
Men and women may cope with jealousy differently.
A community study examined jealousy in people's actual relationships rather than only hypothetical cheating scenarios.
When jealous, men were more likely to report coping through denial and avoidance.
Women were more likely to E×ρréšš their distress.
Women were also more likely to report trying to make themselves more attractive to an unfaithful or potentially unfaithful partner.
The researchers also found a particularly strong connection between lower self-esteem and greater jealousy among women.
So jealousy can influence not only what a woman feels but what she does in response to a perceived threat.
© British Journal of Psychiatry (1994)