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Jarrett AS, Anderson RC. Is the Grass Really Greener? The Influence of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation on Mate Copying Behaviors. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2023; 60:418-427. [PMID: 35678730 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2022.2078949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Mate copying is a sexual strategy whereby individuals attend to socially available information about their prospective mate. This allows for more accurate decision making in regard to mating. This phenomenon was originally demonstrated among nonhumans, but there is an increasing weight of evidence suggesting that humans also engage in mate copying. Research typically focuses on heterosexual cisgender women, with no previous studies having looked at those identifying outside of the traditional gender binary. The current study aimed to address this gap by examining the impact of gender identity and sexual orientation on the propensity to engage in mate copying. Participants (N = 831) completed an online survey providing desirability ratings for photographs alone (T1) and then rated the same photographs after receiving social information about the relationship status and previous relationship history of the pictured individual (T2). It was found that both gender identity (F(4, 713) = 3.94, ηp2 = .02) and sexual orientation (F(4, 713) = 4.40, ηp2 = .02) influenced an individual's overall propensity to mate copy, and that desirability patterns for individuals were very different depending on these variables. It was concluded that while mate copying certainly is evident among humans, the phenomenon is extremely nuanced and sensitive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyce S Jarrett
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, & Health Sciences, Monash University
| | - Ryan C Anderson
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, & Health Sciences, Monash University
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What You See May Be What You Want: Mate Copying in a Natural Setting. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-022-00193-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Objectives
The phenomenon of mate copying (MC) suggests that an individual’s romantic desirability varies, to some degree, as a function of their romantic experiences. By manipulating relationship history, this research aimed to determine whether male desirability varied similarly for static stimuli (photographs) as it did for dynamic stimuli (short clips). Here we present 2 studies examining this idea.
Methods
In both studies heterosexual women aged 18–34 were recruited from social media and evaluated the desirability of men, before and after being given information about the level of relationship experience the men had previously had (either ‘none’, ‘some’, or ‘lots’).
Results
In Study 1 (N = 278), we employed static images of men and Study 2 (N = 66) was methodologically similar but employed dynamic stimuli. Study 1 indicated that a man’s desirability to heterosexual women increased when it was revealed that he had a moderate amount of relationship experience but decreased if he had none. Results from Study 2 suggested that desirability was not affected by an individual’s relationship experience.
Conclusions
MC was indicated when stimuli were static, but not when they were dynamic. These results suggest that MC may be a phenomenon that exists to a greater extent when stimuli are less informative.
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Mr. Popular: Effects of implicit and explicit social endorsement. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-02679-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Amano Y, Wakao Y. Women’s Sensitivity to Men’s Past Relationships: Reliable Information Use for Mate-Choice Copying in Humans. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-021-00295-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Davies AD, Lewis Z, Dougherty LR. A meta-analysis of factors influencing the strength of mate-choice copying in animals. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Mate-choice copying is a form of social learning in which an individual’s choice of mate is influenced by the apparent choices of other individuals of the same sex and has been observed in more than 20 species across a broad taxonomic range. Though fitness benefits of copying have proven difficult to measure, theory suggests that copying should not be beneficial for all species or contexts. However, the factors influencing the evolution and expression of copying have proven difficult to resolve. We systematically searched the literature for studies of mate-choice copying in nonhuman animals and, then, performed a phylogenetically controlled meta-analysis to explore which factors influence the expression of copying across species. Across 58 published studies in 23 species, we find strong evidence that animals copy the mate choice of others. The strength of copying was significantly influenced by taxonomic group; however, sample size limitations mean it is difficult to draw firm conclusions regarding copying in mammals and arthropods. The strength of copying was also influenced by experimental design: copying was stronger when choosers were tested before and after witnessing a conspecific’s mate choice compared to when choosers with social information were compared to choosers without. Importantly, we did not detect any difference in the strength of copying between males and females or in relation to the rate of multiple mating. Our search also highlights that more empirical work is needed to investigate copying in a broader range of species, especially those with differing mating systems and levels of reproductive investment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice D Davies
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool, UK
| | - Zenobia Lewis
- School of Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool, UK
| | - Liam R Dougherty
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool, UK
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Female Mate Copying: Measuring the Effect of Mate-Relevant Information Provided by Former Partners. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-020-00239-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Scofield JE, Kostic B, Buchanan EM. How the Presence of Others Affects Desirability Judgments in Heterosexual and Homosexual Participants. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2020; 49:623-633. [PMID: 31392439 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-019-01516-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2017] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Mate-choice copying is a mating strategy wherein women rely on contextual information to assist in securing accurate assessments of potential mates. Mate-choice copying has been extensively studied in non-human species and has begun to be examined in humans as well. Hill and Buss (2008) found evidence of opposing effects for men and women in desirability judgments based on the presence of other opposite-sex people. The current study successfully replicated these findings with 73 and 44 heterosexual men and women, respectively. Heterosexual men exhibited the desirability diminution effect, and heterosexual women exhibited the desirability enhancement effect. The current study also extended these findings to include 73 gay men and 32 lesbian women. Findings for gay and lesbian participants were inverted compared to heterosexual participants. Gay men exhibited the desirability enhancement effect, and lesbian women exhibited the desirability diminution effect, revealing sex differences in mate-choice copying spanning different sexual orientations.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E Scofield
- Department of Psychology, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, 65810, USA.
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65203, USA.
| | - Bogdan Kostic
- Department of Psychology, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, 65810, USA
| | - Erin M Buchanan
- Department of Psychology, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, 65810, USA
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Anderson RC. Mate Copying and the Effects of Sexual History on Romantic Desirability. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-018-0143-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Winegard B, Winegard B, Reynolds T, Geary DC, Baumeister RF. One’s Better Half: Romantic Partners Function as Social Signals. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-017-0095-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Deng Y, Zheng Y. Mate-Choice Copying in Single and Coupled Women: The Influence of Mate Acceptance and Mate Rejection Decisions of other Women. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1177/147470491501300106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of humans and non-human animals indicate that females tend to change the likelihood of choosing a potential mate based on the decisions of other females; this is known as mate-choice copying. In a sample of both single and coupled women, we examined the influence of other women's (model) mate-choice decisions, including mate acceptance and mate rejection, on participants' attractiveness ratings of men (target) and willingness of mate selection. We also examined whether different types of relationships between the target men and the model women affected mate-choice copying. We found that both the single and coupled women showed mate-choice copying, but their response patterns differed. The significant effects for single women were dependent on a decrease in attractiveness ratings when they perceived the models' mate rejection. However, the significant findings for coupled women relied on an increase in attractiveness ratings when they observed the models' mate acceptance. Furthermore, the relationship status between the target men and the model women affected the magnitude of mate-choice copying effects for the single women. Specifically, they showed less mate-choice copying when the targets and models were in a committed romantic relationship than when in a temporary relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Deng
- Faculty of Psychological Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, PR China
| | - Yong Zheng
- Faculty of Psychological Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, PR China
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Winegard BM, Winegard B, Geary DC. If you've got it, flaunt it: humans flaunt attractive partners to enhance their status and desirability. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72000. [PMID: 23967271 PMCID: PMC3744452 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 07/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Mating decisions are influenced by conspecifics’ mate choices in many species including humans. Recent research has shown that women are more attracted to men with attractive putative partners than those with less attractive partners. We integrate these findings with traditional accounts of social signaling and test five hypotheses derived from it. In our study, 64 men and 75 women were paired with attractive and unattractive opposite-sex putative partners and asked whether they would prefer to give surveys to peers or to older adults. Consistent with predictions, both men and women wanted to show off (flaunt) attractive partners by administering surveys to peers and both men and women wanted to hide (conceal) unattractive partners from peers by administering surveys to older adults. These decisions were mediated by how participants expected others to evaluate their status and desirability when they administered the surveys, consistent with partners serving a social signaling function in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M. Winegard
- Department of Psychological Sciences, The University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Bo Winegard
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - David C. Geary
- Department of Psychological Sciences, The University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
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Roberts SC, Havlíček J. Humans Are Dunnocks, not Peacocks: On Cause and Consequence of Variation in Human Mating Strategies. PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/1047840x.2013.817299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Butovskaya ML, Veselovskaya EV, Rostovtseva VV, Selverova NB, Ermakova IV. Mechanisms of human reproductive behavior: Olfactory markers of male attractiveness. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1134/s2079086413030031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Vakirtzis A, Roberts SC. Human Nonindependent Mate Choice: Is Model Female Attractiveness Everything? EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1177/147470491201000205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Following two decades of research on non-human animals, there has recently been increased interest in human nonindependent mate choice, namely the ways in which choosing women incorporate information about a man's past or present romantic partners (‘model females’) into their own assessment of the male. Experimental studies using static facial images have generally found that men receive higher desirability ratings from female raters when presented with attractive (compared to unattractive) model females. This phenomenon has a straightforward evolutionary explanation: the fact that female mate value is more dependent on physical attractiveness compared to male mate value. Furthermore, due to assortative mating for attractiveness, men who are paired with attractive women are more likely to be of high mate value themselves. Here, we also examine the possible relevance of model female cues other than attractiveness (personality and behavioral traits) by presenting video recordings of model females to a set of female raters. The results confirm that the model female's attractiveness is the primary cue. Contrary to some earlier findings in the human and nonhuman literature, we found no evidence that female raters prefer partners of slightly older model females. We conclude by suggesting some promising variations on the present experimental design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonios Vakirtzis
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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I like who you like, but only if I like you: Female character affects mate-choice copying. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2011.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Witte K, Godin JGJ. Mate choice copying and mate quality bias: are they different processes? Behav Ecol 2009. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arp154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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