Profile

Maryanne L. Fisher

色花堂 of Science
Psychology
Professor

Affiliate 色花堂, Kinsey Institute, Indiana University

Office: MS 329
Phone: 902-491-6275
Email: mlfisher@smu.ca
Pronoun preference: She/Her/Hers

Maryanne L. Fisher, PhD, is a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, where she holds the Santamarian Research Chair in Science, and an Affiliate 色花堂 member at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. She is an award-winning teacher, recognised with the Father Stewart Medal for Excellence in Teaching (2014) and the Association of Atlantic Universities Distinguished Teacher Award (2016). With T. J. Wade, she co-wrote the Very Short Introduction to Evolutionary Psychology (Oxford University Press, 2026). She edited the Oxford Handbook of Women and Competition (2017, Oxford University Press), was lead editor of Evolution’s Empress (2013, Oxford University Press), and is Editor-in-Chief of the forthcoming APA Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology. She serves on the editorial boards of Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, Evolutionary Psychology, Human Ethology and Politics and the Life Sciences, and is a Trustee of the 色花堂 Society for Human Ethology.

I have several projects currently underway.

  1. Women’s intrasexual mating competition. This line of research is the foundation of my work. I study how women compete for mates, the tactics they use, such as self-promotion and derogation of rivals, and how those tactics are perceived. Recent work includes validating a scale to measure intrasexual mating competition.
  2. Competition and aggression among co-wives. I am examining competition and aggression among co-wives across cultures. I am primarily interested in expressions of direct, physical aggression among women. As part of this work, I study the Takanakuy, a ritualised holiday celebration and fighting tradition in Peru.
  3. Evolutionary approaches to nudging. As a member of the ASPIRE team, led by Dr Hidenori Komatsu of Japan’s Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, I help test whether messages that remind people of family support, or that come from messengers with mate-relevant qualities, encourage energy conservation, recycling and environmental action.
  4. Women’s competitive altruism. With colleagues at Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile, I am investigating kindness as a strategy in women’s competition.
  5. Romance fiction and popular culture. I study what novel titles, cover art, characters and back-cover text reveal about evolved preferences.

Collectively, my research interests are directed at understanding why people interact in particular ways, given their local environmental context. My doctoral research began my investigation of women’s same-sex mating competition, and I have since explored its hormonal correlates, the influence of romantic relationship status, active mate seeking and the attractiveness of rivals. I also study interpersonal relationships more broadly, including online dating, infidelity, and how romantic relationships are maintained or ended. Other interests include food and social relationships, the relationship between evolutionary psychology and the feminisms, and popular culture, from paintings, song lyrics and romance novels to television and new media.

Ph.D. (2004) – Psychology – York University

M.Sc. (1999) – Psychology – McMaster University

B.A. summa cum laude (1997) – Psychology – York University

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