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Romantic jealousy is defined as the negative emotion resulting from the actual or threatened loss of a romantic partner to a rival (Mathes, 1992). From an evolutionary perspective, jealousy serves as a mate-retention strategy designed to protect close relationships from the intrusion of others (Buss, 1999). Buss (2000) suggests that throughout human history, those individuals who reacted strongly to interlopers enjoyed reproductive advantages; thus, jealousy is now an innate, reflexive response to relationship threat. Because jealousy has played an important role in the retention of partners over evolutionary history, it should have evolved as a universal human emotion. Recent research indicates that this is the case; both men and women experience jealousy with similar frequency and intensity (Buss, 2000; Buunk, 1995; Shakelford, LeBlanc & Drass, 2000). Indeed, it is a common experience in relationships …