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Li S. Racial and Temporal Differences in Fertility-Education Trade-Offs Reveal the Effect of Economic Opportunities on Optimum Family Size in the United States. HUMAN NATURE (HAWTHORNE, N.Y.) 2024; 35:134-152. [PMID: 38801512 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-024-09472-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Contemporary trends in low fertility can in part be explained by increasing incentives to invest in offspring's embodied capital over offspring quantity in environments where education is a salient source of social mobility. However, studies on this subject have often neglected to empirically examine heterogeneity, missing out on the opportunity to investigate how this relationship is impacted when individuals are excluded from meaningful participation in economic spheres. Using General Social Survey data from the United States, I examine changes in the relationship between number of siblings and college attendance for White and Black respondents throughout the 1900s. Results show that in the early 1900s, White individuals from larger families had a lower chance of completing four years of college education than those from smaller families, whereas the likelihood for Black individuals was more uniform across family sizes. These racial differences mostly converged in the later part of the century. These results may help explain variations in the timing of demographic transitions within different racial groups in the United States and suggest that the benefits of decreasing family size on educational outcomes may be conditional on the specific economic opportunities afforded to a family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally Li
- Department of Anthropology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1553, USA.
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2
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Dunbar RI, Grainger S. Lifehistory Trade-Offs Influence Women's Reproductive Strategies. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 10:71-83. [PMID: 38686093 PMCID: PMC11055690 DOI: 10.1007/s40750-024-00236-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Objective In a UK national census sample, women from the upper and lower socioeconomic (SES) classes achieve parity in completed family size, despite marked differences in both birth rates and offspring survival rates. We test the hypothesis that women adopt reproductive strategies that manipulate age at first reproduction to achieve this. Methods We use a Monte-Carlo modeling approach parameterized with current UK lifehistory data to simulate the reproductive lifehistories of 64,000 individuals from different SES classes, with parameter values at each successive time step drawn from a statistical distribution defined by the census data. Results We show that, if they are to achieve parity with women in the higher socioeconomic classes, women in lower socioeconomic classes must begin reproducing 5.65 years earlier on average than women in the higher SES classes in order to offset the higher class-specific mortality and infertility rates that they experience. The model predicts very closely the observed differences in age at first reproduction in the census data. Conclusions Opting to delay reproduction in order to purse an education-based professional career may be a high risk strategy that many lower SES women are unwilling and unable to pursue. As a result, reproducing as early as possible may be the best strategy available to them.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. I.M. Dunbar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3UD UK
| | - Sara Grainger
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3BX UK
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3
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Ruder AM, Brase GL, Balboa NJ, Brandner JL, Basha SAJ. Perceptions of Income Inequality and Women's Intrasexual Competition. HUMAN NATURE (HAWTHORNE, N.Y.) 2023; 34:605-620. [PMID: 38114790 PMCID: PMC10947790 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-023-09466-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Income inequality has been empirically linked to interpersonal competition and risk-taking behaviors, but a separate line of findings consistently shows that individuals have inaccurate perceptions of the actual levels of income inequality in society. How can inequality be both consistently misperceived and yet a reliable predictor of behavior? The present study extends both these lines of research by evaluating if the scope of input used to assess income inequality (i.e., at the national, state, county, or postal code level) can account for perception discrepancies and if actual/perceived inequality is associated with female intrasexual competition. Female participants recruited online from the general US population (n = 691) provided demographic information, measures of perceived income inequality, and measures of intrasexual competition attitudes and behavior. Actual and perceived income inequality (at any level) did not predict negative attitudes toward other women or female weighting of physical appearance as a desirable trait. Perceived income inequality and actual county-level inequality was, however, predictive of female competition in the form of self-sexualization clothing choice. Further analyses found that age and importance placed on physical attractiveness also predicted women's clothing choices. Perceptions of income inequality were predicted not by actual Gini indices, but by beliefs about the levels of poverty and income gaps. These results highlight the importance of better understanding the proximate cues by which people perceive environmental features such as inequality, and how those cues are used to adjust interpersonal behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abby M Ruder
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kansas State University, 492 Bluemont Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506-5302, USA
| | - Gary L Brase
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kansas State University, 492 Bluemont Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506-5302, USA.
| | - Nora J Balboa
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kansas State University, 492 Bluemont Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506-5302, USA
| | | | - Sydni A J Basha
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
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4
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Hong Z. The value of sociogenomics in understanding genetic evolution in contemporary human populations. Behav Brain Sci 2023; 46:e217. [PMID: 37695001 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x22002424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Burt's target article oddly misses the important intellectual contribution of sociogenomics to our understanding of genetic evolution in contemporary human populations. Although social scientists' immediate research agendas are often not evolutionary in nature, I call for a better appreciation of the role of sociogenomics in answering important evolutionary questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze Hong
- Department of Sociology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA ; https://kevinhong.home.blog/
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5
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Salminen J, Lehti H. Parental background and daughters' and sons' educational outcomes - application of the Trivers-Willard hypothesis. J Biosoc Sci 2023; 55:853-872. [PMID: 36605000 DOI: 10.1017/s0021932022000517] [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] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
This study uses Trivers-Willard hypothesis to explain the differences in daughters' and sons' educational outcomes by parental background. According to the Trivers-Willard hypothesis (TWH), parental support and investments for sons and daughters display an asymmetrical relationship according to parental status because of the different reproductive advantage of the sexes. It predicts that high-status parents support sons more than daughters, and low-status parents support daughters more than sons. In modern societies, where education is the most important mediator of status, the TW hypothesis predicts that sons from high-status families will achieve higher educational outcomes than daughters. Using cohorts born between 1987 and 1997 from the reliable full population Finnish register data that contain the data of over 600.000 individuals, children's educational outcomes were measured using data on school dropout rate, academic grade point average (GPA), and general secondary enrollment in their adolescence. OLS and sibling fixed-effect regression that permitted an examination of opposite-sex siblings' educational outcomes within the same family were applied. Sons with high family income and parental education, compared to daughters of the same family, have lower probability of dropping out of school and are more likely to enroll into academic secondary school track. In families with low parental education or income daughters have lower probability for school dropout and enroll more likely to academic school track related to sons of the same family. The effect of family background by sex can be interpreted to support TWH in dropout and academic school track enrollment but not in GPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janne Salminen
- INVEST Research Flagship Center, University of Turku, Assistentinkatu 7, 20500 Turku, Finland
| | - Hannu Lehti
- INVEST Research Flagship Center, University of Turku, Assistentinkatu 7, 20500 Turku, Finland
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6
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Redhead D, Maliti E, Andrews JB, Borgerhoff Mulder M. The interdependence of relational and material wealth inequality in Pemba, Zanzibar. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220288. [PMID: 37381854 PMCID: PMC10291434 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The extent of inequality in material wealth across different types of societies is well established. Less clear, however, is how material wealth is associated with relational wealth, and the implications of such associations for material wealth inequality. Theory and evidence suggest that material wealth both guides, and is patterned by, relational wealth. While existing comparative studies typically assume complementarity between different types of wealth, such associations may differ for distinct kinds of relational wealth. Here, we first review the literature to identify how and why different forms of relational wealth may align. We then turn to an analysis of household-level social networks (food sharing, gender-specific friendship and gender-specific co-working networks) and material wealth data from a rural community in Pemba, Zanzibar. We find that (i) the materially wealthy have most relational ties, (ii) the associations between relational and material wealth-as well as relational wealth more generally-are patterned by gender differences, and (iii) different forms of relational wealth have similar structural properties and are closely aligned. More broadly, we show how examining the patterning of distinct types of relational wealth provides insights into how and why inequality in material wealth remains muted in a community undergoing rapid economic change. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary ecology of inequality'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Redhead
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Jeffrey B. Andrews
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Monique Borgerhoff Mulder
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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7
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Andersson L, Jalovaara M, Saarela J, Uggla C. A matter of time: Bateman's principles and mating success as count and duration across social strata in contemporary Finland. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231061. [PMID: 37434521 PMCID: PMC10336387 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Bateman's principles heavily influence the understanding of human reproductive behaviour. Yet, few rigorous studies on Bateman's principles in contemporary industrialized populations exist. Most studies use small samples, exclude non-marital unions, and disregard recent insights on within-population heterogeneity in mating strategies. We assess mating success and reproductive success using population-wide Finnish register data on marital and non-marital cohabitations and fertility. We examine variability across social strata in the Bateman principles and analyse the mate count, the cumulated duration with a mate, and the association with reproductive success. Results support Bateman's first and second principles. Regarding Bateman's third principle, the number of mates is more positively associated with reproductive success for men than women, but this association is driven by ever having a mate. Having more than one mate is on average associated with lower reproductive success. However, for men in the lowest income quartile, having more than one mate positively predicts reproductive success. Longer union duration is associated with higher reproductive success, and more so for men. We note that sex differences in the relationship between mating success and reproductive success differ by social strata, and argue that mate duration may be an important component of mating success alongside mate count.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linus Andersson
- Department of Social Research, University of Turku, Turku, Varsinais-Suomi, 20014 Finland
- The Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 10691, Sweden
| | - Marika Jalovaara
- Department of Social Research, University of Turku, Turku, Varsinais-Suomi, 20014 Finland
| | - Jan Saarela
- Åbo Akademi, Abo, Varsinais-Suomi, 20500 Finland
| | - Caroline Uggla
- Stockholm University Demography Unit (SUDA), Department of Sociology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden
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8
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Ross CT, Hooper PL, Smith JE, Jaeggi AV, Smith EA, Gavrilets S, Zohora FT, Ziker J, Xygalatas D, Wroblewski EE, Wood B, Winterhalder B, Willführ KP, Willard AK, Walker K, von Rueden C, Voland E, Valeggia C, Vaitla B, Urlacher S, Towner M, Sum CY, Sugiyama LS, Strier KB, Starkweather K, Major-Smith D, Shenk M, Sear R, Seabright E, Schacht R, Scelza B, Scaggs S, Salerno J, Revilla-Minaya C, Redhead D, Pusey A, Purzycki BG, Power EA, Pisor A, Pettay J, Perry S, Page AE, Pacheco-Cobos L, Oths K, Oh SY, Nolin D, Nettle D, Moya C, Migliano AB, Mertens KJ, McNamara RA, McElreath R, Mattison S, Massengill E, Marlowe F, Madimenos F, Macfarlan S, Lummaa V, Lizarralde R, Liu R, Liebert MA, Lew-Levy S, Leslie P, Lanning J, Kramer K, Koster J, Kaplan HS, Jamsranjav B, Hurtado AM, Hill K, Hewlett B, Helle S, Headland T, Headland J, Gurven M, Grimalda G, Greaves R, Golden CD, Godoy I, Gibson M, Mouden CE, Dyble M, Draper P, Downey S, DeMarco AL, Davis HE, Crabtree S, Cortez C, Colleran H, Cohen E, Clark G, Clark J, Caudell MA, Carminito CE, Bunce J, Boyette A, Bowles S, Blumenfield T, Beheim B, Beckerman S, Atkinson Q, Apicella C, Alam N, Mulder MB. Reproductive inequality in humans and other mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2220124120. [PMID: 37216525 PMCID: PMC10235947 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220124120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
To address claims of human exceptionalism, we determine where humans fit within the greater mammalian distribution of reproductive inequality. We show that humans exhibit lower reproductive skew (i.e., inequality in the number of surviving offspring) among males and smaller sex differences in reproductive skew than most other mammals, while nevertheless falling within the mammalian range. Additionally, female reproductive skew is higher in polygynous human populations than in polygynous nonhumans mammals on average. This patterning of skew can be attributed in part to the prevalence of monogamy in humans compared to the predominance of polygyny in nonhuman mammals, to the limited degree of polygyny in the human societies that practice it, and to the importance of unequally held rival resources to women's fitness. The muted reproductive inequality observed in humans appears to be linked to several unusual characteristics of our species-including high levels of cooperation among males, high dependence on unequally held rival resources, complementarities between maternal and paternal investment, as well as social and legal institutions that enforce monogamous norms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody T. Ross
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM87501
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Paul L. Hooper
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM87501
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM87131
| | | | - Adrian V. Jaeggi
- Institut für Anthropologie und Anthropologisches Museum, University of Zürich, Zürich8006, Switzerland
| | - Eric Alden Smith
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Sergey Gavrilets
- Departments of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Mathematics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN37996
| | - Fatema tuz Zohora
- International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Dhaka1000, Bangladesh
| | - John Ziker
- Department of Anthropology, Boise State University, Boise, ID83725
| | | | | | - Brian Wood
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095
| | | | - Kai P. Willführ
- Institute for Social Science, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg26129, Germany
| | - Aiyana K. Willard
- Centre for Culture and Evolution, Brunel University, LondonUB8 3PH, United Kingdom
| | - Kara Walker
- College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC27695
| | | | - Eckart Voland
- Institute for Philosophy, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen35390, Germany
| | | | - Bapu Vaitla
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA02115
| | - Samuel Urlacher
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX76706
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, CAM5G 1M1
| | - Mary Towner
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK74078
| | - Chun-Yi Sum
- College of General Studies, Boston University, Boston, MA02215
| | | | - Karen B. Strier
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI53706
| | | | - Daniel Major-Smith
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol, BristolBS8 1QU, United Kingdom
| | - Mary Shenk
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | - Rebecca Sear
- Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, LondonWC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | - Edmond Seabright
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM87131
| | - Ryan Schacht
- Department of Anthropology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC27858
| | - Brooke Scelza
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095
| | - Shane Scaggs
- Department of Anthropology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH43210
| | - Jonathan Salerno
- Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO80523
| | - Caissa Revilla-Minaya
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Daniel Redhead
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Anne Pusey
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC27708
| | - Benjamin Grant Purzycki
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Department of the Study of Religion, Aarhus University, Aarhus8000, Denmark
| | - Eleanor A. Power
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM87501
- Department of Methodology, London School of Economics and Political Science, LondonWC2A 2AE, United Kingdom
| | - Anne Pisor
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA99164
| | - Jenni Pettay
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku20014, Finland
| | - Susan Perry
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095
| | - Abigail E. Page
- Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, LondonWC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
| | - Luis Pacheco-Cobos
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Veracruzana, Veracruz94294, Mexico
| | - Kathryn Oths
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL35487
| | - Seung-Yun Oh
- Korea Insurance Research Institute, Seoul150-606, Korea
| | - David Nolin
- Department of Sociology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA01003
| | - Daniel Nettle
- Département d’Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Université PSL, Paris75230, France
| | - Cristina Moya
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA95616
| | - Andrea Bamberg Migliano
- Institut für Anthropologie und Anthropologisches Museum, University of Zürich, Zürich8006, Switzerland
| | - Karl J. Mertens
- Department of Anthropology, Boise State University, Boise, ID83725
| | - Rita A. McNamara
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington6012, New Zealand
| | - Richard McElreath
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Siobhan Mattison
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM87131
| | - Eric Massengill
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM87131
| | - Frank Marlowe
- Department of Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, CambridgeCB2 1TN, United Kingdom
| | - Felicia Madimenos
- Department of Anthropology, Queens College (CUNY), New York, NY11367
| | - Shane Macfarlan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT84112
| | - Virpi Lummaa
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku20014, Finland
| | - Roberto Lizarralde
- Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas1010A, Venezuela
| | - Ruizhe Liu
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM87131
| | - Melissa A. Liebert
- Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ86011
| | - Sheina Lew-Levy
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, DurhamDH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Leslie
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC27599
| | | | - Karen Kramer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT84112
| | - Jeremy Koster
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH45221
| | | | | | - A. Magdalena Hurtado
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287
| | - Kim Hill
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287
| | - Barry Hewlett
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA99164
| | - Samuli Helle
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku20014, Finland
| | | | | | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | | | - Russell Greaves
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT84112
| | - Christopher D. Golden
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA02115
| | - Irene Godoy
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld33615, Germany
| | - Mhairi Gibson
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol, BristolBS8 1QU, United Kingdom
| | - Claire El Mouden
- School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, OxfordOX1 2JD, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Dyble
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, LondonWC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Patricia Draper
- School of Global Integrative Studies, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE68588
| | - Sean Downey
- Department of Anthropology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH43210
| | | | | | - Stefani Crabtree
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM87501
- Department of Environment and Society, Utah State University, Logan, UT84322
| | - Carmen Cortez
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA95616
| | - Heidi Colleran
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Emma Cohen
- School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, OxfordOX1 2JD, United Kingdom
| | - Gregory Clark
- Department of Economics, University of California, Davis, CA95616
| | | | - Mark A. Caudell
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA99164
| | - Chelsea E. Carminito
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH45221
| | - John Bunce
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Adam Boyette
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | | | - Tami Blumenfield
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM87131
- School of Ethnology and Sociology, Yunnan University, Yunnan650106, China
| | - Bret Beheim
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Stephen Beckerman
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | - Quentin Atkinson
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland1010, New Zealand
| | - Coren Apicella
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA19104
| | - Nurul Alam
- International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Dhaka1000, Bangladesh
| | - Monique Borgerhoff Mulder
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM87501
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA95616
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9
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Fieder M, Huber S. Increasing pressure on US men for income in order to find a spouse. BIODEMOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL BIOLOGY 2023; 68:57-75. [PMID: 37272494 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.2023.2220950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In contemporary societies, social status - especially income - is one of the most important determinants of ever marrying among men. Using U.S. census data, we estimated the importance of income for ever marrying among men and women, analyzing birth cohorts from 1890 to 1973. We examined individuals between the ages of 45 and 55, a total of 3.5 million men and 3.6 million women. We find that for men, the importance of income in predicting ever being married increased steadily over time. Income predicted only 2.5% of the variance in ever marrying for those born in 1890-1910, but about 20% for the 1973 cohort. For women, the opposite is true: the higher a woman's income among those born between 1890 and 1910, the lower her odds of ever being married, explaining 6% of the variance, whereas today a woman's income no longer plays a role in ever being married. Thus, our results provide evidence that income may represent a very recent selection pressure on men in the US, a pressure that has become increasingly stronger over time in the 20th and early 21st centuries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Fieder
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology & Network of Human Evolution and Archeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society', University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susanne Huber
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology & Network of Human Evolution and Archeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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10
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Brooks RC, Blake KR, Fromhage L. Effects of gender inequality and wealth inequality on within-sex mating competition under hypergyny. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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11
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Gutiérrez F, Peri JM, Baillès E, Sureda B, Gárriz M, Vall G, Cavero M, Mallorquí A, Ruiz Rodríguez J. A Double-Track Pathway to Fast Strategy in Humans and Its Personality Correlates. Front Psychol 2022; 13:889730. [PMID: 35756215 PMCID: PMC9218359 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.889730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The fast-slow paradigm of life history (LH) focuses on how individuals grow, mate, and reproduce at different paces. This paradigm can contribute substantially to the field of personality and individual differences provided that it is more strictly based on evolutionary biology than it has been so far. Our study tested the existence of a fast-slow continuum underlying indicators of reproductive effort-offspring output, age at first reproduction, number and stability of sexual partners-in 1,043 outpatients with healthy to severely disordered personalities. Two axes emerged reflecting a double-track pathway to fast strategy, based on restricted and unrestricted sociosexual strategies. When rotated, the fast-slow and sociosexuality axes turned out to be independent. Contrary to expectations, neither somatic effort-investment in status, material resources, social capital, and maintenance/survival-was aligned with reproductive effort, nor a clear tradeoff between current and future reproduction was evident. Finally, we examined the association of LH axes with seven high-order personality pathology traits: negative emotionality, impulsivity, antagonism, persistence-compulsivity, subordination, and psychoticism. Persistent and disinhibited subjects appeared as fast-restricted and fast-unrestricted strategists, respectively, whereas asocial subjects were slow strategists. Associations of LH traits with each other and with personality are far more complex than usually assumed in evolutionary psychology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Gutiérrez
- Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut d'Investigacións Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep M Peri
- Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eva Baillès
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Bárbara Sureda
- Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miguel Gárriz
- Institut de Neuropsiquiatria i Addiccions (INAD), Parc de Salut Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gemma Vall
- Department of Psychiatry, Mental Health, and Addiction, GSS-Hospital Santa Maria, Lleida, Spain.,Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation, Lleida, Spain
| | - Myriam Cavero
- Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Aida Mallorquí
- Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - José Ruiz Rodríguez
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment Section, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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12
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Kometani A, Ohtsubo Y. Can impulsivity evolve in response to childhood environmental harshness? EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2022; 4:e21. [PMID: 37588897 PMCID: PMC10426006 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2022.22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have suggested that human impulsivity is an adaptive response to childhood environmental harshness: individuals from families of low socioeconomic status (SES) tend to be more impulsive. However, no studies have tested the evolvability of this reaction norm. This study examined whether (a) impulsivity is associated with higher fitness among individuals from low SES families, while (b) it is associated with lower fitness among individuals from high SES families. We assessed three indices of impulsivity (temporal discounting, risk taking and fast/slow life history strategy), childhood SES and five proxy indices of fitness (number of children, lifelong singlehood, annual household income, subjective SES and life satisfaction) of 692 middle-aged participants (40-45 years old). None of the results supported the evolvability of the impulsivity reaction norm, although low childhood SES was associated with lower fitness on every proxy measure. Impulsivity (operationalised as the fast life history strategy) was associated with lower fitness regardless of childhood SES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Kometani
- Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Humanities, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yohsuke Ohtsubo
- Department of Social Psychology, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
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13
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Gardner EJ, Neville MDC, Samocha KE, Barclay K, Kolk M, Niemi MEK, Kirov G, Martin HC, Hurles ME. Reduced reproductive success is associated with selective constraint on human genes. Nature 2022; 603:858-863. [PMID: 35322230 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04549-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Genome-wide sequencing of human populations has revealed substantial variation among genes in the intensity of purifying selection acting on damaging genetic variants1. Although genes under the strongest selective constraint are highly enriched for associations with Mendelian disorders, most of these genes are not associated with disease and therefore the nature of the selection acting on them is not known2. Here we show that genetic variants that damage these genes are associated with markedly reduced reproductive success, primarily owing to increased childlessness, with a stronger effect in males than in females. We present evidence that increased childlessness is probably mediated by genetically associated cognitive and behavioural traits, which may mean that male carriers are less likely to find reproductive partners. This reduction in reproductive success may account for 20% of purifying selection against heterozygous variants that ablate protein-coding genes. Although this genetic association may only account for a very minor fraction of the overall likelihood of being childless (less than 1%), especially when compared to more influential sociodemographic factors, it may influence how genes evolve over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene J Gardner
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, Hinxton, UK.,Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Kaitlin E Samocha
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, Hinxton, UK
| | - Kieron Barclay
- Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.,Demography Unit, Department of Sociology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Martin Kolk
- Demography Unit, Department of Sociology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mari E K Niemi
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, Hinxton, UK
| | - George Kirov
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Hilary C Martin
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, Hinxton, UK
| | - Matthew E Hurles
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, Hinxton, UK.
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14
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Brooks RC, Russo-Batterham D, Blake KR. Incel Activity on Social Media Linked to Local Mating Ecology. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:249-258. [PMID: 35015599 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211036065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Young men with few prospects of attracting a mate have historically threatened the internal peace and stability of societies. In some contemporary societies, such involuntary celibate-or incel-men promote much online misogyny and perpetrate real-world violence. We tested the prediction that online incel activity arises via local real-world mating-market forces that affect relationship formation. From a database of 4 billion Twitter posts (2012-2018), we geolocated 321 million tweets to 582 commuting zones in the continental United States, of which 3,649 tweets used words peculiar to incels and 3,745 were about incels. We show that such tweets arise disproportionately within places where mating competition among men is likely to be high because of male-biased sex ratios, few single women, high income inequality, and small gender gaps in income. Our results suggest a role for social media in monitoring and mitigating factors that lead young men toward antisocial behavior in real-world societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert C Brooks
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, University of New South Wales
| | | | - Khandis R Blake
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, University of New South Wales
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne
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15
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Fieder M, Huber S. Contemporary selection pressures in modern societies? Which factors best explain variance in human reproduction and mating? EVOL HUM BEHAV 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2021.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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16
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Hopcroft RL. Husband's income, wife's income, and number of biological children in the U.S. BIODEMOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL BIOLOGY 2022; 67:71-83. [PMID: 35188024 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.2022.2037070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have found that the positive relationship between personal income and fertility for men in the United States is primarily due to childlessness among low-income men. Yet because of the opposite effects of income on fertility for men and women, it is important to examine the effects of income net of spouse's income. An analysis of income from all sources and biological fertility data for husbands and wives from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (2014) shows that for men their own income is positively associated with the number of their biological children, while their spouse's income is negatively associated with total children ever fathered. The reverse is true for women. These results are not because of childlessness among low-income men and high-income women, but also hold true among all those with children. For men and women aged 45-65, who likely have completed fertility, these results hold regardless of whether or not education is controlled. These findings suggest that if status is measured as personal income for men and husband's income for women, the positive relationship between status and fertility persists in a postdemographic transition society.
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17
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Blake KR, Anjum G, Brooks RC. Family and Gendered Fitness Interests Effects on Attitudes Toward Women’s Veiling, Status-Seeking and Stereotyping of Women in Pakistan. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-021-00174-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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18
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High income men have high value as long-term mates in the U.S.: personal income and the probability of marriage, divorce, and childbearing in the U.S. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2021.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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19
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Long-term mating positively predicts both reproductive fitness and parental investment. J Biosoc Sci 2021; 54:912-923. [PMID: 34365983 DOI: 10.1017/s0021932021000407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Empirical data on the relations between mating and reproductive success are rare for humans, especially for industrial and post-industrial populations. Existing data show that mating (and especially long-term mating) can be beneficial for fitness, especially that of males. This finding is in line with the hypothesis of sexual selection operating in human populations. The present research expands on previous studies by: 1) analysing additional fitness indicators, including having children with different partners; 2) including parental investment in the analysis as another important marker of sexual selection; 3) analysing several mediators between mating, reproductive fitness and parental investment, i.e. age of first and last reproduction and desired number of children. The data were obtained in 2019 from a sample of parents living in Serbia (N=497). The findings showed that long-term mating (duration of longest partner relationship) was positively related to parental investment and number of offspring and grand-offspring. Furthermore, the link between long-term mating and reproductive success was completely mediated by the age of first reproduction and desired number of children. Short-term mating (number of sexual partners) was marginally positively related to the number of children participants had with different partners and negatively related to parental investment. No sex differences in the link between mating, fitness and parental investment were detected. In general, the signatures of sexual selection were weak in the present data, but those that were detected were in line with sexual selection theory. The present findings provide a deeper insight into the adaptive function of mating and also the mechanism of how mating is beneficial for fitness.
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20
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Smith JE, von Rueden CR, van Vugt M, Fichtel C, Kappeler PM. An Evolutionary Explanation for the Female Leadership Paradox. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.676805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social influence is distributed unequally between males and females in many mammalian societies. In human societies, gender inequality is particularly evident in access to leadership positions. Understanding why women historically and cross-culturally have tended to be under-represented as leaders within human groups and organizations represents a paradox because we lack evidence that women leaders consistently perform worse than men. We also know that women exercise overt influence in collective group-decisions within small-scale human societies, and that female leadership is pervasive in particular contexts across non-human mammalian societies. Here, we offer a transdisciplinary perspective on this female leadership paradox. Synthesis of social science and biological literatures suggests that females and males, on average, differ in why and how they compete for access to political leadership in mixed-gender groups. These differences are influenced by sexual selection and are moderated by socioecological variation across development and, particularly in human societies, by culturally transmitted norms and institutions. The interplay of these forces contributes to the emergence of female leaders within and across species. Furthermore, females may regularly exercise influence on group decisions in less conspicuous ways and different domains than males, and these underappreciated forms of leadership require more study. We offer a comprehensive framework for studying inequality between females and males in access to leadership positions, and we discuss the implications of this approach for understanding the female leadership paradox and for redressing gender inequality in leadership in humans.
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21
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Whyte S, Brooks RC, Chan HF, Torgler B. Sex differences in sexual attraction for aesthetics, resources and personality across age. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250151. [PMID: 34010298 PMCID: PMC8133465 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Because sexual attraction is a key driver of human mate choice and reproduction, we descriptively assess relative sex differences in the level of attraction individuals expect in the aesthetic, resource, and personality characteristics of potential mates. As a novelty we explore how male and female sexual attractiveness preference changes across age, using a dataset comprising online survey data for over 7,000 respondents across a broad age distribution of individuals between 18 and 65 years. In general, we find that both males and females show similar distribution patterns in their preference responses, with statistically significant sex differences within most of the traits. On average, females rate age, education, intelligence, income, trust, and emotional connection around 9 to 14 points higher than males on our 0-100 scale range. Our relative importance analysis shows greater male priority for attractiveness and physical build, compared to females, relative to all other traits. Using multiple regression analysis, we find a consistent statistical sex difference (males relative to females) that decreases linearly with age for aesthetics, while the opposite is true for resources and personality, with females exhibiting a stronger relative preference, particularly in the younger aged cohort. Exploring non-linearity in sex difference with contour plots for intelligence and attractiveness across age (mediated by age) indicates that sex differences in attractiveness preferences are driven by the male cohort (particularly age 30 to 40) for those who care about the importance of age, while intelligence is driven by females caring relatively more about intelligence for those who see age as very important (age cohort 40 to 55). Overall, many of our results indicate distinct variations within sex at key life stages, which is consistent with theories of selection pressure. Moreover, results also align with theories of parental investment, the gender similarities hypothesis, and mutual mate choice-which speaks to the fact that the broader discipline of evolutionary mate choice research in humans still contains considerable scope for further inquiry towards a unified theory, particularly when exploring sex-difference across age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Whyte
- School of Economics and Finance & Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society & Technology (BEST), Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Centre in Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia
| | - Robert C. Brooks
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ho Fai Chan
- School of Economics and Finance & Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society & Technology (BEST), Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Benno Torgler
- School of Economics and Finance & Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society & Technology (BEST), Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- CREMA—Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts, Basel, Switzerland
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22
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Population Modelling in Affective Disorders. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 2021; 8:21-27. [PMID: 33875934 PMCID: PMC8047557 DOI: 10.1007/s40473-021-00229-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of Review The prevalence of affective disorders is on the rise. This upward trajectory leads to a substantial personal and societal cost. There is growing body of literature demonstrating decision-making impairments associated with affective disorders, and more studies are using computational modelling methods to infer underlying mechanisms of these impairments from participant choice behaviour. However, lack of population modelling suggests that data resources may still be underutilised. Recent Findings A number of recent studies associated major depression with abnormal risky decision-making as well as impairments in temporal discounting and social decision-making. These domains capture relevant aspects of real-life decision-making. Consequently, data from these studies can be used to define behavioural phenotypes for major depression. Summary The manuscript describes a detailed proposal for population modelling to capture changes in the prevalence rate of major depression. The population modelling approach can also identify which decision-making domains can account for a larger part of impairments in psychosocial functioning and how behavioural interventions built on computational principles can target these to improve real-life psychosocial functioning in patient groups.
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23
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Do income and marriage mediate the relationship between cognitive ability and fertility? Data from Swedish taxation and conscriptions registers for men born 1951–1967. INTELLIGENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2020.101514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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24
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Jokela M, Hintsa T, Hintsanen M, Keltikangas‐Järvinen L. Adult temperament and childbearing over the life course. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/per.749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that temperament may predict childbearing. We examined the association between four temperament traits (novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence and persistence of the Temperament and Character Inventory) and childbearing over the life course in the population‐based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study (n = 1535; 985 women, 550 men). Temperament was assessed when the participants were aged 20–35 and fertility history from adolescence to adulthood was reported by the participants at age 30–45. Discrete‐time survival analysis modelling indicated that high childbearing probability was predicted by low novelty seeking (standardized OR = 0.92; 95% confidence interval 0.88–0.97), low harm avoidance (OR = 0.90; 0.85–0.95), high reward dependence (OR = 1.09; 1.03–1.15) and low persistence (OR = 0.91; 0.87–0.96) with no sex differences or quadratic effects. These associations grew stronger with increase in numbers of children. The findings were substantially the same in a completely prospective analysis. Adjusting for education did not influence the associations. Despite its negative association with overall childbearing, high novelty seeking increased the probability of having children in participants who were not living with a partner (OR = 1.29; 1.12–1.49). These data provide novel evidence for the role of temperament in influencing childbearing, and suggest possible weak natural selection of temperament traits in contemporary humans. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Jokela
- Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Väestöliitto, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Taina Hintsa
- Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland
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25
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Hackman J, Hruschka D. Disentangling wealth effects on fertility in 64 low- and middle-income countries. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2020; 2:e58. [PMID: 37588348 PMCID: PMC10427476 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2020.62] [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: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies have shown mixed associations between wealth and fertility, a finding that has posed ongoing puzzles for evolutionary theories of human reproduction. However, measures of wealth do not simply capture economic capacity, which is expected to increase fertility. They can also serve as a proxy for market opportunities available to a household, which may reduce fertility. The multifaceted meaning of many wealth measures obscures our ability to draw inferences about the relationship between wealth and fertility. Here, we disentangle economic capacity and market opportunities using wealth measures that do not carry the same market-oriented biases as commonly used asset-based measures. Using measures of agricultural and market-based wealth for 562,324 women across 111,724 sampling clusters from 151 DHS surveys in 64 countries, we employ a latent variable structural equation model to estimate (a) latent variables capturing economic capacity and market opportunity and (b) their effects on completed fertility. Market opportunities had a consistent negative effect on fertility, while economic capacity had a weaker but generally positive effect on fertility. The results show that the confusion between operational measures of wealth and the concepts of economic capacity can impede our understanding of how material resources and market contexts shape reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Hackman
- University of Utah, Department of Anthropology, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Daniel Hruschka
- Arizona State University, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona, USA
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26
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Ross CT, Jaeggi AV, Borgerhoff Mulder M, Smith JE, Smith EA, Gavrilets S, Hooper PL. The multinomial index: a robust measure of reproductive skew. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20202025. [PMID: 33023419 PMCID: PMC7657858 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Inequality or skew in reproductive success (RS) is common across many animal species and is of long-standing interest to the study of social evolution. However, the measurement of inequality in RS in natural populations has been challenging because existing quantitative measures are highly sensitive to variation in group/sample size, mean RS, and age-structure. This makes comparisons across multiple groups and/or species vulnerable to statistical artefacts and hinders empirical and theoretical progress. Here, we present a new measure of reproductive skew, the multinomial index, M, that is unaffected by many of the structural biases affecting existing indices. M is analytically related to Nonacs’ binomial index, B, and comparably accounts for heterogeneity in age across individuals; in addition, M allows for the possibility of diminishing or even highly nonlinear RS returns to age. Unlike B, however, M is not biased by differences in sample/group size. To demonstrate the value of our index for cross-population comparisons, we conduct a reanalysis of male reproductive skew in 31 primate species. We show that a previously reported negative effect of group size on mating skew was an artefact of structural biases in existing skew measures, which inevitably decline with group size; this bias disappears when using M. Applying phylogenetically controlled, mixed-effects models to the same dataset, we identify key similarities and differences in the inferred within- and between-species predictors of reproductive skew across metrics. Finally, we provide an R package, SkewCalc, to estimate M from empirical data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody T Ross
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Adrian V Jaeggi
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Monique Borgerhoff Mulder
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | | | - Eric Alden Smith
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sergey Gavrilets
- Departments of Mathematics and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Center for the Dynamics of Social Complexity, and National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
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27
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Sex Differences in the Association of Family and Personal Income and Wealth with Fertility in the United States. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2020; 30:477-495. [PMID: 31802397 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-019-09354-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary theory predicts that social status and fertility will be positively related. It also predicts that the relationship between status and fertility will differ for men and women. This is particularly likely in modern societies given evidence that females face greater trade-offs between status and resource acquisition and fertility than males. This paper tests these hypotheses using newly released data from the 2014 wave of the Survey of Income and Program Participation by the US Census, which has the first complete measures of fertility and number of childbearing partners for a large, representative, national probability sample of men and women and also contains comprehensive measures of economic status as measured by personal and family resources, including income from all sources and all assets. Multivariate analyses show that personal income is positively associated with total fertility and number of childbearing unions for men only. For men, personal net worth is positively associated with number of childbearing unions; it is also positively associated with fertility for married men with a spouse present. These findings support evolutionary predictions of a positive relationship between status, access to mates, and reproductive success for males. Whereas personal income and personal net worth are negatively associated with total fertility and number of childbearing unions for women, family income (net of personal income) is positively associated with total fertility for women. For married men living with a spouse, family income (net of personal income) is negatively associated with total fertility. These findings are consistent with evolutionary theory given the existence of greater trade-offs between production and reproduction for women in an advanced industrial society. For women and men, family net worth (net of personal net worth) is negatively associated with number of childbearing unions and fertility. Implications are discussed.
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28
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Longman DP, Wells JCK, Stock JT. Human athletic paleobiology; using sport as a model to investigate human evolutionary adaptation. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 171 Suppl 70:42-59. [PMID: 31957878 PMCID: PMC7217212 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The use of sport as a conceptual framework offers unprecedented opportunities to improve our understanding of what the body does, shedding new light on our evolutionary trajectory, our capacity for adaptation, and the underlying biological mechanisms. This approach has gained traction over recent years. To date, sport has facilitated exploration not only of the evolutionary history of our species as a whole, but also of human variation and adaptation at the interindividual and intraindividual levels. At the species level, analysis of lower and upper limb biomechanics and energetics with respect to walking, running and throwing have led to significant advances in the understanding of human adaptations relative to other hominins. From an interindividual perspective, investigation of physical activity patterns and endurance running performance is affording greater understanding of evolved constraints of energy expenditure, thermoregulatory energetics, signaling theory, and morphological variation. Furthermore, ultra-endurance challenges provoke functional trade-offs, allowing new ground to be broken in the study of life history trade-offs and human adaptability. Human athletic paleobiology-the recruitment of athletes as study participants and the use of contemporary sports as a model for studying evolutionary theory-has great potential. Here, we draw from examples in the literature to provide a review of how the use of athletes as a model system is enhancing understanding of human evolutionary adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P. Longman
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health SciencesLoughborough UniversityLoughboroughUK
| | | | - Jay T. Stock
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Western OntarioLondonOntarioCanada
- Department of ArchaeologyMax Planck Institute for the Science of Human HistoryJenaGermany
- Department of ArchaeologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
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29
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Rozado D. Wide range screening of algorithmic bias in word embedding models using large sentiment lexicons reveals underreported bias types. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231189. [PMID: 32315320 PMCID: PMC7173861 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Concerns about gender bias in word embedding models have captured substantial attention in the algorithmic bias research literature. Other bias types however have received lesser amounts of scrutiny. This work describes a large-scale analysis of sentiment associations in popular word embedding models along the lines of gender and ethnicity but also along the less frequently studied dimensions of socioeconomic status, age, physical appearance, sexual orientation, religious sentiment and political leanings. Consistent with previous scholarly literature, this work has found systemic bias against given names popular among African-Americans in most embedding models examined. Gender bias in embedding models however appears to be multifaceted and often reversed in polarity to what has been regularly reported. Interestingly, using the common operationalization of the term bias in the fairness literature, novel types of so far unreported bias types in word embedding models have also been identified. Specifically, the popular embedding models analyzed here display negative biases against middle and working-class socioeconomic status, male children, senior citizens, plain physical appearance and intellectual phenomena such as Islamic religious faith, non-religiosity and conservative political orientation. Reasons for the paradoxical underreporting of these bias types in the relevant literature are probably manifold but widely held blind spots when searching for algorithmic bias and a lack of widespread technical jargon to unambiguously describe a variety of algorithmic associations could conceivably be playing a role. The causal origins for the multiplicity of loaded associations attached to distinct demographic groups within embedding models are often unclear but the heterogeneity of said associations and their potential multifactorial roots raises doubts about the validity of grouping them all under the umbrella term bias. Richer and more fine-grained terminology as well as a more comprehensive exploration of the bias landscape could help the fairness epistemic community to characterize and neutralize algorithmic discrimination more efficiently.
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Fieder M, Huber S. Effects of wife's and husband's income on wife's reproduction: an evolutionary perspective on human mating. BIODEMOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL BIOLOGY 2020; 65:31-40. [PMID: 32065537 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.2019.1689351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
From an evolutionary perspective, for women mate choice may be of crucial importance particularly concerning resources needed for rearing children. In modern societies, however, resources in terms of income are often provided by both women and men. Nonetheless, the effects of a wife's and husband's socioeconomic status on the wife's reproduction have not been investigated on a broader level. We therefore aim to investigate the effects of wife's and husband's income on wife's number of children and her probability of remaining childless using census data from nine countries mainly in the developing world for a total of 782,147 women aged 45-54 years who currently live with a husband and their spouses. Overall, both wife's and husband's income are significantly negatively associated with wife's number of children. Only in Israel do we find a positive association between husband's income and wife's offspring number. A wife's probability of remaining childless, however, increases with increasing own, but decreases with increasing husband's income. We conclude that in this sample of nearly all developing countries, effects of husband's socioeconomic status on wife's reproduction are acting through childlessness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Fieder
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susanne Huber
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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31
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Testing the Trivers-Willard Hypothesis on Polish kings and dukes. ANTHROPOLOGICAL REVIEW 2019. [DOI: 10.2478/anre-2019-0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The Trivers-Willard Hypothesis (TWH), frequently investigated by evolutionary psychologists, states that human beings may have evolved to produce a greater number of sons when having a high status, and a greater number of daughters when having a low status. To test this hypothesis, we examined the sex of children of Polish high status: kings, dukes, magnates families; and of low status: peasants, burghers and gentry. Our findings do not provide evidence for the Trivers-Willard Hypothesis (TWH), as there were no differences between offspring’s sex ratio among any of the investigated social classes (with the exception of magnates families). We draw our conclusions with caution, as historical data carry many limitations.
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Zuo B, Wen F, Wu Y. Sex Differences in Mate Retention and Mate Quality Enhancement: The Effect of Facial Sexual Dimorphism Cues on Willingness to Introduce a New Friend to One's Partner. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2019; 48:1785-1794. [PMID: 30132157 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-018-1295-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2017] [Revised: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 08/11/2018] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Building on previous studies, we investigated the influence of sexual dimorphism cues on mate retention and mate quality enhancement behaviors. A total of 233 participants were presented with facial photographs with varying sexual dimorphism cues that were generated using computer graphic techniques and were asked to rate their behavior tendencies associated with mate retention and quality enhancement. The results showed that (1) female participants utilized mate retention tactics as a function of the sexual dimorphism cues of targets, whereas male participants showed an overall stronger and indiscriminate tendency for mate retention; (2) female participants rated masculine men as more competent and more generally attractive and tended to introduce them to their own partner, a pattern that was consistent with mate quality enhancement strategies, whereas male participants did not exhibit comparable behaviors. Taken together, these results suggest that masculine and feminine facial cues are important, albeit subtle, to one's reproductive value and are closely associated with mate retention and quality enhancement strategies. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Zuo
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Social Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430079, People's Republic of China
| | - Fangfang Wen
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Social Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430079, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yang Wu
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Social Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China
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Biological, environmental and socioeconomic determinants of the human birth sex ratio in the Czech Republic. J Biosoc Sci 2019; 52:37-56. [PMID: 31196227 DOI: 10.1017/s0021932019000233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The Trivers-Willard Hypothesis (TWH) states that parents in good conditions bias the sex ratio towards sons and parents in poor conditions bias the sex ratio towards daughters. This study used data from a large nationwide population dataset (N=1,401,851) from the Czech Republic - a modern contemporary society. The study included air pollution and property prices in the TWH estimation, and had a more detailed focus on stillbirths than previous studies. Using official natality microdata from the Czech Statistical Office for years between 1992 and 2010 and data on levels of air pollution in the country over the same period, the study assessed whether the biological and socioeconomic status of mothers and environmental factors affected the sex of children. The results were largely insignificant and not robust across specifications. The presented epidemiological evidence suggests that stillbirths are randomly distributed in the Czech Republic and that the sex ratio is not affected by the socioeconomic status of mothers or by environmental characteristics.
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Wilson V, Guenther A, Øverli Ø, Seltmann MW, Altschul D. Future Directions for Personality Research: Contributing New Insights to the Understanding of Animal Behavior. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:E240. [PMID: 31096599 PMCID: PMC6562689 DOI: 10.3390/ani9050240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
As part of the European Conference on Behavioral Biology 2018, we organized a symposium entitled, "Animal personality: providing new insights into behavior?" The aims of this symposium were to address current research in the personality field, spanning both behavioral ecology and psychology, to highlight the future directions for this research, and to consider whether differential approaches to studying behavior contribute something new to the understanding of animal behavior. In this paper, we discuss the study of endocrinology and ontogeny in understanding how behavioral variation is generated and maintained, despite selection pressures assumed to reduce this variation. We consider the potential mechanisms that could link certain traits to fitness outcomes through longevity and cognition. We also address the role of individual differences in stress coping, mortality, and health risk, and how the study of these relationships could be applied to improve animal welfare. From the insights provided by these topics, we assert that studying individual differences through the lens of personality has provided new directions in behavioral research, and we encourage further research in these directions, across this interdisciplinary field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Wilson
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göettingen, Germany.
- Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University, 37077 Göettingen, Germany.
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Anja Guenther
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306 Plön, Germany.
| | - Øyvind Øverli
- Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, NO-0508 Oslo, Norway.
| | | | - Drew Altschul
- Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
- Center for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK.
- Scottish Primate Research Group.
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35
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The heritability of fertility makes world population stabilization unlikely in the foreseeable future. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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36
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Fieder M, Huber S. Political Attitude and Fertility: Is There a Selection for the Political Extreme? Front Psychol 2018; 9:2343. [PMID: 30542312 PMCID: PMC6277747 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing evidence that human ideology as well as social and political attitudes also have a genetic basis. In case of some genetic predisposition of political attitude, an association with fertility would be a hint of potential selection on political ideology. We therefore investigated on the basis of men and women that have completed, respectively, almost completed reproduction, of three different data sets (the World Value Survey 1981-2014 covering a wide range of countries and developmental levels, n = 152,380, the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe of 2005, n = 65,912, and the General Social Survey of the United States 1972-2014, n ∼ 6200) whether political attitude is associated with number of children. Overall, in the world wide survey, both extreme political attitudes, albeit more pronounced for right/conservative than for left/liberal attitude, are associated with higher average offspring number compared to intermediate attitudes. If countries are analyzed separately, however, the picture is inconsistent, and in most countries, the association is non-significant. In the European and the US-survey, only the political right is associated with above average number of children. The time series of US data from 1972 to 2014 shows that at least in the US-sample, this pattern emerged during the 1990s: in the 1970s and 1980s, also in the US-sample both political extremes had a reproductive advantage, which vanished for left wing individuals during the 1990s. From an evolutionary perspective, we are not able to draw final conclusions as the association between political attitude and reproduction varies across countries and time. Nonetheless, the overall pattern suggests that in human evolutionary history, both left and right political attitudes may have conveyed fitness benefits so that both attitudes have been kept in the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Fieder
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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37
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Alvergne A. Humans Are Still Evolving, But We Need More Than Evolutionary Genetics to Predict Our Future. Trends Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Abstract
Evolved mate preferences comprise a central causal process in Darwin's theory of sexual selection. Their powerful influences have been documented in all sexually reproducing species, including in sexual strategies in humans. This article reviews the science of human mate preferences and their myriad behavioral manifestations. We discuss sex differences and sex similarities in human sexual psychology, which vary according to short-term and long-term mating contexts. We review context-specific shifts in mating strategy depending on individual, social, and ecological qualities such as mate value, life history strategy, sex ratio, gender economic inequality, and cultural norms. We review the empirical evidence for the impact of mate preferences on actual mating decisions. Mate preferences also dramatically influence tactics of mate attraction, tactics of mate retention, patterns of deception, causes of sexual regret, attraction to cues to sexual exploitability, attraction to cues to fertility, attraction to cues to resources and protection, derogation of competitors, causes of breakups, and patterns of remarriage. We conclude by articulating unresolved issues and offer a future agenda for the science of human mating, including how humans invent novel cultural technologies to better implement ancient sexual strategies and how cultural evolution may be dramatically influencing our evolved mating psychology.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Buss
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA;
| | - David P Schmitt
- Centre for Culture and Evolution, Brunel University London, Middlesex UB8 3PH, United Kingdom;
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39
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Longman DP, Surbey MK, Stock JT, Wells JCK. Tandem Androgenic and Psychological Shifts in Male Reproductive Effort Following a Manipulated "Win" or "Loss" in a Sporting Competition. HUMAN NATURE (HAWTHORNE, N.Y.) 2018; 29:283-310. [PMID: 30090999 PMCID: PMC6132838 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-018-9323-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Male-male competition is involved in inter- and intrasexual selection, with both endocrine and psychological factors presumably contributing to reproductive success in human males. We examined relationships among men's naturally occurring testosterone, their self-perceived mate value (SPMV), self-esteem, sociosexuality, and expected likelihood of approaching attractive women versus situations leading to child involvement. We then monitored changes in these measures in male rowers (N = 38) from Cambridge, UK, following a manipulated "win" or "loss" as a result of an indoor rowing contest. Baseline results revealed that men with heightened testosterone and SPMV values typically had greater inclinations toward engaging in casual sexual relationships and a higher likelihood of approaching attractive women in a hypothetical social situation. As anticipated, both testosterone and SPMV increased following a manipulated "victory" and were associated with heightened sociosexuality, and increased expectations toward approaching attractive women versus individuals who would involve them in interacting with children after the race. SPMV and self-esteem appeared to mediate some of the effects of testosterone on post-race values. These findings are considered in the broader context of individual trade-offs between mating and parental effort and a model of the concurrent and dynamic androgenic and psychological influences contributing to male reproductive effort and success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Longman
- Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3QG, UK.
| | - Michele K Surbey
- Department of Psychology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Jay T Stock
- Department of Anthropology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jonathan C K Wells
- Childhood Nutrition Research Centre, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
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40
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Nisén J, Martikainen P, Myrskylä M, Silventoinen K. Education, Other Socioeconomic Characteristics Across the Life Course, and Fertility Among Finnish Men. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POPULATION-REVUE EUROPEENNE DE DEMOGRAPHIE 2018; 34:337-366. [PMID: 30147207 PMCID: PMC6096873 DOI: 10.1007/s10680-017-9430-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The level of education and other adult socioeconomic characteristics of men are known to associate with their fertility, but early-life socioeconomic characteristics may also be related. We studied how men’s adult and early-life socioeconomic characteristics are associated with their eventual fertility and whether the differences therein by educational level are explained or mediated by other socioeconomic characteristics. The data on men born in 1940–1950 (N = 37,082) were derived from the 1950 Finnish census, which is linked to later registers. Standard and sibling fixed-effects Poisson and logistic regression models were used. Education and other characteristics were positively associated with the number of children, largely stemming from a higher likelihood of a first birth among the more socioeconomically advantaged men. The educational gradient in the number of children was not explained by early socioeconomic or other characteristics shared by brothers, but occupational position and income in adulthood mediated approximately half of the association. Parity-specific differences existed: education and many other socioeconomic characteristics predicted the likelihood of a first birth more strongly than that of a second birth, and the mediating role of occupational position and income was also strongest for first births. Relatively small differences were found in the likelihood of a third birth. In men, education is positively associated with eventual fertility after controlling for early socioeconomic and other characteristics shared by brothers. Selective entry into fatherhood based on economic provider potential may contribute considerably to educational differentials in the number of children among men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Nisén
- Population Research Unit, Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 18 (Unioninkatu 35), 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Konrad-Zuse-Straße 1, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Pekka Martikainen
- Population Research Unit, Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 18 (Unioninkatu 35), 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Konrad-Zuse-Straße 1, 18057 Rostock, Germany
- Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mikko Myrskylä
- Population Research Unit, Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 18 (Unioninkatu 35), 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Konrad-Zuse-Straße 1, 18057 Rostock, Germany
- Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics, London, UK
| | - Karri Silventoinen
- Population Research Unit, Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 18 (Unioninkatu 35), 00014 Helsinki, Finland
- School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
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41
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Ross CT, Borgerhoff Mulder M, Oh SY, Bowles S, Beheim B, Bunce J, Caudell M, Clark G, Colleran H, Cortez C, Draper P, Greaves RD, Gurven M, Headland T, Headland J, Hill K, Hewlett B, Kaplan HS, Koster J, Kramer K, Marlowe F, McElreath R, Nolin D, Quinlan M, Quinlan R, Revilla-Minaya C, Scelza B, Schacht R, Shenk M, Uehara R, Voland E, Willführ K, Winterhalder B, Ziker J. Greater wealth inequality, less polygyny: rethinking the polygyny threshold model. J R Soc Interface 2018; 15:20180035. [PMID: 30021924 PMCID: PMC6073648 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2018.0035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [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: 01/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Monogamy appears to have become the predominant human mating system with the emergence of highly unequal agricultural populations that replaced relatively egalitarian horticultural populations, challenging the conventional idea-based on the polygyny threshold model-that polygyny should be positively associated with wealth inequality. To address this polygyny paradox, we generalize the standard polygyny threshold model to a mutual mate choice model predicting the fraction of women married polygynously. We then demonstrate two conditions that are jointly sufficient to make monogamy the predominant marriage form, even in highly unequal societies. We assess if these conditions are satisfied using individual-level data from 29 human populations. Our analysis shows that with the shift to stratified agricultural economies: (i) the population frequency of relatively poor individuals increased, increasing wealth inequality, but decreasing the frequency of individuals with sufficient wealth to secure polygynous marriage, and (ii) diminishing marginal fitness returns to additional wives prevent extremely wealthy men from obtaining as many wives as their relative wealth would otherwise predict. These conditions jointly lead to a high population-level frequency of monogamy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody T Ross
- Behavioral Sciences Program, Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Seung-Yun Oh
- Korea Insurance Research Institute, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Republic of Korea
| | - Samuel Bowles
- Behavioral Sciences Program, Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Bret Beheim
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - John Bunce
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mark Caudell
- Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Gregory Clark
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Heidi Colleran
- Dept. of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Carmen Cortez
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Patricia Draper
- Department of Anthropology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | | | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Kim Hill
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Barry Hewlett
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, USA
| | - Hillard S Kaplan
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Jeremy Koster
- Department of Anthropology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Karen Kramer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Frank Marlowe
- Department of Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Richard McElreath
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - David Nolin
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marsha Quinlan
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, USA
| | - Robert Quinlan
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, USA
| | | | - Brooke Scelza
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ryan Schacht
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Mary Shenk
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Eckart Voland
- Institut für Philosophie der Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Kai Willführ
- Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | | | - John Ziker
- Department of Anthropology, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA
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42
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Zeng TC, Aw AJ, Feldman MW. Cultural hitchhiking and competition between patrilineal kin groups explain the post-Neolithic Y-chromosome bottleneck. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2077. [PMID: 29802241 PMCID: PMC5970157 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04375-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In human populations, changes in genetic variation are driven not only by genetic processes, but can also arise from cultural or social changes. An abrupt population bottleneck specific to human males has been inferred across several Old World (Africa, Europe, Asia) populations 5000–7000 BP. Here, bringing together anthropological theory, recent population genomic studies and mathematical models, we propose a sociocultural hypothesis, involving the formation of patrilineal kin groups and intergroup competition among these groups. Our analysis shows that this sociocultural hypothesis can explain the inference of a population bottleneck. We also show that our hypothesis is consistent with current findings from the archaeogenetics of Old World Eurasia, and is important for conceptions of cultural and social evolution in prehistory. A population bottleneck 5000-7000 years ago in human males, but not females, has been inferred across several African, European and Asian populations. Here, Zeng and colleagues synthesize theory and data to suggest that competition among patrilineal kin groups produced the bottleneck pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Chen Zeng
- Department of Sociology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Mathematical and Computational Science Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Alan J Aw
- Mathematical and Computational Science Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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43
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Abstract
Fitness is always relative to the fitness of others in the group or breeding population. Even in very low-fertility societies, individual fitness as measured by the share of genes in subsequent generations may still be maximized. Further, sexual selection theory from evolutionary biology suggests that the relationship between status and fertility will differ for males and females. For this reason it is important to examine the relationship between status and fertility separately for males and females-something few demographic studies of fertility do. When male fertility is measured separately, high-status men (as measured by their wealth and personal income) have higher fertility than low-status men, even in very low-fertility societies, so individual males appear to be maximizing their fitness within the constraints posed by a modern society. Thus male fertility cannot be considered maladaptive. When female fertility is measured separately, in both very high- and very low-fertility societies, there is not much variance across women of different statuses in completed fertility. Only in societies currently changing rapidly (with falling fertility rates) is somewhat high variance across women of different statuses in completed fertility found. What is seen across all phases of the demographic transition appears to be a continuation of two somewhat different evolved human reproductive strategies-one male, one female-in changing social and material contexts. Whether contemporary female fertility is maladaptive remains an open question.
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44
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Aspara J, Wittkowski K, Luo X. Types of intelligence predict likelihood to get married and stay married: Large-scale empirical evidence for evolutionary theory. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2017.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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45
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Pink KE, Schaman A, Fieder M. Sex Differences in Intergenerational Income Transmission and Educational Attainment: Testing the Trivers-Willard Hypothesis. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1879. [PMID: 29163268 PMCID: PMC5681947 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
From an evolutionary point of view, sex differences in intergenerational transmission of income may be influenced by the Trivers-Willard (T-W) effect: Low status parents should invest more in daughters, whereas high status parents are expected to invest more in sons. This bias in parental investment may result in status-dependent sex biased parental support for higher education and educational attainment and should therefore affect the level of intergenerational income transmission for the sons and daughters. We used the data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) to model the effect of parental financial investment on the child's income and educational attainment controlling for the number of siblings. The observed sex differences in intergenerational income transmission demonstrate that sons profited more from parental income and education in terms of their own income than daughters. Furthermore, we showed that fathers with a high socioeconomic index (SEI) invest more in their sons' education in terms of completed years of education and financial support during college. In contrast daughters of low SEI fathers completed more years of education and received more financial support than sons of low SEI fathers. However, the pattern in intergenerational income transmission might be better explained as a product of sociological factors and reproductive trade-offs in later life rather than as a consequence of the T-W effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina E Pink
- Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Family and Population Studies, Centre for Sociological Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anna Schaman
- Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Fieder
- Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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46
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Demographic studies enhance the understanding of evolutionarily (mal)adaptive behaviors and phenomena in humans: a review on fertility decline and an integrated model. POPUL ECOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10144-017-0597-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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47
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Huber S, Zahourek P, Fieder M. Living with own or husband's mother in the household is associated with lower number of children: a cross-cultural analysis. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170544. [PMID: 29134068 PMCID: PMC5666251 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
It has been discussed in the literature that the presence of kin, particularly the presence of a women's own mother or her mother in law, may have fertility effects. We aimed to examine the effects of the presence of a woman's own or her husband's mother in the household on a woman's fertility in terms of number of children on a broad basis by analysing census data of over two million married women aged between 15 and 34 years from 14 countries worldwide. We find that with the exception of Iraq, across all countries, the majority of women live only with their spouse in the household. We further find that the presence of any mother in the household is invariably associated with a significantly lower number of children compared to women living only with their spouse. In addition, in most countries, a woman's number of children is lower if she lives with her own mother as compared to her husband's mother in the household. Number of children is nonlinearly associated with woman's age, the presence of any mother being related with an earlier start of childbearing but a shallower increase in number of children. We speculate that the presence of a mother in the household may slow down woman's reproduction, but also discuss alternative explanations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Martin Fieder
- Department of Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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48
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Marzoli D, Havlíček J, Roberts SC. Human mating strategies: from past causes to present consequences. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2017; 9. [PMID: 28906068 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Revised: 08/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
In both humans and nonhuman animals, mating strategies represent a set of evolutionary adaptations aimed at promoting individual fitness by means of reproduction with the best possible partners. Given this critical role, mating strategies influence numerous aspects of human life. In particular, between-sex divergence in the intensity of intrasexual competition could account for robust cross-cultural sex differences in psychology and behavior (e.g., personality, psychiatric disorders, social behavior, violence). Several other factors (including individual differences, relationship type and environment) affect-in an evolutionarily consistent manner-variation in mating strategy that individuals pursue (as one example, awareness of one's own attractiveness impinges on mating standards). Here we provide an overview of relevant theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence on variation in mating strategies. Given its multifaceted nature and intense research interest over several decades, this is a challenging task, and we highlight areas where further investigation is warranted in order to achieve a clearer picture and resolve apparent inconsistencies. However, we suggest that addressing outstanding questions using a variety of different methodological approaches, a deeper understanding of the cognitive representations involved in mating strategies is within reach. WIREs Cogn Sci 2018, 9:e1456. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1456 This article is categorized under: Cognitive Biology > Evolutionary Roots of Cognition Neuroscience > Behavior Neuroscience > Cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Marzoli
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Health and Territory, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy
| | - Jan Havlíček
- Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - S Craig Roberts
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
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Luo L, Ding R, Gao X, Sun J, Zhao W. Socioeconomic status influences sex ratios in a Chinese rural population. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3546. [PMID: 28674672 PMCID: PMC5494181 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the logic of the Trivers–Willard hypothesis, in a human population, if socioeconomic status is transmitted across generations to some extent, and if sons of high-status parents tend to have higher reproductive success than daughters, while daughters of low-status parents tend to have higher reproductive success than sons, then we should expect that offspring sex ratio is positively associated with socioeconomic status. This study examines whether the assumptions and prediction of this hypothesis apply to a rural population in northern China. Results show that (1) current family socioeconomic status is positively related to family head’s father’s socioeconomic status in around 1950, (2) low-status family heads have more grandchildren through their daughters than their sons, whereas high- or middle-status family heads have more grandchildren through sons, and (3) as family heads’ status increases, they tend to produce a higher offspring sex ratio. Therefore, the assumptions and prediction of the hypothesis are met in the study population. These results are discussed in reference to past studies on sex ratio manipulation among humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liqun Luo
- Department of Sociology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Rui Ding
- Department of Sociology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiali Gao
- Department of Sociology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jingjing Sun
- Hubei Institute of Economic and Social Development, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wei Zhao
- Department of Sociology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
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50
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Apostolou M, Wang Y. In-Law Preferences in China: What Parents Look for in the Parents of Their Children's Mates. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 15:1474704917723913. [PMID: 28851231 PMCID: PMC10481039 DOI: 10.1177/1474704917723913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2017] [Accepted: 07/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Across different times and cultures, parents play an important role in influencing their children's mating decisions. When they do so, they aim to forge useful alliances with other parents which raises the question of what parents look for in the latter. The current research aims to address this question. In particular, we employed an online sample of 925 Chinese parents who were asked to rate the desirability of 88 traits in the parents of prospective mates for their children. Principal components analysis classified these traits in eight factors for the mothers and 10 factors of interest for the fathers of their children's mates. We also found that parents had a well-defined hierarchy of preferences, fathers, and mothers were in agreement in what they looked for in a prospective in-law, but their preferences were contingent to the sex of the in-law.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yan Wang
- Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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