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Quintana DS, Glaser BD, Kang H, Kildal ESM, Audunsdottir K, Sartorius AM, Barth C. The interplay of oxytocin and sex hormones. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 163:105765. [PMID: 38885888 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin has historically been associated with reproduction and maternal behavior. However, more recent research has uncovered that oxytocin has a much wider range of roles in physiology and behavior. Despite the excitement surrounding potential therapeutical applications of intranasally administered oxytocin, the results of these intervention studies have been inconsistent. Various reasons for these mixed results have been proposed, which tend to focus on methodological issues, such as study design. While methodological issues are certainly important, emerging evidence suggests that the interaction between oxytocin and sex hormones may also account for these varied findings. To better understand the purpose and function of the interaction of oxytocin with sex hormones, with a focus on estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone, we conducted a comprehensive thematic review via four perspectives: evolutionary, developmental, mechanistic, and survival. Altogether, this synergistic approach highlights the critical function of sex hormone activity for accomplishing the diverse roles of oxytocin via the modulation of oxytocin release and oxytocin receptor activity, which is also likely to contribute to the heterogeneity of outcomes after oxytocin administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Quintana
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; NevSom, Department of Rare Disorders, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Bernt D Glaser
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Heemin Kang
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Emilie S M Kildal
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychiatry, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kristin Audunsdottir
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Claudia Barth
- Department of Psychiatric Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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Gettler LT, Samson DR, Kilius E, Sarma MS, Miegakanda V, Lew-Levy S, Boyette AH. Hormone physiology and sleep dynamics among BaYaka foragers of the Congo Basin: Gendered associations between nighttime activity, testosterone, and cortisol. Horm Behav 2023; 155:105422. [PMID: 37683498 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Sleep quality is an important contributor to health disparities and affects the physiological function of the immune and endocrine systems, shaping how resources are allocated to life history demands. Past work in industrial and post-industrial societies has shown that lower total sleep time (TST) or more disrupted nighttime sleep are linked to flatter diurnal slopes for cortisol and lower testosterone production. There has been little focus on these physiological links in other socio-ecological settings where routine sleep conditions and nighttime activity demands differ. We collected salivary hormone (testosterone, cortisol) and actigraphy-based sleep data from Congolese BaYaka foragers (N = 39), who have relatively short and fragmented nighttime sleep, on average, in part due to their typical social sleep conditions and nighttime activity. The hormone and sleep data collections were separated by an average of 11.23 days (testosterone) and 2.84 days (cortisol). We found gendered links between nighttime activity and adults' hormone profiles. Contrary to past findings in Euro-American contexts, BaYaka men who were more active at night, on average, had higher evening testosterone than those with lower nighttime activity, with a relatively flat slope relating nighttime activity and evening testosterone in women. Women had steeper diurnal cortisol curves with less disrupted sleep. Men had steeper cortisol diurnal curves if they were more active at night. BaYaka men often hunt and socialize when active at night, which may help explain these patterns. Overall, our findings indicate that the nature of nighttime activities, including their possible social and subsistence contexts, are potentially important modifiers of sleep quality-physiology links, meriting further research across contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- University of Notre Dame, Department of Anthropology, Notre Dame 46556, USA; University of Notre Dame, Eck Institute for Global Health, Notre Dame 46556, USA.
| | - David R Samson
- University of Toronto Mississauga, Department of Anthropology, Mississauga L5L1C6, Canada
| | - Erica Kilius
- University of Toronto Mississauga, Department of Anthropology, Mississauga L5L1C6, Canada
| | - Mallika S Sarma
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore 21287, USA
| | - Valchy Miegakanda
- Laboratoire National de Sante Publique, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Sheina Lew-Levy
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Adam H Boyette
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Leipzig 04103, Germany
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Abraham E, Feldman R. The Neural Basis of Human Fatherhood: A Unique Biocultural Perspective on Plasticity of Brain and Behavior. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2022; 25:93-109. [PMID: 35122559 DOI: 10.1007/s10567-022-00381-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
With the growing involvement of fathers in childrearing and the application of neuroscientific tools to research on parenting, there is a need to understand how a father's brain and neurohormonal systems accommodate the transition to parenthood and how such neurobiological changes impact children's mental health, sociality, and family functioning. In this paper, we present a theoretical model on the human father's brain and the neural adaptations that take place when fathers assume an involved role. The neurobiology of fatherhood shows great variability across individuals, societies, and cultures and is shaped to a great extent by bottom-up caregiving experiences and the amount of childrearing responsibilities. Mechanisms of mother-father coparental brain coordination and hormonal correlates of paternal behavior are detailed. Adaptations in the father's brain during pregnancy and across the postpartum year carry long-term implications for children's emotion regulation, stress management, and symptom formation. We propose a new conceptual model of HEALthy Father Brain that describes how a father's brain serves as a source of resilience in the context of family adversity and its capacity to "heal", protect, and foster social brain maturation and functionality in family members via paternal sensitivity, attunement, and support, which, in turn, promote child development and healthy family functioning. Father's brain provides a unique model on neural plasticity as sustained by committed acts of caregiving, thereby affording a novel perspective on the brain basis of human affiliation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eyal Abraham
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, 46150, Herzliya, Israel. .,Department of Psychiatry-Child and Adolescent, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA.
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, 46150, Herzliya, Israel. .,Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Risky family climates presage increased cellular aging in young adulthood. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 130:105256. [PMID: 34058561 PMCID: PMC8217285 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
A scientific consensus is emerging that children reared in risky family climates are prone to chronic diseases and premature death later in life. Few prospective data, however, are available to inform the mechanisms of these relationships. In a prospective study involving 323 Black families, we sought to determine whether, and how, childhood risky family climates are linked to a potential risk factor for later-life disease: increases in cellular aging (indexed by epigenetic aging). As hypothesized, risky family climates were associated with greater outflows of the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine at ages 19 and 20 years; this, in turn, led to increases in cellular aging across ages 20-27 years. If sustained, these tendencies may place children from risky family climates on a trajectory toward the chronic diseases of aging.
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Gettler LT, Kuo PX, Sarma MS, Trumble BC, Burke Lefever JE, Braungart-Rieker JM. Fathers' oxytocin responses to first holding their newborns: Interactions with testosterone reactivity to predict later parenting behavior and father-infant bonds. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:1384-1398. [PMID: 33860940 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about human fathers' physiology near infants' births. This may represent a period during which paternal psychobiological axes are sensitive to fathers' new experiences of interacting with their newborns and that can provide insights on how individual differences in fathers' biology relate to post-partum parenting. Drawing on a sample of men in South Bend, IN (U.S.), we report results from a longitudinal study of fathers' oxytocin, cortisol, and testosterone (N = 211) responses to their first holding of their infants on the day of birth and men's reported caregiving and father-infant bonding at 2-4 months post-partum (N = 114). First-time fathers' oxytocin was higher following first holding of their newborns, compared to their pre-holding levels. Contrasting with prior results, fathers' percentage change in oxytocin did not differ based on skin-to-skin or standard holding. Drawing on psychobiological frameworks, we modeled the interactions for oxytocin reactivity with testosterone and cortisol reactivity, respectively, in predicting father-infant outcomes months later. We found significant cross-over interactions for (oxytocin × testosterone) in predicting fathers' later post-partum involvement and bonding. Specifically, we found that fathers whose testosterone declined during holding reported greater post-partum play if their oxytocin increased, compared to fathers who experienced increases in both hormones. We also observed a similar non-significant interaction for (oxytocin × cortisol) in predicting fathers' post-partum play. Fathers whose testosterone declined during holding also reported less involvement in direct caregiving and lower father-infant bonding if their oxytocin decreased but greater direct care and bonding if their testosterone increased and oxytocin decreased. The results inform our understanding of the developmental time course of men's physiological responsiveness to father-infant interaction and its relevance to later fathering behavior and family relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.,Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.,William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA
| | - Patty X Kuo
- Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Mallika S Sarma
- Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | - Julia M Braungart-Rieker
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Grumi S, Saracino A, Volling BL, Provenzi L. A systematic review of human paternal oxytocin: Insights into the methodology and what we know so far. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:1330-1344. [PMID: 33694219 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
With the consolidation of fathers' engagement in caregiving, understanding the neuroendocrine and hormonal mechanisms underlying fatherhood becomes a relevant topic. Oxytocin (OT) has been linked with maternal bonding and caregiving, but less is known about the role of OT in human fatherhood and paternal caregiving. A systematic review of methods and findings of previous OT research in human fathers was carried. The literature search on PubMed and Scopus yielded 133 records. Twenty-four studies were included and analyzed. Significant variability emerged in OT methodology, including laboratory tasks, assessment methods, and outcome measures. Fathers' OT levels appear to increase after childbirth. OT was significantly correlated with less hostility and with the quality of paternal physical stimulation in play interactions, but not with paternal sensitivity. Fathers' and children's OT levels were significantly correlated in a limited subset of studies, intriguingly suggesting that cross-generational OT regulation may occur during the early years of life. This study highlights relevant issues and limitations of peripheral OT assessment in human subjects, especially in fathers. Although the study of paternal neuroendocrinology appears promising, coping with these issues requires dedicated efforts and methodological suggestions are provided to guide future advances in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Grumi
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Annalisa Saracino
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Brenda L Volling
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Livio Provenzi
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
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Gettler LT, Lew-Levy S, Sarma MS, Miegakanda V, Boyette AH. Sharing and caring: Testosterone, fathering, and generosity among BaYaka foragers of the Congo Basin. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15422. [PMID: 32963277 PMCID: PMC7508877 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70958-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans are rare among mammals in exhibiting paternal care and the capacity for broad hyper-cooperation, which were likely critical to the evolutionary emergence of human life history. In humans and other species, testosterone is often a mediator of life history trade-offs between mating/competition and parenting. There is also evidence that lower testosterone men may often engage in greater prosocial behavior compared to higher testosterone men. Given the evolutionary importance of paternal care and heightened cooperation to human life history, human fathers' testosterone may be linked to these two behavioral domains, but they have not been studied together. We conducted research among highly egalitarian Congolese BaYaka foragers and compared them with their more hierarchical Bondongo fisher-farmer neighbors. Testing whether BaYaka men's testosterone was linked to locally-valued fathering roles, we found that fathers who were seen as better community sharers had lower testosterone than less generous men. BaYaka fathers who were better providers also tended to have lower testosterone. In both BaYaka and Bondongo communities, men in marriages with greater conflict had higher testosterone. The current findings from BaYaka fathers point to testosterone as a psychobiological correlate of cooperative behavior under ecological conditions with evolutionarily-relevant features in which mutual aid and sharing of resources help ensure survival and community health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, 244 Corbett Family Hall, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
- Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
- William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA.
| | - Sheina Lew-Levy
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mallika S Sarma
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, 244 Corbett Family Hall, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Valchy Miegakanda
- Institut National de Santé Publique, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Adam H Boyette
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Gettler LT, Lin DTS, Miegakanda V, Lew-Levy S, Eick GN, Snodgrass JJ, MacIsaac JL, Ramadori KE, Kobor MS, Boyette AH. Epigenetic aging in children from a small-scale farming society in The Congo Basin: Associations with child growth and family conflict. Dev Psychobiol 2019; 62:138-153. [PMID: 31724171 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Developmental environments influence individuals' long-term health trajectories, and there is increasing emphasis on understanding the biological pathways through which this occurs. Epigenetic aging evaluates DNA methylation at a suite of distinct CpG sites in the genome, and epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) is linked to heightened chronic morbidity and mortality risks in adults. Consequently, EAA provides insights on trajectories of biological aging, which early life experiences may help shape. However, few studies have measured correlates of children's epigenetic aging, especially outside of the U.S. and Europe. In particular, little is known about how children's growth and development relate to EAA in ecologies in which energetic and pathogenic stressors are commonplace. We studied EAA from dried blood spots among Bondongo children (n = 54) residing in a small-scale, fisher-farmer society in a remote region of the Republic of the Congo. Here, infectious disease burdens and their resultant energy demands are high. Children who were heavier for height or taller for age, respectively, exhibited greater EAA, including intrinsic EAA, which is considered to measure EAA internal to cells. Furthermore, we found that children in families with more conflict between parents had greater intrinsic EAA. These results suggest that in contexts in which limited energy must be allocated to competing demands, more investment in growth may coincide with greater EAA, which parallels findings in European children who do not face similar energetic constraints. Our findings also indicate that associations between adverse family environments and greater intrinsic EAA were nonetheless observable but only after adjustment for covariates relevant to the energetically and immunologically demanding nature of the local ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.,Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.,William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA
| | - David T S Lin
- BC Children's Hospital Research, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Valchy Miegakanda
- Institut National de Santé Publique, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Sheina Lew-Levy
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
| | - Geeta N Eick
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - J Josh Snodgrass
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Julia L MacIsaac
- BC Children's Hospital Research, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Katia E Ramadori
- BC Children's Hospital Research, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- BC Children's Hospital Research, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Adam H Boyette
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Gettler LT, Sarma MS, Lew-Levy S, Bond A, Trumble BC, Boyette AH. Mothers' and fathers' joint profiles for testosterone and oxytocin in a small-scale fishing-farming community: Variation based on marital conflict and paternal contributions. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01367. [PMID: 31385447 PMCID: PMC6749485 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Testosterone and oxytocin are psychobiological mechanisms that interrelate with relationship quality between parents and the quantity and quality of parenting behaviors, thereby affecting child outcomes. Their joint production based on family dynamics has rarely been tested, particularly cross-culturally. METHODS We explored family function and salivary testosterone and oxytocin in mothers and fathers in a small-scale, fishing-farming society in Republic of the Congo. Fathers ranked one another in three domains of family life pertaining to the local cultural model of fatherhood. RESULTS Fathers who were viewed as better providers had relatively lower oxytocin and higher testosterone than men seen as poorer providers, who had lower testosterone and higher oxytocin. Fathers also had higher testosterone and lower oxytocin in marriages with more conflict, while those who had less marital conflict had reduced testosterone and higher oxytocin. In contrast, mothers in conflicted marriages showed the opposite profiles of relatively lower testosterone and higher oxytocin. Mothers had higher oxytocin and lower testosterone if fathers were uninvolved as direct caregivers, while mothers showed an opposing pattern for the two hormones if fathers were seen as involved with direct care. CONCLUSIONS These results shed new light on parents' dual oxytocin and testosterone profiles in a small-scale society setting and highlight the flexibility of human parental psychobiology when fathers' roles and functions within families differ across cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.,Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.,William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana
| | - Mallika S Sarma
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
| | - Sheina Lew-Levy
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Angela Bond
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Adam H Boyette
- Thompson Writing Program, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Leipzig, Germany
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