Rob Henderson suggests that the attraction some modern women feel towards violent men, such as serial killers or characters like Tony Soprano, may be an "evolutionary misfiring" of primate mating instincts.

Rob Henderson posits that an evolutionary explanation for some women's attraction to violent men is rooted in primate behavior where a female primate, after her infant is killed by a male, will often experience arousal and immediately pair-bond with that male.

Among the Mehinaku tribe in Brazil, young men who refuse to participate in community-organized wrestling matches are mocked and teased.