Female penguins mate with males who bring them pebbles to build nests, and hummingbirds mate to gain access to productive flowers guarded by larger males. Now research shows that even affluent college students will still attempt to trade sexual currency for provisions.
The exchange of resources for sex has occurred throughout history in many species, including humans. But recent findings suggest that such behaviors are hard wired, and persist no matter how much wealth, resources or security people obtain. Men are more likely to attempt to exchange investment for sex, and women are more likely to attempt to exchange sex for investment.
Researchers interviewed 475 undergraduate students to discover if they attempted exchanges in reproductively relevant currencies outside of dating or formally committed relationships. 27 percent of men and 14 percent of women reported attempts to trade investment for sex, while 5 percent of men and 9 percent of women reported attempts to trade sex for investment.