Table 3.

A framework for conceptualizing social dysfunction across domains

	Tradeoffs	Mismatches	Individual Differences
Affiliation	Social anxiety helps people maintain acceptance, but can also produce distress and social impairment, particularly in the face of social rejection (Maner, 2009).	Ancestral groups consisted primarily of kin, who afforded unconditional support; modern groups are more diverse, less permanent, and based more on reciprocity (Dunbar, 1992).	Normal levels of social anxiety are highly functional. In the extreme range, however, pronounced social anxiety can impair social functioning (Barlow, 2002).
Mate search	Men often are motivated to seek multiple short-term sexual partners, but this can hinder their ability to maintain long-term relationships (Buss & Schmitt, 1993).	With the advent of modern media, people are exposed to unrealistically attractive images. This can bias the standards people use in evaluating current or prospective partners (Kenrick et al., 1994).	People displaying highly unrestricted attitudes toward casual sex may have trouble maintaining relationships and may be susceptible to sexually transmitted infections (Gangestad & Simpson, 2000).
Relationship maintenance	Jealousy may help guard against romantic rivals, but can also lead to insecurity and relationship violence (Puente & Cohen, 2003).	As above, media exposure to highly attractive same-sex images can produce relationship insecurity by implying an unlimited pool of attractive interlopers (Gutierres et al., 1999).	In the normal range, jealousy may be functional; extreme forms of jealousy, however, can be highly problematic and is a trigger for domestic violence (Easton et al., 2007).
Self-Protection	The emotion of fear can help people avoid danger, but it consumes energetically costly psychological and physiological resources (Öhman & Mineka, 2001).	Humans may have evolved to fear members of outgroups; today most outgroup members are not hostile, but fear nevertheless leads to outgroup prejudice (Maner et al., 2005).	People who display an exaggerated propensity for fear may have difficulty engaging in normal tasks that require some degree of risk (Barlow, 2002).
Status	The desire for status can make men more attractive to potential mates, but it may lead them to engage in dangerous forms of intrasexual competition or risk-taking (Wilson & Daly, 2004).	The power of ancestral leaders typically had limited scope; modern organizations allow for much greater levels of power, giving rise to corruption and abuse (Van Vugt et al., 2008).	People who over-derive their self-worth from being higher status than others (e.g., narcissists) are prone to experiencing relationship problems and aggression (Campbell et al., 2002).
Disease	Vigilance to signs of potential disease in others can help people avoid contagion, but it can also cause unnecessary social avoidance (Ackerman et al., 2009).	In ancestral times, people who looked different may have carried pathogens; today, people stigmatize distinctive looking others, even though they may be quite safe (Kurzban & Leary, 2001).	Individuals displaying extreme avoidance of any potential sources of contagion (e.g., people with obsessive compulsive disorder) have difficulty functioning in society (Schaller et al., 2003).