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Garza R, Byrd-Craven J. Women's Mating Strategies and Mate Value Are Associated with Viewing Time to Facial Masculinity. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2023:10.1007/s10508-023-02621-7. [PMID: 37245165 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-023-02621-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Sexual selection has shaped women's preferences for ideal physical features in men that signal good health. Facial masculinity is often used as a proxy in signaling health, viability, and disease resistance, and it is thought to be attractive because it advertises heritable benefits. Preferences for facial masculinity are also associated with individual differences in one's sociosexuality and mate value, where women oriented toward a short-term mating orientation and are of high mate value may prefer men with masculine features. The current study examined women's sociosexuality and mate value (i.e., self-rating of overall desirability) in rating attractiveness and visual attention to facial masculinity in men's faces using an eye-tracking task. Overall, women (N = 72) did not show any significant preferences for men with masculinized over feminized faces. However, women who scored high on sociosexuality (i.e., unrestricted sociosexuality) and mate value demonstrated increased visual attention and looking frequency to masculinized over feminized faces. The study highlights the unique role of cognitive mechanisms in visually assessing a potential mate and how individual differences in short-term mating strategies and mate value may moderate those preferences. These findings underscore the importance of examining individual differences in mate preferences research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ray Garza
- Department of Psychology and Communication, Texas A&M International University, 5201 University Blvd., Laredo, TX, 78041, USA.
| | - Jennifer Byrd-Craven
- The Oklahoma Center for Evolutionary Analysis (OCEAN), Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
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2
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Dubé S, Santaguida M, Anctil D, Giaccari L, Lapierre J. The Case for Space Sexology. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2023; 60:165-176. [PMID: 34878963 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2021.2012639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Space poses significant challenges for human intimacy and sexuality. Life in space habitats during long-term travel, exploration, or settlement may: detrimentally impact the sexual and reproductive functions of astronauts, restrict privacy and access to intimate partners, impose hygiene protocols and abstinence policies, and heighten risks of interpersonal conflicts and sexual violence. Together, this may jeopardize the health and well-being of space inhabitants, crew performance, and mission success. Yet, little attention has been given to the sexological issues of human life in space. This situation is untenable considering our upcoming space missions and expansion. It is time for space organizations to embrace a new discipline, space sexology: the scientific study of extraterrestrial intimacy and sexuality. To make this case, we draw attention to the lack of research on space intimacy and sexuality; discuss the risks and benefits of extraterrestrial eroticism; and propose an initial biopsychosocial framework to envision a broad, collaborative scientific agenda on space sexology. We also underline key anticipated challenges faced by this innovative field and suggest paths to solutions. We conclude that space programs and exploration require a new perspective - one that holistically addresses the intimate and sexual needs of humans - in our pursuit of a spacefaring civilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Dubé
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University
| | | | - D Anctil
- Department of Philosophy, Jean-de-Brébeuf College
- International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technology, Laval University
| | - L Giaccari
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University
| | - J Lapierre
- Faculty of Nursing Science, Laval University
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3
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Donnachie M, Jones B, Jahoda A. Facial attraction: an exploratory study of the judgements made by people with intellectual disabilities. JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH : JIDR 2021; 65:452-463. [PMID: 33615602 DOI: 10.1111/jir.12823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although romantic or sexual attraction is a major research topic in the general population, little is known about people with intellectual disabilities' (ID) views of attractiveness. METHODS Fifty-eight participants (16-40 years) took part in this exploratory study, 29 with ID and 29 without ID. Participants were shown 50 images of men or women's faces and asked to rate how attractive they thought the faces were. RESULTS A strong association was found between what men and women with ID and those without ID considered attractive in romantic partners. However, people with ID were more likely to consider themselves desirable to others. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that people with mild ID make the same subtle judgements about facial attraction as other individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Donnachie
- Institute of Health and Wellbeing, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - B Jones
- Department of Psychology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - A Jahoda
- Institute of Health and Wellbeing, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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Skorska MN, Coome LA, Zahran A, Peragine DE, VanderLaan DP. Facial Attractiveness of Sisters of Thai Gay Men and Sao Praphet Song. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2021; 58:116-121. [PMID: 32239969 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2020.1742858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Androphilia refers to sexual attraction toward adult males. Androphilic males' female genetic relatives might offset the fitness cost of androphilia by having elevated numbers of offspring. Increased attractiveness relative to other women may enable these females to marry up the social hierarchy, providing greater access to resources to support more offspring. In Thailand, there is a marked status hierarchy and male androphiles are highly visible - identifying as gay men or as a third gender known as sao praphet song. Thus, a field experiment was conducted in which 208 heterosexual men rated the facial attractiveness of 25 sisters of Thai gay men or sao praphet song and 25 comparison women with no known same-sex attracted relatives. Contrary to the prediction, the comparison group was rated as more attractive than the sisters, casting doubt on hypotheses that posit greater attractiveness of female relatives of male androphiles as a proximate mechanism facilitating the evolutionary maintenance of genes influencing male androphilia. Also, men from rural areas rated the women, regardless of group, as more attractive than men from urban areas, consistent with some prior studies showing rural-urban differences in perceptions of attractiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Adhm Zahran
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga
| | | | - Doug P VanderLaan
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga
- Child and Youth Psychiatry, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
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5
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Bressan P. In humans, only attractive females fulfil their sexually imprinted preferences for eye colour. Sci Rep 2020; 10:6004. [PMID: 32265466 PMCID: PMC7138797 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62781-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Early exposure to parental features shapes later sexual preferences in fish, birds, and mammals. Here I report that human males' preferences for a conspicuous trait, colourful eyes, are affected by the eye colour of mothers. Female faces with light (blue or green) eyes were liked better by men whose mother had light eyes; the effect broke down in those who had felt rejected by her as children. These results, garnered on over one thousand men, complete those of a symmetrical study on one thousand women, painting a fuller picture of human sexual imprinting. Both men and women appear to have imprinted on their opposite-sex parents unless these were perceived as cold and unjustly punitive. Birds require strong attachment to sexually imprint-a constraint in place to reduce the perils of acquiring the wrong sort of information. Parents who form no bond with their offspring may fail to be recognised as appropriate parental imprinting objects. Consistent with human females being, as in most of the animal kingdom, the choosier sex, imprinted preferences were displayed by both sexes but translated into real-life partner choices solely in women-attractive women. Apparently, not all of us can afford to follow our own inclinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Bressan
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, University of Padova, 35131, Padova, Italy.
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Zhang L, Lee AJ, DeBruine LM, Jones BC. Are Sex Differences in Preferences for Physical Attractiveness and Good Earning Capacity in Potential Mates Smaller in Countries With Greater Gender Equality? EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 17:1474704919852921. [PMID: 31146580 PMCID: PMC10481077 DOI: 10.1177/1474704919852921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
On average, women show stronger preferences for mates with good earning capacity than men do, while men show stronger preferences for physically attractive mates than women do. Studies reporting that sex differences in mate preferences are smaller in countries with greater gender equality have been interpreted as evidence that these sex differences in mate preferences are caused by the different roles society imposes on men and women. Here, we attempted to replicate previously reported links between sex differences in mate preferences and country-level measures of gender inequality in a sample of 3,073 participants from 36 countries (data and code available at https://osf.io/4sr5f/ ). Although women preferred mates with good earning capacity more than men did and men preferred physically attractive mates more than women did, we found little evidence that these sex differences were smaller in countries with greater gender equality. Although one analysis suggested that the sex difference in preferences for good earning capacity was smaller in countries with greater gender equality, this effect was not significant when controlling for Galton's problem or when correcting for multiple comparisons. Collectively, these results provide little support for the social roles account of sex differences in mate preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingshan Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony J. Lee
- Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa M. DeBruine
- Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Benedict C. Jones
- Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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7
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What people prefer and what they think they prefer in short- and long-term partners. The effects of the phase of the menstrual cycle, hormonal contraception, pregnancy, and the marital and the parenthood status on partner preferences. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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8
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Muggleton NK, Fincher CL. You're not my type: Do conservatives have a bias for seeing long-term mates? EVOL HUM BEHAV 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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9
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Jones BC, Hahn AC, Fisher CI, Wang H, Kandrik M, Han C, Fasolt V, Morrison D, Lee AJ, Holzleitner IJ, O'Shea KJ, Roberts SC, Little AC, DeBruine LM. No Compelling Evidence that Preferences for Facial Masculinity Track Changes in Women's Hormonal Status. Psychol Sci 2018; 29:996-1005. [PMID: 29708849 PMCID: PMC6099988 DOI: 10.1177/0956797618760197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Although widely cited as strong evidence that sexual selection has shaped human facial-attractiveness judgments, findings suggesting that women’s preferences for masculine characteristics in men’s faces are related to women’s hormonal status are equivocal and controversial. Consequently, we conducted the largest-ever longitudinal study of the hormonal correlates of women’s preferences for facial masculinity (N = 584). Analyses showed no compelling evidence that preferences for facial masculinity were related to changes in women’s salivary steroid hormone levels. Furthermore, both within-subjects and between-subjects comparisons showed no evidence that oral contraceptive use decreased masculinity preferences. However, women generally preferred masculinized over feminized versions of men’s faces, particularly when assessing men’s attractiveness for short-term, rather than long-term, relationships. Our results do not support the hypothesized link between women’s preferences for facial masculinity and their hormonal status.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amanda C Hahn
- 2 Department of Psychology, Humboldt State University
| | - Claire I Fisher
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow
| | - Hongyi Wang
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow
| | - Michal Kandrik
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow
| | - Chengyang Han
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow
| | - Vanessa Fasolt
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow
| | | | - Anthony J Lee
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow
| | | | - Kieran J O'Shea
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow
| | | | | | - Lisa M DeBruine
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow
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10
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Arnocky S. Self-Perceived Mate Value, Facial Attractiveness, and Mate Preferences: Do Desirable Men Want It All? EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 16:1474704918763271. [PMID: 29534596 PMCID: PMC10480998 DOI: 10.1177/1474704918763271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ten years ago, Buss and Shackelford demonstrated that high mate value (i.e., physically attractive) women held more discerning mate preferences relative to lower mate value women. Since then, researchers have begun to consider the equally important role of men's sexual selectivity in human mate choice. Yet, little research has focused on whether high mate value men are similarly choosy in their mate preferences. In a sample of 139 undergraduate men, relationships between self-perceived mate value as well as female-rated facial attractiveness were examined in relation to men's expressed mate preferences. Results showed that self-perceived mate value was unrelated to men's facial attractiveness as rated by women. Men who believed they were of high mate value were more likely than lower mate value men to prefer to marry at a younger age; to have a spouse who was younger than them; and to have a partner who was sociable, ambitious, high in social status, with good financial prospects, a desire for children, health, good looks, and mutual attraction. Objective male facial attractiveness was generally unrelated to heightened mate preferences, with the exception of heightened preference for similar religious background and good physical health. Findings suggest that men who perceive themselves as high in overall mate value are selective in their mate choice in a manner similar to high mate value women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Arnocky
- Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada
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11
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Father's physique influences mate preferences but not the actual choice of male somatotype in heterosexual women and homosexual men. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2017.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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12
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Watkins CD. Own Attractiveness and Dissatisfaction With Physical Appearance Independently Predict the Salience of Facial Cues to Size When Women Judge Other Women's Attractiveness. Perception 2017; 46:1321-1328. [PMID: 28679306 DOI: 10.1177/0301006617719238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
While facial cues to body size are a valid guide to health and attractiveness, it is unclear whether the observer's own condition predicts the salience of (low) size as a cue to female attractiveness. The current study examines whether measures related to women's own attractiveness/appearance predict the extent to which they use facial cues to size to differentiate other women on the attractiveness dimension. Women completed a body mass index (BMI) preference task, where they indicated their preference for high- versus low-BMI versions of the same woman, provided data to calculate their BMI and completed various psychometric measures (self-rated attractiveness/health, dissatisfaction with physical appearance). Here, attractive women and women who were dissatisfied with their own appearance were more likely to associate facial cues to low body size with high attractiveness. These data suggest that psychological factors related to women's appearance shape their evaluations of other women based on cues to size. Such variation in attractiveness judgements may function to reduce the costs of female competition for resources, for example, by identifying "quality" rivals or excluding others based on cues to size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Watkins
- Division of Psychology, School of Social and Health Sciences, Abertay University, Scotland, UK
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13
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Watkins CD, Nicholls MJ, Batres C, Xiao D, Talamas S, Perrett DI. Own attractiveness and perceived relationship quality shape sensitivity in women's memory for other men on the attractiveness dimension. Cognition 2017; 163:146-154. [PMID: 28342383 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 02/09/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Although recent work suggests that opposite-sex facial attractiveness is less salient in memory when individuals are in a committed romantic relationship, romantic relationship quality can vary over time. In light of this, we tested whether activating concerns about romantic relationship quality strengthens memory for attractive faces. Partnered women were exposed briefly to faces manipulated in shape cues to attractiveness before either being asked to think about a moment of emotional closeness or distance in their current relationship. We measured sensitivity in memory for faces as the extent to which they recognized correct versions of studied faces over versions of the same person altered to look either more or less-attractive than their original (i.e., studied) version. Contrary to predictions, high relationship quality strengthened hit rate for faces regardless of the sex or attractiveness of the face. In general, women's memories were more sensitive to attractiveness in women, but were biased toward attractiveness in male faces, both when responding to unfamiliar faces and versions of familiar faces that were more attractive than the original male identity from the learning phase. However, findings varied according to self-rated attractiveness and a psychometric measure of the quality of their current relationship. Attractive women were more sensitive to attractiveness in men, while their less-attractive peers had a stronger bias to remember women as more-attractive and men as less-attractive than their original image respectively. Women in better-quality romantic relationships had stronger positive biases toward, and false memories for, attractive men. Our findings suggest a sophisticated pattern of sensitivity and bias in women's memory for facial cues to quality that varies systematically according to factors that may alter the costs of female mating competition ('market demand') and relationship maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Watkins
- Division of Psychology, School of Social and Health Sciences, Abertay University, Dundee, Scotland DD1 1HG, United Kingdom.
| | - Mike J Nicholls
- Division of Psychology, School of Social and Health Sciences, Abertay University, Dundee, Scotland DD1 1HG, United Kingdom
| | - Carlota Batres
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary's Quad, South Street, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9JP, United Kingdom
| | - Dengke Xiao
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary's Quad, South Street, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9JP, United Kingdom
| | - Sean Talamas
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary's Quad, South Street, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9JP, United Kingdom
| | - David I Perrett
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary's Quad, South Street, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9JP, United Kingdom
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