship, across eight different countries—Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, and the UK. We asked a large cross-cultural sample of single participants ( N = 6,822) to rate 92 different possible reasons for being single. These reasons were classified into 12 factors, including one’s perceived inability to find the right …
Psychology (35 works) · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior (31 works) · Social Psychology (31 works) · Developmental psychology (17 works) · Social Psychology (16 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (10 works) · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation (9 works) · Marriage and Sexual Relationships (8 works) · Computer Science (7 works)