1
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Zetzsche M, Weiß BM, Kücklich M, Stern J, Birkemeyer C, Widdig A, Penke L. Combined perceptual and chemical analyses show no compelling evidence for ovulatory cycle shifts in women's axillary odour. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232712. [PMID: 39043247 PMCID: PMC11265918 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Although men's attraction to women's body odour has been suggested to vary over the ovulatory cycle, peaking around the fertile window, we still lack methodologically robust evidence corroborating this effect. Further, the chemical underpinnings of male preference for the odour of ovulating women remain unknown. Here, we combined perceptual and chemical analyses to investigate the axillary odour of naturally cycling women over 10 days, covering the gradual change in fertility across the ovulatory cycle with a focus on fertile days. The fertile state was confirmed by urinary ovulation tests as well as salivary oestradiol and progesterone levels. Men rated the scent of unfamiliar women, resembling a first encounter. We used multivariate analyses to relate variation in both odour ratings and chemical composition to female conception probability, temporal distance to ovulation and ovarian hormone levels. Our results provide no evidence that males prefer the odour of fertile women. Furthermore, the volatile analysis indicated no link between axillary odour composition and current fertility status. Together, our results showed no convincing support for a chemical fertility cue in women's axillary odour, questioning the presence of olfactory fertility information that is recognizable during first encounters in modern humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madita Zetzsche
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Talstraße 33, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Brigitte M. Weiß
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Talstraße 33, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Marlen Kücklich
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Talstraße 33, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Julia Stern
- Personality Psychology and Psychological Assessment, Department of Psychology, University of Bremen, Grazer Straße 2c, Bremen28359, Germany
| | - Claudia Birkemeyer
- Research Group of Mass Spectrometry, Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Leipzig University, Linnéstraße 3, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Anja Widdig
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Talstraße 33, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Lars Penke
- Biological Personality Psychology, Georg Elias Müller Institute of Psychology, Georg August University Göttingen, Goßlerstraße 14, Göttingen37073, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Göttingen37073, Germany
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2
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Casto KV, Prasad S, Josephs RA, Zilioli S, Welker K, Maslov A, Jones AC, Mehta PH. No Compelling Evidence that Self-Reported Personality Traits Explain Basal Testosterone and Cortisol’s Associations with Status-Relevant Behavior. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-023-00210-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/28/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Objective
A goal of behavioral neuroendocrinology is to understand how basal hormone levels relate to behavior. Studies of human participants sometimes measure self-reported personality traits, in addition to or instead of direct behavioral observation. Although personality traits often predict their respective behaviors, whether personality explains hormone-behavior relationships remains unclear.
Methods
We obtained data from eight previous studies (total N = 985) that examined baseline testosterone and cortisol as predictors of status-relevant behavior (competitiveness, dominance, risk-taking, aggression, affiliation, and social status). We tested whether the previously reported hormone-behavior relationships are mediated by self-reported personality traits (e.g., trait dominance, prestige, extraversion). As a secondary research question, we also tested whether trait dominance moderated the testosterone-behavior relationships.
Results
As expected, self-reported personality traits often predicted status-relevant behaviors, but there was little evidence that traits also correlated with basal testosterone or the testosterone × cortisol interaction. Across all eight studies, personality traits did not significantly mediate hormone-behavior relationships. Indeed, the effect sizes of the hormone-behavior relationships were robust to the inclusion of personality traits as covariates. Further, we did not find strong or consistent evidence that trait dominance moderates the testosterone-behavior association.
Conclusion
Results suggest that basal testosterone and cortisol predict status-related behavior independent of self-reported personality. We discuss how these results may have broader implications for the physiological mechanisms by which testosterone and cortisol influence behavior, a process that could be unconscious and automatic. We also discuss alternative explanations, limitations, and future directions.
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3
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Meij L, Pulopulos MM, Hidalgo V, Almela M, Lila M, Roney JR, Salvador A. Hormonal changes of intimate partner violence perpetrators in response to brief social contact with women. Aggress Behav 2022; 48:30-39. [PMID: 34605041 PMCID: PMC9293448 DOI: 10.1002/ab.21995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated whether men with a history of real‐life aggressive, dominant behavior show increases in testosterone and cortisol levels after brief social contact with women. Furthermore, we tested the prediction that such changes in hormones would be larger than those observed previously in young male students. Sixty‐seven male participants convicted of intimate partner violence (IPV) either had brief social contact with a female confederate (experimental condition) or a male confederate (control condition). We also performed meta‐analyses to investigate whether IPV perpetrators' hormonal responses were larger than the typical responses of young male students in prior studies. All statistical analyses were preregistered. Change in testosterone did not differ across experimental conditions, and testosterone in the IPV perpetrators actually declined from baseline in the female confederate condition. Our meta‐analysis showed that this testosterone decrease was different from the testosterone increase typically observed in young male students. The cortisol levels of IPV perpetrators did not change in response to contact with women. This result was consistent with our meta‐analysis since young male students also did not experience a cortisol change in response to interactions with women. In sum, our findings provide no evidence that male IPV perpetrators exhibit larger hormone increases to brief interactions with women, although it is possible that the men in this sample did not perceive the social contact period as a courtship opportunity. These results suggest that hormone reactivity to social encounters may differ across subject populations and depend on how subjects perceive social situations within laboratory settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leander Meij
- Department of Industrial Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands
| | - Matias M. Pulopulos
- Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology Ghent University Ghent Belgium
| | - Vanesa Hidalgo
- IIS Aragón, Department of Psychology and Sociology, Area of Psychobiology University of Zaragoza Teruel Spain
| | - Mercedes Almela
- Health Department Valencian International University (VIU) Valencia Spain
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology Tilburg University Tilburg The Netherlands
| | - Marisol Lila
- Department of Social Psychology University of Valencia Valencia Spain
| | - James R. Roney
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences University of California Santa Barbara California USA
| | - Alicia Salvador
- Laboratory of Social Cognitive Neuroscience, IDOCAL University of Valencia Valencia Spain
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4
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Casto KV, Root ZL, Geniole SN, Carré JM, Bruner MW. Exploratory Analysis of the Relationship between Social Identification and Testosterone Reactivity to Vicarious Combat. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2021; 32:509-527. [PMID: 34231127 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-021-09407-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Testosterone (T) fluctuates in response to competitive social interactions, with the direction of change typically depending on factors such as contest outcome. Watching a competition may be sufficient to activate T among fans and others who are invested in the outcome. This study explores the change in T associated with vicarious experiences of competition among combat sport athletes viewing a teammate win or lose and assesses how individual differences in social identification with one's team relates to these patterns of T reactivity. Twenty-six male combat athletes completed a social identity questionnaire on a neutral day. Later, salivary samples (assayed for T) were obtained before and after athletes viewed a video of a teammate engaged in a formal contest. T reactivity to viewing a teammate compete varied among participants in both the magnitude and direction of change, independent of contest outcome. Individual differences in cognitive centrality, a core feature of social identification, showed a strong positive relationship with T reactivity, particularly if their teammate won. Initial findings suggest that dominance-linked androgen responses associated with watching a teammate win a competition might depend on the belief that team membership is central to one's own identity. These exploratory results in a small sample of combat athletes should be interpreted with caution. Uncovering the role of social group dynamics in influencing T responses to competition is particularly important in light of the evolutionary history of coalitional combat in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen V Casto
- Social Sciences Division, New College of Florida, Sarasota, FL, USA.
| | - Zach L Root
- School of Physical and Health Education, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shawn N Geniole
- Department of Psychology, University of Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Justin M Carré
- Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mark W Bruner
- School of Physical and Health Education, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada.
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5
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Shields AN, Brandes CM, Reardon KW, España RA, Tackett JL. Do Testosterone and Cortisol Jointly Relate to Adolescent Dominance? A Pre-registered Multi-method Interrogation of the Dual-Hormone Hypothesis. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-021-00167-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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7
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Casto KV, Edwards DA. Individual differences in hormonal responsiveness to social encounters: Commentary on Félix et al., 2020 and review of pertinent issues. Horm Behav 2021; 129:104921. [PMID: 33428922 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The results of a recent study, Félix et al., 2020, give new information about the behavioral and endocrine correlates of individual differences in the potential for androgen response in male cichlid fish. We think the study raises issues that are pertinent to the study of hormones and competition in other species, particularly humans. Focusing mostly on androgen reactivity to social challenge, we emphasize the importance of inter-individual variability in physiology, personality, and motivation in studies of hormone responses to social encounters. Additionally, we give special attention to matters of "repeatability" and the timing of hormone sampling. We conclude with an appreciation of the value of comparative analysis in behavioral endocrinology.
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8
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Stern J, Kordsmeyer TL, Penke L. A longitudinal evaluation of ovulatory cycle shifts in women's mate attraction and preferences. Horm Behav 2021; 128:104916. [PMID: 33385373 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Are ovulatory cycle shifts in women's mate attraction and preferences robust? What are underlying mechanisms of potential cycle shifts? These questions are the subject of a current scientific debate surrounding the good genes ovulatory shift hypothesis. Here, we report a large, preregistered, within-subjects study, including salivary hormone measures and conception risk estimates based on luteinizing hormone tests. In four sessions across one ovulatory cycle, N = 257 women (= 1028 sessions) rated the attractiveness of 40 natural male bodies, 40 natural female bodies and 40 objects. Multilevel analyses yielded weak evidence for ovulatory increases in women's general attraction, specifically to male bodies, though they are not systematically related to changes in steroid hormone levels. Further, we found no compelling robust evidence for mate preference shifts across the cycle, as only one out of many different tests showed some weak evidence for such effects. Mechanisms regulating cycle shifts, the impact of our results on developing and revising cycle shift theories, and influences of different methodologies on results are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Stern
- Department of Psychology & Leibniz Science Campus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstrasse 14, 37073 Goettingen, Germany.
| | - Tobias L Kordsmeyer
- Department of Psychology & Leibniz Science Campus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstrasse 14, 37073 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Lars Penke
- Department of Psychology & Leibniz Science Campus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstrasse 14, 37073 Goettingen, Germany
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9
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Estimating the Associations between Big Five Personality Traits, Testosterone, and Cortisol. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-020-00159-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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10
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Schild C, Aung T, Kordsmeyer TL, Cardenas RA, Puts DA, Penke L. Linking human male vocal parameters to perceptions, body morphology, strength and hormonal profiles in contexts of sexual selection. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21296. [PMID: 33277544 PMCID: PMC7719159 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77940-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection appears to have shaped the acoustic signals of diverse species, including humans. Deep, resonant vocalizations in particular may function in attracting mates and/or intimidating same-sex competitors. Evidence for these adaptive functions in human males derives predominantly from perception studies in which vocal acoustic parameters were manipulated using specialist software. This approach affords tight experimental control but provides little ecological validity, especially when the target acoustic parameters vary naturally with other parameters. Furthermore, such experimental studies provide no information about what acoustic variables indicate about the speaker-that is, why attention to vocal cues may be favored in intrasexual and intersexual contexts. Using voice recordings with high ecological validity from 160 male speakers and biomarkers of condition, including baseline cortisol and testosterone levels, body morphology and strength, we tested a series of pre-registered hypotheses relating to both perceptions and underlying condition of the speaker. We found negative curvilinear and negative linear relationships between male fundamental frequency (fo) and female perceptions of attractiveness and male perceptions of dominance. In addition, cortisol and testosterone negatively interacted in predicting fo, and strength and measures of body size negatively predicted formant frequencies (Pf). Meta-analyses of the present results and those from two previous samples confirmed that fonegatively predicted testosterone only among men with lower cortisol levels. This research offers empirical evidence of possible evolutionary functions for attention to men's vocal characteristics in contexts of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Schild
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Toe Aung
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Tobias L Kordsmeyer
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstrasse 14, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rodrigo A Cardenas
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - David A Puts
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Lars Penke
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstrasse 14, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.
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11
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Casto KV, Edwards DA, Akinola M, Davis C, Mehta PH. Testosterone reactivity to competition and competitive endurance in men and women. Horm Behav 2020; 123:104665. [PMID: 31904360 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2019] [Revised: 12/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Transient shifts in testosterone occur during competition and are thought to positively influence dominance behavior aimed at enhancing social status. However, individual differences in testosterone reactivity to status contests have not been well-studied in relation to real-time expressions of competitive behavior among men and women. This research tests the association between changes in endogenous testosterone levels during competition and performance in terms of competitive endurance. Participant sex, social presence, and relative status outcomes (e.g., winning vs. losing) are tested as moderators of this relationship. In two studies, men and women (total N = 398) competed in the competitive will task (timed weight-holding) either individually or in the presence of an opponent (Study 1) or as a team with and without the presence of a competitor team (Study 2). Results showed a positive relationship between testosterone reactivity and performance for men, particularly those who won or ranked highest among their group - with increasing testosterone predicting better performance and decreasing testosterone predicting worse performance. For women, the effect only emerged among individuals who competed in dyads and lost. In Study 2, an exploratory mediation analysis revealed that individual differences in trait dominance predicted both testosterone reactivity to competition and task performance, with testosterone reactivity (moderated by sex and status outcome) partially explaining the direct relationship between dominance-related traits and behavior. Our goal was to examine testosterone reactivity in relation to real-time competitive effort and highlight the potential role of this relationship in explaining how individual differences in trait dominance produce competitive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- K V Casto
- Social Sciences Division, New College of Florida, United States of America; Department of Psychology, Emory University, United States of America; Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, United States of America; US Army CCDC Soldier Center, United States of America.
| | - D A Edwards
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, United States of America
| | - M Akinola
- Columbia Business School, Columbia University, United States of America
| | - C Davis
- US Army CCDC Soldier Center, United States of America
| | - P H Mehta
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, United States of America; Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom
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12
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Knight EL, Sarkar A, Prasad S, Mehta PH. Beyond the challenge hypothesis: The emergence of the dual-hormone hypothesis and recommendations for future research. Horm Behav 2020; 123:104657. [PMID: 31863735 PMCID: PMC7311256 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The challenge hypothesis makes specific predictions about the association between testosterone and status-seeking behaviors, but the findings linking testosterone to these behaviors are often inconsistent. The dual-hormone hypothesis was developed to help explain these inconsistencies. Specifically, according to this hypothesis, testosterone's association with status-seeking behavior depends on levels of cortisol. Here, we (1) describe the dual-hormone hypothesis in relation to the challenge hypothesis; (2) review recent studies that tested the dual-hormone hypothesis as well as meta-scientific evidence of heterogeneous dual-hormone findings across studies; (3) discuss potential explanations for this heterogeneity, including methodological considerations, contextual factors, and individual differences; and (4) provide recommendations for new work aimed at testing and extending the dual-hormone hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik L Knight
- Center for Healthy Aging, Pennsylvania State University, United States of America; Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, United States of America.
| | - Amar Sarkar
- Trinity College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom; Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Smrithi Prasad
- Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, United States of America
| | - Pranjal H Mehta
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom
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13
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Kordsmeyer TL, Thies YTK, Ekrami O, Stern J, Schild C, Spoiala C, Claes P, Van Dongen S, Penke L. No evidence for an association between facial fluctuating asymmetry and vocal attractiveness in men or women. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2020; 2:e35. [PMID: 37588384 PMCID: PMC10427465 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2020.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial fluctuating asymmetry (FA), presumably a proxy measure of developmental instability, has been proposed to inversely relate to vocal attractiveness, which may convey information on heritable fitness benefits. Using an improved method of measuring facial FA, we sought to replicate two recent studies that showed an inverse correlation of facial FA with vocal attractiveness. In two samples of men (N = 165) and women (N = 157), we investigated the association of automatically measured facial FA based on 3D face scans with male and female observer-rated attractiveness of voice recordings. No significant associations were found for men or women, also when controlling for facial attractiveness, age, and body mass index. Equivalence tests show that effect sizes were significantly smaller than previous meta-analytic effects, providing robust evidence against a link of facial FA with vocal attractiveness. Thus, our study contradicts earlier findings that vocal attractiveness may signal genetic quality in humans via an association with FA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias L. Kordsmeyer
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz Science Campus, Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstr. 14, 37073Goettingen, Germany
| | - Yasmin T. K. Thies
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz Science Campus, Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstr. 14, 37073Goettingen, Germany
| | - Omid Ekrami
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Julia Stern
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz Science Campus, Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstr. 14, 37073Goettingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Schild
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Cristina Spoiala
- Nivel, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Otterstraat 118, 3513 CR Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Claes
- Department of Electrical Engineering–ESAT & Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stefan Van Dongen
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Lars Penke
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz Science Campus, Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstr. 14, 37073Goettingen, Germany
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14
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Kordsmeyer TL, Freund D, van Vugt M, Penke L. Honest Signals of Status: Facial and Bodily Dominance Are Related to Success in Physical but Not Nonphysical Competition. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 17:1474704919863164. [PMID: 31345060 PMCID: PMC10358418 DOI: 10.1177/1474704919863164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that both facial and bodily dominance promote high status positions and predict status-seeking behaviors such as aggression and social dominance. An evolutionarily relevant context in which associations between these dominance signals and status outcomes may be prevalent are face-to-face status contests. The present study examined whether facial and bodily dominance predicted success in dyadic competitions (one physical discipline, arm wrestling, and three nonphysical disciplines) in men (N = 125) in a controlled laboratory setting. Men's bodies and faces were independently rated for physical dominance, and associations of these ratings with contest outcomes as well as mediating and moderating variables (such as physical strength, body height, trait dominance, baseline and reactive testosterone) were examined. Both facial and bodily dominance positively predicted success in the physical discipline, mediated by physical strength, but not in the three nonphysical disciplines. Our findings demonstrate that facial and bodily physical dominance may be honest signals for men's formidability and hence status potential, at least in a physically competitive context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias L. Kordsmeyer
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Daniel Freund
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Mark van Vugt
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Institute for Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Lars Penke
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
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15
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Further Evidence that Facial Width-to-Height Ratio and Global Facial Masculinity Are Not Positively Associated with Testosterone Levels. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-018-0105-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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