Renovating the Pyramid of Needs: Contemporary Extensions Built Upon Ancient Foundations

Mixed signals of status: luxury consumption shapes competence and warmth impressions through different routes

Individuals engage in luxury consumption to signal status and realize the benefits of higher status. Research on how observers explain luxury consumption is limited. In Study 1 within a social interaction context and Study 2 within a social media context, luxury consumption increases perceived competence and reduces perceived warmth. Perceived status mediates the effect of luxury consumption on increased competence perception. Study 3 compares the effects of mere wealth and wealth plus luxury. Luxury consumption further reduces perceived warmth, with no effect on perceived competence. Study 4 shows that inference of status signaling motive drives the decreased warmth impression of luxury consumers. In sum, luxury consumption increases competence perception through perceived status, whereas it reduces warmth perception through status signaling motive inference.

The case for a primary social drive: Revisiting definitions for primary drives

This paper analyzes the social drive, from the shared foundation of behavioral psychology, ethology, and attachment theory. It explores how the social drive has been considered a secondary or acquired drive and identifies the original advocates for this perspective, while outlining their prerequisites for primary drives. This provides a framework for empirical investigation which include 1) having a physiological component, 2) survival value for the species, 3) not relying on pairing with other primary reinforcers, and 4) displaying covariation with behavior based on satiation and deprivation. The paper gradually moves from older studies to modern ones, demonstrating that the social drive fulfills all criteria, by utilizing older empirical studies on isolation, bad rearing, neonatal social reinforceability, as well as modern research on social deprivation/satiation and loneliness. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of this reclassification on existing psychological theories, and its potential to influence future psychotherapeutic treatments.

Makeup Usage in Women Is Positively Associated to Narcissism and Extraversion but Negatively to Psychopathy

Appearance modification practices are ubiquitous, serving to enhance physical attractiveness and accrue social advantages, including increased desirability as a potential mate. Facial cosmetics are frequently used for appearance modification, yet individual differences in makeup usage remain understudied. While makeup usage in women has been linked to traits like narcissism and extraversion, the broader association with Dark Triad traits and how personality influences makeup application across diverse social contexts were less explored. Here we examined these relationships in 1,410 Brazilian women (Mage = 29.9, SD = 10.35), who completed online Big Five and Dark Triad personality measures, reported their usual makeup usage habits, and detailed their makeup usage across different social scenarios. Results revealed makeup usage was positively associated with narcissism and extraversion, and negatively with psychopathy. Additionally, women used less makeup when alone (at home, exercises) and more in social settings, particularly for the first date. However, women with higher narcissism and neuroticism showed larger differences among low and high makeup usage situations, while individuals with higher psychopathy used makeup in similar frequencies among different situations. Further, (1) overall greater users of makeup scored higher on narcissism, conscientiousness, and agreeableness; (2) average users displayed lower psychopathy; and (3) lesser users reported lower narcissism and higher psychopathy. These findings underscore the nuanced relationship between makeup usage and personality, particularly highlighting the influence of narcissism. These findings contribute to the interplay between personality traits and makeup usage, considering interindividual differences and intraindividual variation in understanding cosmetic behaviors among women.

Essential Advance Care Planning Intervention Features in Low-Income Communities: A Qualitative Study

CONTEXT

Older adults with low socioeconomic status (SES) participate in advance care planning (ACP) at lower rates than those with higher SES. Community feedback is an essential component of intervention design for communities with fewer social and health resources to ensure that the intervention is relevant and meaningful.

OBJECTIVES

To understand the perspectives for potential interventions, we aimed to qualitatively explore participant priorities for ACP intervention development.

METHODS

Using a qualitative descriptive design, we recruited and conducted individual and one-time, semi-structured interviews with older adults (aged 50+) with low income (< $20,000/year) (n = 20), Recruitment methods included flyers and in-person recruitment and purposive and snowball sampling methods. Following a thematic analysis plan, themes emerged from recursive transcript review by two independent coders and inductive categorization of the most robust codes.

RESULTS

Two themes captured participants' perspectives regarding ACP intervention development: 1) specialist advocacy and reliability and 2) person-centered communication. Older adults with low SES prioritize ACP communication that is driven by their goals and that is led by trustworthy specialists that advocate for their needs.

CONCLUSION

Our work highlights that intervention preferences were informed by the prior strain and struggle of waiting on other kinds of health and social services. We propose an adapted model for community research collaboration to promote equity in addition to practice and policy recommendations.

Relationship Status Rather than Sociosexuality or Sexual Orientation Predicts Male Sexual Functioning

Male sexual functioning is a prerequisite for conception and consequently for reproduction and is thus a crucial mechanism from an evolutionary and social perspective. Previous studies reported better sexual functioning in coupled compared to single individuals. However, it is not clear whether sexual functioning increases or decreases with a short-term casual sexual strategy, which is another possibility, along with a long-term strategy. Furthermore, sexual orientation may represent yet another mating strategy that may influence sexual functioning. Here, we aimed to test the possible associations between male sexual functioning and sexual strategies, as measured through sociosexuality, relationship status, and sexual orientation. We hypothesize that due to its relationship with the evolved motivation of mate acquisition and mate retention, both stable relationships and sociosexuality would be positively associated with male sexual functioning. We did not expect significant differences in sexual functioning among men with different sexual orientations. We sampled 427 healthy men of different sexual orientations (203 heterosexuals, 77 bisexuals, and 147 gay men) who completed the Male Sexual Function Index (MSFI) and its subscales of desire, arousal, erection, orgasm, and satisfaction; the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory-Revised; and sociodemographic questions. A multivariate general linear model showed that, compared to single individuals, partnered individuals reported greater MSFI-arousal, MSFI-erection, MSFI-orgasm, and MSFI-satisfaction. Sociosexuality and sexual orientation only weakly predicted MSFI domains. Male sexual functioning thus seems to be moderately associated with a long-term mating strategy and can thus serve for relationship maintenance rather than for acquiring new partners.

How People React to the Termination of an Intimate Relationship: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study

Intimate relationships frequently come to an end, and in the current research, we have endeavored to examine how individuals would potentially react in the scenario where their intimate partner decides to terminate a relationship they wish to continue. More specifically, employing open-ended questionnaires on a sample of 219 Greek-speaking participants, we identified 79 possible reactions. Subsequently, using close-ended questionnaires on a sample of 442 Greek-speaking participants, we categorized these reactions into 13 broad factors. Participants indicated that they were more likely to feel sadness, inquire of their departing partners why they wish to end the relationship, and attempt to divert their thoughts elsewhere to avoid dwelling on the end of the relationship. Men indicated a higher likelihood than women to seek revenge sex, although significant sex differences were not observed in other reactions. Furthermore, we classified these 13 factors into three broader domains. The highest-rated domain was "Accept and forget," followed by "Sadness and depression," and "Physical and psychological aggression." These findings could enable us to gain a better understanding of the process of relationship dissolution, and could potentially be employed to identify and prevent reactions that may have harmful repercussions for the individuals involved in the relationship.

Experiences of facilitators and barriers for fulfilment of human needs when living with restless legs syndrome: a qualitative study

PURPOSE

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a widespread condition that affects sleep leading to daytime sleepiness, depression, and reduced quality of life. This study aims to determine and describe how patients with RLS experience their everyday life, with a focus on facilitators and barriers related to Maslow's hierarchical theory of human needs.

METHOD

Semi-structured interviews were analysed with qualitative content analysis resulting in facilitators and barriers affecting the fulfilment of the five human needs.

RESULTS

Addressing RLS symptoms through medications and a quiet sleep environment fulfils psychological needs. Control over RLS symptoms, engagement in activities, trust in treatments, and social support meet safety and security needs. Social inclusion, close relationships, and meaningful interactions fulfil a sense of belongingness and love needs despite RLS. Competence in managing RLS, effective self-care strategies, confident communication, and trust-building support esteem needs. Finally, comprehensive understanding through person-centred interventions and coping fulfils the self-actualization needs in managing RLS.

CONCLUSION

Holistic and person-centred interventions, including facilitators for the fulfilment of physiological, psychological, and social needs could help healthcare professionals to provide holistic care.

Dry promotions and positive psychology: striking a balance for employee well-being

PURPOSE

We aim to address the evolving phenomenon of dry promotions and its impact on employee well-being in organizations. Dry promotion, its possible effects on employee well-being and some strategies to mitigate its adverse consequences are presented as a viewpoint paper.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

The arguments in this viewpoint are built on theoretical insights drawn from various organizational theories, such as Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's two-factor theory and self-determination theory. However, the main line of thought revolves around positive psychology theory, which assesses the paper's existing literature, news articles and case studies to discuss the emerging phenomenon concisely.

FINDINGS

Dry promotion is often characterized by job title upgrades without corresponding pay increases. While dry promotion may satisfy higher-level needs for some individuals, they usually neglect lower-level needs, leading to stress and work-life imbalance, ultimately causing detrimental effects on employee well-being. Strategies at individual, group and organizational levels are crucial to navigate this phenomenon and its consequences. We argue that fair communication, supportive workplace culture and providing avenues for skill enhancement curtail the adverse effects of dry promotion on employee well-being. In addition, a culture fostering mindfulness can help employees navigate the challenges of increased responsibilities without proportional financial rewards.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Our study can provide at least some guidance on how to navigate through the phenomenon of dry promotions.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

Our paper contributes to the scant literature on dry promotions by assessing the likely effects of dry promotions on employee well-being and suggesting practical strategies to deal with it.

Being as Having, Loving, and Doing: A Theory of Human Well-Being

ACADEMIC ABSTRACT

Stronger theory on the nature of human well-being is needed, especially as well-being indicators are increasingly utilized in policy contexts. Building on Erik Allardt, who argued that a theory of well-being is, in essence, a theory of human nature, I propose four modes of existence each capturing one dimension central to human well-being: Having recognizes humans as biological creatures requiring certain material resources for survival. Loving captures human social nature and our dependence on others for well-being. Doing highlights the active and agentic nature of human existence. Being acknowledges humans as experiencing their existence. Each mode of existence gives rise to a few more specific needs, and a full assessment of human well-being requires both subjective and objective indicators tapping into these needs. The proposed theory integrates psychological well-being research with sociological and philosophical traditions and contributes to debates about how the progress of nations and sustainability should be measured.

PUBLIC ABSTRACT

Well-being is something we all value individually, and it is also a key political goal. Accordingly, how we define and measure well-being influences what physicians, managers, policy-makers, politicians, and international organizations aim to improve through their work. Better theories of well-being make better measurement of well-being possible, which makes possible more effective and evidence-based advancement of human well-being. In this spirit, the present article argues that there are four fundamental dimensions to human well-being: Having highlights that as biological creatures, we have physical needs, loving highlights human social needs, doing highlights that we are active and agentic beings with goals and strivings, and being highlights that we feel and evaluate our lives. To assess well-being, we need measures tapping into all four of these dimensions. And to assess the sustainability of well-being, we need to examine how to provide well-being for all humanity while remaining within planetary boundaries.

An investigation of the direct and indirect effects of desire for independence and perceived level of achievement on singlehood status

The present study aimed to examine the associations between the desire for independence, perceived level of achievement, and relationship status. Specifically, we conducted the study with a sample of 667 Greek-speaking participants (389 women, 275 men, and three participants who did not indicate their sex) who were either single or in an intimate relationship. We employed close-ended questionnaires that included instruments developed using AI. We found that men and women who desired more independence were more likely to be voluntarily single than in an intimate relationship. Additionally, a higher desire for independence was associated with more years being single, but this effect was significant only for men. Furthermore, we found that the perceived level of achievement was not significantly associated with relationship status directly; however, higher scores in this dimension were associated with fewer years spent as single for men. Moreover, a higher perceived level of achievement was associated with a decreased probability of being involuntarily single rather than in an intimate relationship and fewer years spent as single indirectly, by being associated with higher self-esteem, which was associated with higher flirting capacity. These paths were significant for both men and women. Our findings suggest that the desire for independence and perceived achievement play an important role in explaining why some people are single and others in an intimate relationship.

Sexual Desire is not Partner-Specific : Evidence for a Positive Association Between Desire for One's Romantic Partner and Desire for Alternative Partners

One longitudinal study of married couples and one experiment tested the hypothesis that the experience of sexual desire for an alternative sexual partner might heighten feelings of desire for one's long-term romantic partner, and conversely, sexual desire for one's long-term partner might heighten desire for alternative partners. A daily-diary study of newlywed couples revealed that (a) on days people reported heightened interest in alternative partners, they also reported increased desire to have sex with their partner and (b) on days people reported heightened desire to have sex with their partner, they also reported increased interest in alternative partners. An experimental study of partnered individuals revealed that people primed with sexual desire for an alternative partner reported increased sexual desire for their romantic partner (relative to a control condition). People primed with sexual desire for their romantic partner, however, did not report increased sexual desire for alternatives. Taken together, these findings support evolutionary perspectives on the function of sexual desire. Findings are consistent with the broader hypothesis that sexual desire is not partner-specific.

Specificity of cost and probability biases in social anxiety: Comparing status and belongingness threats

BACKGROUND

Social anxiety (SA) is characterized by concerns about the expected occurrence (probability) and anticipated distress (cost) of social threats. Unclear is whether SA correlates specifically with biased expectations of belongingness or status threats.

AIMS

We aimed to discern if SA is uniquely tied to biased expectancies of either belongingness or status threats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We assessed 757 participants' perceptions of exclusion and put-down scenarios, analysing associations between SA and threat perceptions.

DISCUSSION

Our findings support the status-sensitivity hypothesis, suggesting individuals with high SA are particularly attuned to the perceived cost of status threats, potentially informing treatment approaches.

CONCLUSION

Understanding SA's link to status concerns enhances therapeutic strategies, emphasizing the need to address status-related situations, cognitions, and emotions in interventions.

The Mating Psychology of Incels (Involuntary Celibates): Misfortunes, Misperceptions, and Misrepresentations

Mating represents a suite of fundamental adaptive problems for humans. Yet a community of men, called incels (involuntary celibates), forge their identity around their perceived inability to solve these problems. Many incels engage in misogynistic online hostility, and there are concerns about violence stemming from the community. Despite significant media speculation about the potential mating psychology of incels, this has yet to be formally investigated in the scientific literature. In the first formal investigation of incel mating psychology, we compared a sample (n = 151) of self-identified male incels with non-incel single males (n = 149). Findings revealed that incels have a lower sense of self-perceived mate-value and a greater external locus of control regarding their singlehood. Contrary to mainstream media narratives, incels also reported lower minimum standards for mate preferences than non-incels. Incels (and non-incel single men) significantly overestimated the importance of physical attractiveness and financial prospects to women, and underestimated the importance of intelligence, kindness, and humor. Furthermore, incels underestimated women's overall minimum mate preference standards. Our findings suggest that incels should be targeted for interventions to challenge cognitive distortions around female mate preferences. Implications for incels' mental health and misogynistic attitudes are discussed, as well as directions for future research.

Experimentally manipulated anger activates implicit cognitions about social hierarchy

A correlational pilot study (N = 143) and an integrative data analysis of two experiments (total N = 377) provide evidence linking anger to the psychology of social hierarchy. The experiments demonstrate that the experience of anger increases the psychological accessibility of implicit cognitions related to social hierarchy: compared to participants in a control condition, participants in an anger-priming condition completed word stems with significantly more hierarchy-related words. We found little support for sex differences in the effect of anger on implicit hierarchy-related cognition; effects were equivalent across male and female participants. Findings fit with functionalist evolutionary views of anger suggesting that anger may motivate the use of dominance to strive for high social rank in group hierarchies. Implications for downstream behaviour, including aggression and negotiation, are discussed.

Young adults' desired life tradeoffs: love first, sex last

Every human and non-human animal must make tradeoffs in investments in terms of time, energy, and resources. The aim of this study was to extrapolate from the types of investments in survival and reproduction that non-human animals make and translate these into human motivations. 16 potential goals were presented to 851 childless, 18-23-year-old adults from 11 world regions in an online study. Each young adult was asked to weight the importance of every goal to his or her ideal life. Weights had to sum to 100, requiring tradeoffs. Results revealed striking agreement across young adults with only four goals weighted above chance: Finding a beloved romantic partner, being physically and emotionally healthy, and earning money or resources. Having lots of sexual partners was the least important goal across all world regions for both sexes. Nevertheless, men more than women valued having many sexual partners, being talented outside work, being physically strong, and having a physically attractive romantic partner. Overall, there was cultural variation in some of the less important goals. Helping young adults achieve success requires understanding their own goals, rather than focusing on popularized depictions of what young adults desire.

Relationship between marital satisfaction and defeat in IVF-ET: based on actor-partner interdependence model approach

OBJECTIVE

A person's marital satisfaction is a strong predictor of their own mental health outcomes. However, marital satisfaction results from both spouses' experiences, so a partner's marital satisfaction also affects his or her mental health outcomes. This study adopted the actor-partner interdependence model approach (APIM) to evaluate the relationship between marital satisfaction and sense of defeat in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) couples.

METHODS AND MEASURES

In this cross-sectional study, 181 infertile couples undergoing IVF-ET treatment were recruited using the Marital Satisfaction Scale of the ENRICH Marital Quality Questionnaire and Defeat Scale. Through APIM and Pearson analysis, the path relationship between marital satisfaction and defeat was analyzed.

RESULTS

The varying degrees of defeat in IVF-ET couples, are closely related to actors' and partners' marital satisfaction. In terms of actor effects, the Marital Satisfaction of both husbands (β = -0.71, p < 0.001) and wives (β = -0.46, p = 0.001) have a significant effect on individual Defeat. With regard to partner effects, husbands' Marital Satisfaction (β = -0.23, p = 0.038) has a significant impact on wives' Defeat and the wives' Marital Satisfaction (β = -0.45, p = -0.005) has a significant impact on husbands' Defeat.

CONCLUSION

IVF-ET couples must be looked at as a whole, and it is critical to include couples and not just men or women when studying infertility. The importance of their interaction is essential to improve the psychosocial adaptation of infertile couples in IVF-ET treatment.

Perceived built environment as a mediator linking objective built environment and leisure-time physical activity in Chinese cities

Numerous studies have suggested that the perceived built environment is shaped by the objective built environment and influences human physical activity. However, the empirical examination of this pathway remains scant. Addressing this gap, our study investigates whether the built environment affects leisure-time physical activity through its impact on the perceived built environment, utilizing data collected from 760 residents in Fuzhou, China. Structural Equation Modeling results reveal a modest correlation between objective and perceived built environment elements, with the objective built environment being a stronger predictor of leisure-time physical activity. Notably, perceived recreational facilities significantly mediate the relationship between objective recreational facilities and leisure-time physical activity, accounting for 15% of the variance in physical activity due to objective recreational facilities. This mediation effect is consistent across subpopulations, irrespective of residential self-selection biases. These results highlight the imperative for urban planning and policy to extend beyond mere spatial allocation of amenities to enhancing both the actual and perceived accessibility of these facilities, thus underlining the study's profound implications for public health and urban development strategies.

Self-actualization and B-values: Development and validation of two instruments in the Brazilian context

Self-actualization is a complex psychological construct within Maslow's motivation theory, characterized by numerous gaps in the empirical and measurement spectrums. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to develop, validate, and cross-verify measures for self-actualization attributes and B-values, focusing on job context and theoretical congruence with innovative behavior and human values related to the self-actualization construct (suprapersonal subfunction). This study involved a diverse sample of 621 Brazilian participants from 25 different professions, indicating the broad applicability of the findings. The proposed instruments underwent content and semantic validity assessments, followed by verification of factor validity and internal consistency. Results showed satisfactory content, semantic and factor validity and internal consistency parameters. The study reveals that self-actualization attributes can be understood through achieving one's own potential and work meta-motivation, consistent with the adoption of B-values. Relationships with suprapersonal values (maturity, knowledge, and beauty) and innovative work behavior were also demonstrated, suggesting convergent validity evidence. The validation of SAAS and BVI contributes to understanding self-actualization and B-values in varied Brazilian contexts, offering insights for psychological assessment and intervention.

Who takes the lead in consumer choices within romantic relationships: the evidence from electroencephalography hyperscanning and granger causality analysis

In real-life scenarios, joint consumption is common, particularly influenced by social relationships such as romantic ones. However, how romantic relationships affect consumption decisions and determine dominance remains unclear. This study employs electroencephalography hyperscanning to examine the neural dynamics of couples during joint-consumption decisions. Results show that couples, compared to friends and strangers, prefer healthier foods, while friends have significantly faster reaction times when selecting food. Time-frequency analysis indicates that couples exhibit significantly higher theta power, reflecting deeper emotional and cognitive involvement. Strangers show greater beta1 power, indicating increased cognitive effort and alertness due to unfamiliarity. Friends demonstrate higher alpha2 power when choosing unhealthy foods, suggesting increased cognitive inhibition. Inter-brain phase synchrony analysis reveals that couples display significantly higher inter-brain phase synchrony in the beta1 and theta bands across the frontal-central, parietal, and occipital regions, indicating more coordinated cognitive processing and stronger emotional bonds. Females in couples may be more influenced by emotions during consumption decisions, with detailed sensory information processing, while males exhibit higher cognitive control and spatial integration. Granger-causality analysis shows a pattern of male dominance and female dependence in joint consumption within romantic relationships. This study highlights gender-related neural synchronous patterns during joint consumption among couples, providing insights for further research in consumer decision-making.

An evolutionary analysis of the applicability and utility of the clinico-pathological method in psychiatry

Unlike other medical specialties, psychiatry has not been involved in the theoretical shift that replaced the syndromal approach with the clinico-pathological method, which consists in explaining clinical manifestations by reference to morbid anatomical and physiological changes. Past and present discussions on the applicability of the clinico-pathological method in psychiatry are based on a pre-Darwinian concept of biology as the study of proximate causation. Distinguishing between mediating mechanisms and evolved functions, an evolutionary perspective offers an original contribution to the debate by overcoming the opposite views of dualism (i.e., the clinico-pathological method is not applicable to disorders of the mind) and neuroessentialism (i.e., the definitive way of explaining psychiatric disorders is by reference to the brain and its activity). An evolutionary perspective offers original insights on the utility of the clinico-pathological method to solve critical questions of psychiatric research and clinical practice, including the distinction between mental health and illness, a better understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology, the classification and differential diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, and the development of more efficacious psychiatric treatments.

CyberStatus: Responses to status manipulation and fears of positive and negative evaluations

Fear of positive evaluation (FPE) and fear of negative evaluation (FNE), which play distinct and central roles in social anxiety (SA), are postulated to reflect conflicting forces in hierarchal group contexts. Yet, experimental studies testing these assumptions are scarce. We examined the impact of status positions on FPE, FNE, and SA using a novel manipulation, CyberStatus. Participants (N = 557) provided self-descriptive statements before being randomly assigned to high, intermediate, or low-status conditions. Next, they reported their emotions, status, and belongingness-related cognitions and adjusted their self-presentation. FPE was more strongly linked to self-presentation modifications in the high- compared to intermediate-status conditions and positively associated with perceived status in the low vs. intermediate conditions. Furthermore, FPE and SA were more linked to belongingness in low vs. intermediate status conditions while FNE demonstrated the reversed pattern. These findings support and expand the evolutionary perspective on evaluation fears and emphasize the importance of assessing the linkage between status and belongingness systems in SA.

Associations between self-perceptions of aging and social functioning in older adults: An analysis based on health and retirement study data

OBJECTIVES

Self-perception of aging (SPA) and social functioning are two important variables in the process of healthy aging, but the relationship between them is still unclear. This study aimed to explore the association between SPA and social functioning in older adults.

METHODS

We conducted a longitudinal study utilizing data from the Health and Retirement Study. The sample comprised individuals aged 50 and above. Socio-demographic, psychosocial, and lifestyle information of study participants was systematically collected at baseline (2012 and 2014) and during follow-up four years later (2016 and 2018). SPA was measured using a scale assessing individuals' attitudes toward their aging process. Social functioning was evaluated through 22 questions, reflecting individuals' abilities to engage in and perform various roles and tasks in their daily lives. Multilevel modeling was employed to analyze the relationship between SPA and social functioning. Differences in social functioning changes among various SPA groups were assessed through the Generalized Estimating Equations methodology.

RESULTS

The study included 8,454 participants with an average age of 68.3 years (SD = 9.92). The multilevel model revealed a significant correlation between SPA and social functioning (β = 0.131; P < 0.001). This relationship persisted after adjusting the model (β = 0.088; P < 0.001). Generalized Estimating Equations indicated noteworthy differences in social functioning changes among distinct SPA groups (P = 0.034).

DISCUSSION

Positive SPA is associated with the healthy social functioning of older adults. Healthcare providers could target modifiable aspects of SPA to enhance the social function of older adults and promote successful aging.

A close look at sociality in DSM criteria

PURPOSE

The importance of sociality in psychology and psychotherapy is quite undisputed; however, this construct risks being underestimated in psychiatric nosography. The aim of the review was to assess the relevance of sociality in DSM 5 criteria.

METHOD

Sociality-laden criteria of 192 selected DSM categories have been identified through a textual grid. Second, the criteria have been classified into 6 categories, i.e., (1) Affiliation and Attachment (AA), (2) Social Communication (SC), (3) Perception and Understanding of Others (PUO), (4) Culture, (5) Clinical Significance Criterion (CSC) (6), and No Specific Construct (NSC).

RESULTS

13% of all mental disorders mention AA in their criteria. 8.8% of all mental disorders mention SC; 8.8% of all mental disorders mention PUO in their criteria. 15% of all mental disorders mention culture in their criteria (exclusively ex negativo though). 40% of mental disorders mention non-specific sociality (NSC) in their criteria. CSC is mentioned in 85% of mental disorders. Personality disorders have the highest "concentration" of sociality mentions throughout the DSM categories.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall results suggest that DSM criteria offer a confused account of sociality. We believe that the descriptive approach is the underlying reason. We suggest that in the long run a theory-laden approach to sociality, informed by evolutionary insights about motivations, could be of help.

"Death and Love Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic": Effects of Pathogen Threats on Online Dating and Social Distancing From Life-History Strategy Perspectives

Drawing from the terror management theory (TMT) and evolutionary perspectives of Life-History Strategy, a between-subject online experiment examined the interaction effects of pre-existing death anxiety, fear-inducing media content (coronavirus threat vs. gun violence threat vs. low threat mental disorder), and intrasexual competition for mates on online dating intentions and social distancing intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicate the interaction effects of participants' pre-experimental death anxiety and different types of fear-inducing media content on perceived fear and intention to use online dating websites/apps as well as the interaction effects of pre-experimental intrasexual competitiveness and fear-inducing media content on social distancing intention in the context of online dating. Theoretical contributions to the terror management literature and practical implications for the online dating industry are discussed.

Measuring perceived fitness interdependence between humans and non-humans

Conservation ethics (i.e. moral concern for non-human organisms) are widespread, but we lack a comprehensive explanation for why people care about other species at all, and why they express strong moral concern for some species but not others. Recent theory suggests that conservation ethics might be rooted in cooperation between humans and members of other species. Building on central predictions of this eco-evolutionary theory, we conducted an online study (N = 651) and exploratory factor analysis to develop two scales that independently measure perceived fitness interdependence (PFI) and conservation ethics. The PFI scale measures perceived shared fate as a proximate indicator of human fitness interdependence with non-human organisms (i.e. the degree to which humans and other organisms influence each other's evolutionary success, that is, survival and reproduction). We designed the conservation ethics scale to measure moral beliefs and attitudes regarding those organisms. Both scales are composed of two factors and demonstrate good internal reliability. By combining insights from various branches of the evolutionary human sciences, including evolutionary anthropology, evolutionary psychology and human behavioural ecology, we offer empirical tools to investigate eco-evolutionary foundations of conservation ethics and behaviour.

Relationship status moderates sexual prejudice directed toward lesbian women but not gay men

To determine whether relationship status moderates sexual prejudice, we compared heterosexual men and women's self-reported social distancing toward gay and lesbian targets who varied in relationship status (coupled, single, no information). Relationship status of gay male targets did not affect responses (Study 1): heterosexual men reported increased social distancing toward gay compared to heterosexual male targets, whereas women did not. Similarly, in Study 2, heterosexual men reported increased social distancing toward lesbian compared to heterosexual female targets, but women did not, and men reported decreased social distancing toward single lesbian women. Working from an affordance management approach, Study 3 replicated Studies 1 and 2, testing potential mediators of effects. In particular, heterosexual men reported increased social distancing toward gay male targets, compared to responses from heterosexual women. Moreover, heterosexual women reported increased social distancing toward single, compared to coupled, lesbian targets, mediated through perceptions of undesired sexual interest from the target. This work demonstrates the nuanced nature of sexual prejudice and provides further evidence of the role of perceptions of undesired sexual interest in prejudiced responses toward lesbian and gay individuals.

Attitudes and Laws About Abortion Are Linked to Extrinsic Mortality Risk: A Life-History Perspective on Variability in Reproductive Rights

Abortion policy is conventionally viewed as a political matter with religious overtones. This article offers a different view. From the perspective of evolutionary biology, abortion at a young age can represent prioritization of long-term development over immediate reproduction, a pattern established in other animal species as resulting from stable ecologies with low mortality risk. We examine whether laws and moral beliefs about abortions are linked to local mortality rates. Data from 50 U.S. states, 202 world societies, 2,596 adult individuals in 363 U.S. counties, and 147,260 respondents across the globe suggest that lower levels of mortality risk are associated with more permissive laws and attitudes toward abortion. Those associations were observed when we controlled for religiosity, political ideology, wealth, education, and industrialization. Integrating evolutionary and cultural perspectives offers an explanation as to why moral beliefs and legal norms about reproduction may be sensitive to levels of ecological adversity.

Cognitive fossils: using cultural artifacts to reconstruct psychological changes throughout history

Psychology is crucial for understanding human history. When aggregated, changes in the psychology of individuals - in the intensity of social trust, parental care, or intellectual curiosity - can lead to important changes in institutions, social norms, and cultures. However, studying the role of psychology in shaping human history has been hindered by the difficulty of documenting the psychological traits of people who are no longer alive. Recent developments in psychology suggest that cultural artifacts reflect in part the psychological traits of the individuals who produced or consumed them. Cultural artifacts can thus serve as 'cognitive fossils' - physical imprints of the psychological traits of long-dead people. We review the range of materials available to cognitive and behavioral scientists, and discuss the methods that can be used to recover and quantify changes in psychological traits throughout history.

Pursuing Safety in Social Connection: A Flexibly Fluid Perspective on Risk Regulation in Relationships

People are fundamentally motivated to be included in social connections that feel safe, connections where they are consistently cared for and protected, not hurt or exploited. Romantic relationships have long played a crucial role in satisfying this fundamental need. This article reconceptualizes the risk-regulation model to argue that people draw on experiences from inside and outside their romantic relationships to satisfy their fundamental need to feel safe depending on others. We first review the direct relational cues (i.e., a partner's affectionate touch, responsive versus unresponsive behavior, and relative power) and indirect cues (i.e., bodily sensations, collective value in the eyes of others, and living conditions) that signal the current safety of social connection and motivate people to connect to others or protect themselves against them. We then review how people's chronic capacity to trust in others controls their sensitivity and reactivity to the safety cues. The article concludes with future research directions.

Shorter Goals for the Faster Life: Childhood Unpredictability Is Associated With Shorter Motivational Time Horizons

Models of adaptive calibration provide an overarching theoretical framework for understanding the developmental roots of psychological and behavioral outcomes in adulthood. An adaptive calibration framework was used to examine an important dimension of motivation: goal timing. Across two studies, we saw mixed support for the hypothesis that unpredictability experienced in childhood would be negatively associated with the time horizons people use to set their goals, such that people who reported experiencing more unpredictability in their childhood tended to set goals on relatively shorter time horizons. The association was observed based on independent ratings of goal timing, but not based on participants' self-reported ratings of goal timing, and was statistically mediated by people's tendency to consider the short- versus long-term future consequences of their actions. These studies isolate a key component of childhood adversity-unpredictability-potentially underlying the time horizons people use to set, prioritize, and pursue their goals.

Family support during childhood as a predictor of mate retention and kin care in adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: an exploratory study

Introduction

Experiences during development help to explain behavior expression in adulthood.

Aims

In this study, we explored how unpredictability and harshness experienced during childhood may have impacted the occurrence of reproductive milestones in adulthood and the expression of fundamental motives related to self-protection, disease avoidance, mate seeking, mate retention, and kin care (children/family) during the pandemic.

Methods

This was an exploratory study with 438 participants. Through the administration of online questionnaires, participants were assessed and categorized based on their childhood experiences, resulting in three groups: low unpredictability, high unpredictability with family support, and high unpredictability without family support.

Results

We found that family support experienced during childhood predicts a slow life-history strategy. This involves an emphasis on growth and parenting efforts at the expense reproduction and was relevant even for participants who faced financial unpredictability. During the pandemic, we also observed that mate retention and kin care (family) motives were predominant among individuals who had greater family support during childhood.

Discussion

Overall, the findings suggest that unpredictability experienced during childhood is crucial for the development of life-history strategies and the manifestation of fundamental motives in adulthood.

The Link Between Age and Partner Preferences in a Large, International Sample of Single Women

Women's capacity to reproduce varies over the life span, and developmental goals such as family formation are age-graded and shaped by social norms about the appropriate age for completing specific developmental tasks. Thus, a woman's age may be linked to her ideas about what an ideal partner should be like. With the goals of replicating and extending prior research, in this study we examined the role of age in women's partner preferences across the globe. We investigated associations of age with ideal long-term partner preferences in a cross-cultural sample of 17,254 single (i.e., unpartnered) heterosexual women, ages 18 to 67, from 147 countries. Data were collected via an online questionnaire, the Ideal Partner Survey. Confirming our preregistered hypotheses, we found no or only negligible age effects on preferences for kindness-supportiveness, attractiveness, financial security-successfulness, or education-intelligence. Age was, however, positively associated with preferences for confidence-assertiveness. Consistent with family formation goals, age was associated with an ideal partner's parenting intentions (high until approximately age 30, then decreasing afterward). Age range deemed acceptable (and in particular, the discrepancy between one's own age and the minimum ideal age of a partner) increased with age. This latter pattern also replicated in exploratory analyses based on subsamples of lesbian and bisexual women. In summary, age has a limited impact on partner preferences. Of the attributes investigated, only preference for confidence-assertiveness was linked with age. However, age range deemed acceptable and an ideal partner's parenting intention, a dimension mostly neglected in earlier research, substantially vary with age.

Sex and Relationships in Later Life: Older Adults' Experiences and Perceptions of Sexual Changes

The aim of this study was to explore the sexual lives of older adults in the UK to elucidate their experiences of sexual changes and problems, and the role of intimacy and interpersonal support in coping with these changes. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 31 participants (aged 66-92, mean = 74, 16 women and 15 men), analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Our analysis generated three themes: Sexual Changes are "Natural," Sex is the Icing on the Cake, and Maintaining Sexual Connection and Relationship Satisfaction. The participants often rationalized and accepted sexual changes and problems as part of the natural aging process, or as a consequence of other age-related health issues. Sexual activity was seen by many as the "icing on the cake" of a satisfying romantic relationship, built on strong foundations of intimacy, connection, and companionship. Relationship satisfaction and sexual wellbeing can be maintained despite changes to sexual function by retaining a sexual connection through shared experiences, emotional closeness, and support. The findings have important implications for researchers and health providers, and suggest that adopting an "affirmative older age" perspective would be useful for not only future research but also when providing support for older adults with sexual difficulties.

What are Romantic Relationships Good for? An Explorative Analysis of the Perceived Benefits of Being in a Relationship

Forming long-term intimate relationships is a human universal, with most people across different times and cultures doing so. Such relationships should be associated with important benefits otherwise individuals would not engage in them, with the current research aiming to identify what people consider as beneficial in a long-term intimate relationship. More specifically, Study 1 employed qualitative research methods in a sample of 221 Greek-speaking participants, and identified 82 perceived benefits. Study 2 employed quantitative research methods in a sample of 545 Greek-speaking participants, and classified these benefits into 10 broad factors and two broader domains. Experiencing positive emotions, including love and passion, as well as having someone to provide support and do things together, were considered among the most important benefits. Although there were a few significant differences, the evaluations of the perceived benefits of intimate relationships were generally consistent across participants of different sex, age, and relationship status.

Infertility-related stress and its relationship with emotional divorce among Iranian infertile people

BACKGROUND

Infertility affects different aspects of couples' lives, so it may cause problems in couples' emotional relationships by increasing marital conflicts. This study aimed to determine Infertility-related stress and its relationship with emotional divorce among Iranian infertile people.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional observational study on 200 infertile people. The research environment was one of the well-equipped infertility centers in Tehran, Iran. Continuous sampling was employed. The data collection tools included a general information form, the Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI), and the Emotional Divorce Scale (EDS).

RESULTS

The findings revealed a significant direct relationship between infertility-related stress and all its subscales with emotional divorce in both infertile women and men. In infertile women, the most concern was the need for parenthood, while the lowest concerns were the relationship and sexual concerns. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that social and relationship concerns predicted 44% of emotional divorce, with social concern being the more influential factor. In infertile men, the need for parenthood was the most significant concern, while relationship and social concerns were less prominent. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that relationship concern predicted 50% of emotional divorce in infertile men. In both infertile men and women, social and relationship concerns explained 45% of the variance in emotional divorce. Among these two variables, relationship concern had a more impact in predicting emotional divorce. Also, there was no statistically significant difference between women and men regarding infertility-related stress and its subscales, except for sexual concern.

CONCLUSION

The study highlights the importance of the need for parenthood as a main concern among infertile individuals. Increased infertility-related stress and its subscales contribute to higher levels of emotional divorce among this population. Additionally, relationship concern was the lowest concern in infertile people. But it significantly predicts emotional divorce among infertile individuals.

The COVID-19 pandemic and seeking information about condoms online: an infodemiology approach

Objectives: As condoms are effective tools for pathogen-avoidance in sexual intercourse, seeking information about condoms online may be a reactive response to the COVID-19 according to the behavioral immune system theory.Design: Taking an infodemiology perspective, this research employed multilevel analyses to examine how COVID-19 online query data (i.e., Google topic search terms Coronavirus and COVID-19) and coronavirus epidemiological data (i.e., COVID-19 cases per million and case fatality rate) would predict condom information seeking behavior online (i.e., Google topic search term Condom) throughout the pandemic across American states (Study 1) and 102 countries/territories (Study 2), after accounting for death-thought accessibility (i.e., illness-related searches), interest in birth control (i.e., birth-control-related searches), COVID-19 control policy, stay at home behavior, season, religious holidays, yearly trends, autocorrelation, and contextual variables such as HIV prevalence rate and socioeconomic development indicators (GINI index, urbanization, etc.).Results: When there were high levels of COVID-19 concerns in cyberspace in a given week, search volume for condoms increased from the previous week across American states and different countries/territories. By contrast, the effect of actual coronavirus threat was non-significant.Conclusion: Seeking information about condoms online could be a reactive response to high levels of COVID-19 concerns across different populations.

Factors influencing technology use among low-income older adults: A systematic review

As the world's aging population increases, leveraging technology to support aging is proving advantageous. Notably, technology adoption studies among older adults have received increasing scholarly attention, but findings from these studies do not reflect the context of low-income older adults. Studies focusing on low-income older adults were relatively few and it remains unclear which factors influence this group's technology use. This systematic review aims to synthesize findings on factors influencing technology use among low-income older adults to provide directions and opportunities for future research in information systems. Observing the literature through the lens of Social Cognitive Theory, we identified avenues for future research and further integrated the framework with Maslow's hierarchy of needs to elucidate the phenomenon. Findings from this systematic review suggest that both personal and environmental factors, such as cognitions, affects, sociodemographic characteristics, technological and social environment are significant predictors of technology use among low-income older adults. Specifically, factors related to accessibility and affordability, such as income, perceived cost, and accessibility to technology are salient in a resource-limited setting. More importantly, the technology usage behavior elucidate the embeddedness of fundamental human needs which plays a central role underlying technology use among this segment. However, more research is needed to understand the interaction between person, environment and behavior determinant shaping technology use among low-income older adults from diverse economic and cultural setting. This study also sheds light on disciplinary gaps and the lack of investigations anchored on theoretical foundations, and suggests avenues for future research and implications for practice.

Enriching Psychology by Zooming Out to General Mindsets and Practices in Natural Habitats

Psychology has been "zooming in" on individuals, dyads, and groups with a narrow lens to the exclusion of "zooming out," which involves placing the targeted phenomena within more distal layers of influential context. Here, we plea for a paradigm shift. Specifically, we showcase largely hidden scientific benefits of zooming out by discussing worldwide evidence on inhabitants' habitual adaptations to colder-than-temperate and hotter-than-temperate habitats. These exhibits reveal two different types of theories. Clement-climate perspectives emphasize that generic common properties of stresses from cold and hot temperatures elicit similar effects on personality traits and psychosocial functioning. Cold-versus-heat perspectives emphasize that specific unique properties of stresses from cold and hot habitats elicit different effects on phenomena, such as speech practices and intergroup discrimination. Both zooming-out perspectives are then integrated into a complementary framework that helps identify explanatory mechanisms and demonstrates the broader added value of embedding zooming-in approaches within zooming-out approaches. Indeed, zooming out enriches psychology.

Toward a translational team science hierarchy of needs: Exploring the information management challenges of team science

Background

Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) requires a team-based approach, with successful teams engaging in skilled management and use of information. Yet we know little about the ways that Translational Teams (TTs) engage with information across the lifecycle of CTR projects. This qualitative study explored the challenges that information management imposes on the conduct of team-based CTR.

Methods

We conducted interviews with ten members of TTs at University of Wisconsin. Interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was conducted.

Results

TTs' piecemeal and reactive approaches to information management created conflict within the team and slowed scientific progress. The lack of cohesive information management strategies made it more difficult for teams to develop strong team processes like communication, scientific coordination, and project management. While TTs' research was hindered by the institutional challenges of interdisciplinary team information sharing, TTs who had developed shared approaches to information management that foregrounded transparency, accountability, and trust, described substantial benefits to their teamwork.

Conclusion

We propose a new model for the Science of Team Science field - a Translational Team Science Hierarchy of Needs - that suggests interventions should be targeted at the appropriate stage of team development in order to maximize a team's scientific potential.

Negative psychological and physiological effects of social networking site use: The example of Facebook

Social networking sites (SNS), with Facebook as a prominent example, have become an integral part of our daily lives and more than four billion people worldwide use SNS. However, the (over-)use of SNS also poses both psychological and physiological risks. In the present article, we review the scientific literature on the risk of Facebook (over-)use. Addressing this topic is critical because evidence indicates the development of problematic Facebook use ("Facebook addiction") due to excessive and uncontrolled use behavior with various psychological and physiological effects. We conducted a review to examine the scope, range, and nature of prior empirical research on the negative psychological and physiological effects of Facebook use. Our literature search process revealed a total of 232 papers showing that Facebook use is associated with eight major psychological effects (perceived anxiety, perceived depression, perceived loneliness, perceived eating disorders, perceived self-esteem, perceived life satisfaction, perceived insomnia, and perceived stress) and three physiological effects (physiological stress, human brain alteration, and affective experience state). The review also describes how Facebook use is associated with these effects and provides additional details on the reviewed literature, including research design, sample, age, and measures. Please note that the term "Facebook use" represents an umbrella term in the present work, and in the respective sections it will be made clear what kind of Facebook use is associated with a myriad of investigated psychological variables. Overall, findings indicate that certain kinds of Facebook use may come along with significant risks, both psychologically and physiologically. Based on our review, we also identify potential avenues for future research.

Functional Heuristics of Disease Transmission from Physical Deformities in Food Preferences

Ostensibly serving to restrict contact with disease vectors, humans exhibit aversion toward cues heuristically inferred as pathogenic. This restriction could lead perceivers to downregulate their interest in food consumption, even if such cues may not connote actual disease threats. This proclivity to avoid disease led us to consider how heuristic disease cues inform interest in foods. Participants evaluated a hypothetical food preparer that varied in the presence of heuristic cues to disease transmission (i.e., physical deformities versus healthy control). Individuals with low levels of perceived infectability were more discerning of the social target as a function of disease cues, whereas heightened levels of this trait fostered an overall aversion to targets regardless of health status. Results provide continued evidence for how pathogen avoidance motives compete with other somatic motives.

Associations Between Early Life Adversity, Reproduction-Oriented Life Strategy, and Borderline Personality Disorder

Importance

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is often accompanied by a history of high-risk sexual behavior and somatic comorbidities. Yet, these features are most often considered in isolation and little is known about their underlying developmental pathways. Life history theory, a leading framework in evolutionary developmental biology, can help make sense of the wide range of behaviors and health issues found in BPD.

Objective

To examine whether the emergence of BPD is associated with the prioritization of immediate reproductive goals over longer-term somatic maintenance goals, a life strategy that can be viewed as a developmental response to adverse early life experiences, providing rapid reproductive benefits despite costs to health and well-being.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This study used cross-sectional data from the second wave of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions in 2004-2005 (n = 34 653). Civilian, noninstitutionalized individuals in the US, 18 years or older, and those with and without a DSM-IV diagnosis of BPD were included. Analysis took place between August 2020 and June 2021.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Structural equation models were used to examine whether early life adversity was associated with the likelihood of a BPD diagnosis, either directly or indirectly through a life strategy whereby individuals trade somatic maintenance for immediate reproduction.

Results

Analyses were performed on a sample of 30 149 participants (females: 17 042 [52%]; mean [SE] age, 48.5 [0.09]; males: 12 747 [48%]; mean [SE] age, 47 [0.08]). Of these, 892 (2.7%) had a diagnosis of BPD and 29 257 (97.3%) did not have BPD. Mean early life adversity, metabolic disorder score, and body mass index were significantly higher among participants with a diagnosis of BPD. In an analysis adjusted for age, individuals with BPD reported having significantly more children than those without BPD (b =0.06; SE, 0.01; t = 4.09; P < .001). Having experienced greater levels of adversity in early life was significantly associated with a greater risk of being diagnosed with BPD later in life (direct relative risk = 0.268; SE, 0.067; P < .001). Importantly, this risk was further increased by 56.5% among respondents who prioritized short-term reproductive goals over somatic maintenance (indirect relative risk = 0.565; SE, 0.056; P < .001). Similar patterns of associations were found in male and female individuals.

Conclusions and Relevance

The hypothesis of a reproduction/maintenance life history trade-off mediating the association between early life adversity and BPD helps make sense of the high dimensionality that characterizes the physiological and behavioral correlates of BPD. Additional studies are needed to confirm these results using longitudinal data.

Rejection Distress Suppresses Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Borderline Personality Disorder

BACKGROUND

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by an elevated distress response to social exclusion (i.e., rejection distress), the neural mechanisms of which remain unclear. Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of social exclusion have relied on the classic version of the Cyberball task, which is not optimized for functional magnetic resonance imaging. Our goal was to clarify the neural substrates of rejection distress in BPD using a modified version of Cyberball, which allowed us to dissociate the neural response to exclusion events from its modulation by exclusionary context.

METHODS

Twenty-three women with BPD and 22 healthy control participants completed a novel functional magnetic resonance imaging modification of Cyberball with 5 runs of varying exclusion probability and rated their rejection distress after each run. We tested group differences in the whole-brain response to exclusion events and in the parametric modulation of that response by rejection distress using mass univariate analysis.

RESULTS

Although rejection distress was higher in participants with BPD (F1,40 = 5.25, p = .027, η2 = 0.12), both groups showed similar neural responses to exclusion events. However, as rejection distress increased, the rostromedial prefrontal cortex response to exclusion events decreased in the BPD group but not in control participants. Stronger modulation of the rostromedial prefrontal cortex response by rejection distress was associated with higher trait rejection expectation, r = -0.30, p = .050.

CONCLUSIONS

Heightened rejection distress in BPD might stem from a failure to maintain or upregulate the activity of the rostromedial prefrontal cortex, a key node of the mentalization network. Inverse coupling between rejection distress and mentalization-related brain activity might contribute to heightened rejection expectation in BPD.

Motivated Social Affordance Judgments of Humor Styles

Despite the ingratiating function of humor, not all humor is created equal. Individual differences in humor styles may inform perceptions of whether prospective group members afford affiliative opportunities, with affiliative humor being regarded as especially beneficial. In this research, we tasked participants with evaluating social targets espousing different humor styles to identify these targets' abilities satisfy and impede both affiliative and social goals (Study 1) while determining if individual differences in these motives foster heightened preferences (Study 2). Affiliative and self-enhancing humor afforded the most affiliative and self-protection opportunities, whereas aggressive humor afforded more threats. Additionally, higher need to belong heightened preferences for affiliative humor. Results provide evidence for assortative sociality in the identification of optimum group members based on humor displays.

What Motives Do People Most Want to Know About When Meeting Another Person? An Investigation Into Prioritization of Information About Seven Fundamental Motives

What information about a person's personality do people want to know? Prior research has focused on behavioral traits, but personality is also characterized in terms of motives. Four studies (N = 1,502) assessed participants' interest in information about seven fundamental social motives (self-protection, disease avoidance, affiliation, status, mate seeking, mate retention, kin care) across 12 experimental conditions that presented details about the person or situation. In the absence of details about specific situations, participants most highly prioritized learning about kin care and mate retention motives. There was some variability across conditions, but the kin care motive was consistently highly prioritized. Additional results from Studies 1 to 4 and Study 5 (N = 174) showed the most highly prioritized motives were perceived to be stable across time and to be especially diagnostic of a person's trustworthiness, warmth, competence, and dependability. Findings are discussed in relation to research on fundamental social motives and pragmatic perspectives on person perception.

Does a pandemic context attenuate people's negative perception and meta-perception of solitude?

Solitude-the state of being alone without social interactions-is a common experience in everyday life. Despite that spending time alone can be enjoyable and functional, solitude is often stigmatised: People who engage in solitary activities are perceived negatively (negative perceptions of solitude) and anticipate a negative judgement from others (negative meta-perceptions of solitude). Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a backdrop, we examined whether a pandemic context, in which solitary behaviours were easily attributable to external reasons, would reduce people's negative perceptions and meta-perceptions of solitude. Across three preregistered experiments (total N = 767) conducted during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that the presence (vs. absence) of a pandemic context attenuated both the negative meta-perceptions and the negative perceptions of solitude. Yet, people believed that the pandemic context produced a stronger shift away from the stigmatisation of solitude than it actually did. These findings revealed the limits of contextual cues in mitigating the negative perceptions of being alone-even when these cues were explicit and readily available. The current research sheds light on the potential challenges of destigmatising solitude.

COVID-19 symptoms and compliance: The mediating role of fundamental social motives

Background

Understanding the compliance of infected individuals and the psychological process underlying compliance during pandemics is important for preventing and controlling the spread of pathogens. Our study investigated whether fundamental social motives mediate the relationship between having infectious disease and compliance.

Methods

An online survey was conducted in March 2020, during the severe phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in China to collect data from 15,758 participants. The survey comprised self-report questionnaires with items pertaining to current symptoms (COVID-19 symptoms, other symptoms or no symptoms), the Fundamental Social Motive Inventory, and measures of compliance. Correlation analysis, linear regression analysis, and structural equation model were used for data analysis.

Results

The participants with COVID-19 symptoms had lower levels of compliance than those without symptoms, and their lower compliance was caused by a decrease in disease avoidance (indirect effect = -0.058, 95% CI = [-0.061, -0.056]) and familial motives (indirect effect = -0.113, 95% CI = [-0.116, -0.062]). Whereas exclusion concern (indirect effect = 0.014, 95% CI = [0.011, 0.017]) suppressed the effects of COVID-19 symptoms on compliance, the effect disappeared in the multiple mediation model, while those of disease avoidance and familial motives remained.

Conclusion

Our findings emphasize the critical role of disease avoidance and familial motives in promoting compliance with public health norms during pandemics and suggest that enhancing these motives may serve as an effective intervention strategy to mitigate noncompliance among potentially infected individuals.

Academic Passion and Subjective Well-Being among Female Research Reserve Talents: The Roles of Psychological Resilience and Academic Climate

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between academic passion (AP) and subjective well-being (SWB), along with the mediating role of psychological resilience (PR) and the moderating role of academic climate (AC), among Chinese female research talent in reserve. A convenience sampling method was used to select 304 female master's degree students from several universities in the central region of China a questionnaire survey. The results show that: (1) AP has a positive predictive effect on the SWB of female reserve research talents; (2) PR partially mediated the relationship between the AP and SWB of female reserve research talents; (3) AC moderated the relationship between the AP and SWB of female reserve research talents. Thus, the findings of this study support a moderated mediation model that explores the relationship between AP and SWB for female research backups, with PR as the mediating variable and AC as the moderating variable. These findings provide a new perspective with which to explore the mechanisms influencing the subjective well-being of female research reserves.