Women who are Interested in Cosmetic Surgery Want it all: the Association between Considering Cosmetic Surgery and women’s Mate Preferences

Preference for ugly faces? -A cognitive study of attentional and memorial biases toward facial information among young females with facial dissatisfaction

Dissatisfaction with facial appearance is one of the strongest contributors to body image disturbance among young Chinese females and leads to a series of psychological and behavioral disorders. By conducting behavioral and ERP experiments, this study illustrates how young females in China with facial dissatisfaction process different levels of facial attractiveness. Experiments 1 and 2 are behavioral experiments in which the dot-probe paradigm was used to explore the participant's attentional bias to facial attractiveness. The results showed that regardless of whether the face image was presented above or below the threshold, young females with facial dissatisfaction exhibited attentional orientation toward lowly attractive faces and attentional avoidance to both lowly and highly attractive faces, while the control group showed difficulty in attentional disengagement from highly attractive faces. In experiment 3, the learning-recognition task was used to examine mnemonic bias toward facial attractiveness among females with facial dissatisfaction, and EEG data were also recorded during the encoding and retrieval phases. The study found that young females with facial dissatisfaction exhibited a mnemonic preference for lowly attractive images at both the encoding and retrieving stages, with higher P1, N170, P2, and N300 induced by lowly attractive faces, while the control group preferred highly attractive faces. In conclusion, young females with facial dissatisfaction tend to exhibit attentional orientation and mnemonic bias toward lowly attractive faces.

An Evolutionary Perspective on Appearance Enhancement Behavior

Researchers have highlighted numerous sociocultural factors that have been shown to underpin human appearance enhancement practices, including the influence of peers, family, the media, and sexual objectification. Fewer scholars have approached appearance enhancement from an evolutionary perspective or considered how sociocultural factors interact with evolved psychology to produce appearance enhancement behavior. Following others, we argue that evidence from the field of evolutionary psychology can complement existing sociocultural models by yielding unique insight into the historical and cross-cultural ubiquity of competition over aspects of physical appearance to embody what is desired by potential mates. An evolutionary lens can help to make sense of reliable sex and individual differences that impact appearance enhancement, as well as the context-dependent nature of putative adaptations that function to increase physical attractiveness. In the current review, appearance enhancement is described as a self-promotion strategy used to enhance reproductive success by rendering oneself more attractive than rivals to mates, thereby increasing one's mate value. The varied ways in which humans enhance their appearance are described, as well as the divergent tactics used by women and men to augment their appearance, which correspond to the preferences of opposite-sex mates in a heterosexual context. Evolutionarily relevant individual differences and contextual factors that vary predictably with appearance enhancement behavior are also discussed. The complementarity of sociocultural and evolutionary perspectives is emphasized and recommended avenues for future interdisciplinary research are provided for scholars interested in studying appearance enhancement behavior.

Perception and attitude of adults toward cosmetic products amid COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia

BACKGROUND

The use of cosmetics is growing among both male and female consumers due to the availability of different brands. While there is an increase in the usage of cosmetic products, it is concerning whether the consumers are aware of the safety of the products.

AIMS

This study aimed to widely explore consumers' perceptions and attitudes toward cosmetics within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out among adults in Selangor, Malaysia. Thirty-three questions divided into three dimensions (socio-demographic parameters, assessment of perception, and assessment of attitude) were developed and validated to be answered by cosmetics consumers. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was done using SPSS.

RESULTS

A response rate of 87% was achieved, and the mean age of participants was 33 ± 7.2. The overall perception of consumers indicates low levels of perception and moderate level of attitude toward cosmetic products. There was a positive correlation and high relationship between participants' perception and attitude (p = 0.001, r = 0.72). A significant association was observed between demographic data of respondents and their attitude and perception toward cosmetic products. Participants were unaware that sharing of cosmetic products could lead to bacterial infection and possibly increased the chance of contracting COVID-19.

CONCLUSION

This study displayed a nonchalant perception and attitude of Malaysian adults toward cosmetic products by focusing on aesthetics rather than health safety. Therefore, it is recommended to raise awareness on the composition and effects of cosmetic products, increase the practice of hygiene and dissuade the sharing of cosmetics to reduce transmissions of COVID-19.

Women's use of intimate apparel as subtle sexual signals in committed, heterosexual relationships

Current literature on women’s sexual signaling focuses on modes of attracting potential, new sexual partners, but says little about women’s subtle sexual signals in committed, romantic relationships. Subtle sexual signals are inherently private and are only visible to the intended audience; a woman might use these signals to elicit or accept a sexual response from her partner or to increase her overall attractiveness, or attractivity. In this study, we sought to identify women’s use of intimate apparel as a proceptive or receptive behavior as well as the effects of relative mate value, relationship commitment, relationship satisfaction, and sexual functioning. A total of N = 353 women in the United States aged 25–45 who were in committed, heterosexual relationships completed the survey; 88.7% of the sample indicated wearing or having worn sexy underwear. Results indicate that women report wearing sexier underwear the day taking the survey if they anticipate sexual activity that same day. However, during the most recent sexual activity, women did not report wearing sexier underwear if they initiated (proceptive) that activity. While relative mate value was not directly related to sexiness of intimate apparel, women who report higher mate value tend to wear sexier underwear. Women’s use of intimate apparel might be viewed as a method of increasing attractivity and underlying receptivity to aid relationship maintenance, though caveats regarding measures and alternative interpretations are also discussed. Findings suggest that these women use intimate apparel to feel sexy, desired, aroused, and to prepare for sex with their partners. This study is the first to examine intimate apparel in relationships and as a subtle sexual signal of proceptivity and receptivity.

What Makes a Partner Ideal, and for Whom? Compatibility Tests, Filter Tests, and the Mating Stability Matrix

We introduce a typological characterization of possible human heterosexual couples in terms of the concordance-opposition of the orientations of their active and receptive areas as defined by the tie-up theory. We show that human mating incentives, as characterized by widely adopted approaches, such as Becker’s marriage market approach, only capture very specific instances of actual couples thus characterized. Our approach allows us to instead explore how super-cooperation among partners vs. convenience vs. constriction may be regarded as alternatives modes of couple formation and cohesion, leading to very different types of couples with different implications in terms of stability and resilience. Our results may have interesting implications for future experimental research and for individual and family counseling.

Understanding and treating different patient archetypes in aesthetic medicine

Background

Factors that motivate the treatment goals and expectations of the aesthetic patient reflect evolving social, cultural, and commercial influences. The aesthetic practitioner may often be faced with the challenge of first decoding the underlying motives that drive the patient to pursue their specific goals. The challenge for clinicians is further compounded by an increase in patient diversity with respect to race, ethnicity, age, and gender.

Aims

Simplify the path to patient interpretation with identification of primary patient archetypes.

Methods

The “Going Beyond Beauty” (GBB) initiative, consisting of 27 market research projects, was conducted to survey the primary goals and motives for seeking treatment aesthetic treatment. The results were stratified into predominant patient archetypes using segmentation analysis and then validated through online surveys, 1‐to‐1 interviews, and focus groups conducted with patients. An advisory board of internationally based aesthetic clinicians integrated the data with their own insights to further characterize each archetype.

Results

Data from over 54 000 participants in 17 different countries were distilled into four distinct patient archetypes based on motivating factors, aesthetic goals, initial treatment requests, and treatment opportunities and challenges. These archetypes were named Beautification, Positive Aging, Transformation, and Correction.

Conclusion

The clinician's ability to recognize these four primary archetypes may provide a useful frame of reference to understand patient motives better, anticipate and manage their expectations, and provide the appropriate treatment guidance that best serves the long‐term goals of their patients.

Mate Preferences in Three Muslim-Majority Countries: Sex Differences and Personality Correlates

Cross-cultural research on long-term mate preferences in Muslim-majority countries is scarce. The research described here aims to examine the KASER (kindness/dependability, attractiveness/sexuality, status/resources, education/intelligence, and religiosity/chastity) model of mate preferences in Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey ( N = 1,089). We examined structural validity, measurement invariance between men and women, sex differences, cultural differences, and Big Five personality correlates of these dimensions of mate preferences. Findings supported preregistered hypotheses regarding sex differences in mate preferences. Multilevel models suggested that the magnitude of sex differences was invariant across cultures. Personality correlates of mate preferences varied across cultures, but agreeableness consistently predicted the preference for kind and dependable partners across cultures. In sum, sex differences in mate preferences within and across three Muslim-majority countries described here replicate previous findings, but evidence for personality correlates of mate preferences is mixed, variable across cultures, and in need of further examination in non-Western samples.

Consideration of Cosmetic Surgery As Part of Women's Benefit-Provisioning Mate Retention Strategy

Individuals perform mate retention behaviors to minimize the risk of partner infidelity and relationship dissolution. The current study investigates whether consideration of cosmetic surgery can be conceptualized as part of a broader strategy of mate retention for women, but not men. We hypothesized that women's consideration of cosmetic surgery would be positively associated with performance frequencies of Benefit-Provisioning and Cost-Inflicting mate retention behaviors. We recruited 203 individuals (54% women) in committed heterosexual relationships from Tehran, Iran. Results indicate a positive association between consideration of cosmetic surgery and Benefit-Provisioning mate retention behaviors for women, but not men. There was no association between consideration of cosmetic surgery and Cost-Inflicting mate retention behaviors. Women therefore may consider cosmetic surgery to improve their physical attractiveness as part of a Benefit-Provisioning strategy to retain a long-term mate. We discuss limitations of the study and highlight future directions for research from an evolutionary perspective.

Assessment of Long-Term Mate Preferences in Iran

Previous research suggests that assessment of mate preferences has received relatively little psychometric attention from researchers, particularly in non-Western cultures. The current research was designed to (1) extend previous findings on long-term mate preferences by using a qualitative strategy, (2) develop a psychometrically sound scale for assessment of long-term mate preferences in men, and (3) develop a sex-neutral scale for assessment of long-term mate preferences. Six dimensions of mate preferences emerged for men: F = family/domesticity, A = attractiveness/sexuality, K = kindness/dependability, E = education/intelligence, R = religiosity/chastity, and S = status/resources. These male-specific dimensions of mate preferences showed satisfactory concurrent and convergent validity as well as high internal consistency coefficients. We mixed the female- and male-specific measures of mate preferences and arrived at 20 characteristics without culture- or sex-specific content. We further hypothesized that the 20-item scale of mate preferences would have a five-factor structure (i.e., kindness/dependability, attractiveness/sexuality, status/resources, education/intelligence, religiosity/chastity [KASER]) in men and women and that this model would replicate sex differences cited in the evolutionary psychological literature. Measurement invariance was evidenced across sexes and sex differences accorded with those in the literature. Therefore, the five-factor model of long-term mate preferences (i.e., KASER model) as measured by the Iranian Mate Preferences Scale-20 may be used to evaluate long-term mate preferences in men and women in Iran. Limitations are noted and future directions are discussed in the light of evolutionary perspective on human mating psychology.