1
|
Young JL, Powell RN, Zabel C, Saal J, Welling LLM, Fortain J, Ceresnie A. Development and validation of the ADHD Symptom and Side Effect Tracking - Baseline Scale (ASSET-BS): a novel short screening measure for ADHD in clinical populations. BMC Psychiatry 2023; 23:806. [PMID: 37932675 PMCID: PMC10629079 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05295-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim was to develop and test a novel screen of adult ADHD, with a specific focus on clinical use. We designed a series of three studies to accomplish this aim. METHOD Study One (n = 155) and Study Two (n = 591) collected data via surveys to conduct exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, respectively. Study Three analyzed the scale's psychometrics in a clinical sample (n = 151). RESULTS Study One and Study Two identified a 10-item scale with a two-factor structure. Study Three found good discriminant validity, sensitivity = 80.0%, specificity = 80.2%, and convergent validity with both the Brown Executive Function/Attention Scales, r (131) = .76, p < .001, and the Conner's Adult ADHD Rating Scales r (131) = .71, p < .001. CONCLUSION The scale demonstrated effectiveness in screening for ADHD in a psychiatric outpatient population. Its results may be used to identify patients that may benefit from thorough ADHD diagnostic procedures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joel L Young
- Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine, 441 South Livernois, Suite 100, Rochester Hills, MI, 48307, USA
- School of Medicine - Wayne State University, Detroit, USA
| | - Richard N Powell
- Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine, 441 South Livernois, Suite 100, Rochester Hills, MI, 48307, USA.
| | | | - Jaime Saal
- Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine, 441 South Livernois, Suite 100, Rochester Hills, MI, 48307, USA
| | | | - Jillian Fortain
- Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine, 441 South Livernois, Suite 100, Rochester Hills, MI, 48307, USA
| | - Ashley Ceresnie
- Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine, 441 South Livernois, Suite 100, Rochester Hills, MI, 48307, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Nicolas SCA, Welling LLM. A Preliminary Investigation Into Women’s Sexual Risk-taking That Could Lead to Unintended Pregnancy. Evolutionary Psychological Science 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-022-00319-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
3
|
Shirazi TN, Self H, Rosenfield KA, Dawood K, Welling LLM, Cárdenas R, Bailey JM, Balasubramanian R, Delaney A, Breedlove SM, Puts DA. Low Perinatal Androgens Predict Recalled Childhood Gender Nonconformity in Men. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:343-353. [PMID: 35191784 PMCID: PMC8985219 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211036075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The contributions of gonadal hormones to the development of human behavioral sex differences are subjects of intense scientific and social interest. Isolated gonadotropin-releasing-hormone deficiency (IGD) is a rare endocrine disorder that can reveal a possible role of early gonadal hormones. IGD is characterized by low or absent gonadal hormone production after the first trimester of gestation, but external genitalia and hence gender of rearing are concordant with chromosomal and gonadal sex. We investigated recalled childhood gender nonconformity in men (n = 65) and women (n = 32) with IGD and typically developing men (n = 463) and women (n = 1,207). Men with IGD showed elevated childhood gender nonconformity, particularly if they also reported undescended testes at birth, a marker of low perinatal androgens. Women with IGD did not differ from typically developing women. These results indicate that early androgen exposure after the first trimester contributes to male-typical gender-role behaviors in childhood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Heather Self
- Department of Anthropology, The
Pennsylvania State University
| | | | - Khytam Dawood
- Department of Psychology, The
Pennsylvania State University
| | | | | | | | | | - Angela Delaney
- Reproductive Physiology and
Pathophysiology Group, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda,
Maryland
| | | | - David A. Puts
- Department of Anthropology, The
Pennsylvania State University,David A. Puts, The Pennsylvania
State University, Department of Anthropology
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Scott-Sheldon LAJ, Mark KP, Balzarini RN, Welling LLM. Guest Editors' Introduction to the Special Section on the Impact of COVID-19 on Sexual Health and Behaviors. Arch Sex Behav 2022; 51:101-103. [PMID: 35089460 PMCID: PMC8796739 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-022-02289-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lori A J Scott-Sheldon
- Division of AIDS Research, National Institute of Mental Health, 5601 Fishers Lane, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Kristen P Mark
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Rhonda N Balzarini
- Department of Psychology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
- Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Shirazi TN, Self H, Dawood K, Welling LLM, Cárdenas R, Rosenfield KA, Bailey JM, Balasubramanian R, Delaney A, Breedlove SM, Puts DA. Evidence that perinatal ovarian hormones promote women's sexual attraction to men. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 134:105431. [PMID: 34601343 PMCID: PMC8957625 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Ovarian estrogens may influence the development of the human brain and behavior, but there are few opportunities to test this possibility. Isolated GnRH deficiency (IGD) is a rare endocrine disorder that could provide evidence for the role of estrogens in organizing sexually differentiated phenotypes: Unlike typical development, development in individuals with IGD is characterized by low or absent gonadal hormone production after the first trimester of gestation. Because external genitalia develop in the first trimester, external appearance is nevertheless concordant with gonadal sex in people with IGD. We therefore investigated the effects of gonadal hormones on sexual orientation by comparing participants with IGD (n = 97) to controls (n = 1670). Women with IGD reported lower male-attraction compared with typically developing women. In contrast, no consistent sexuality differences between IGD and typically developing men were evident. Ovarian hormones after the first trimester appear to influence female-typical dimensions of sexual orientation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Talia N Shirazi
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, Carpenter Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Heather Self
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, Carpenter Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Khytam Dawood
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, Moore Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, 212 Pryale Hall, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Rodrigo Cárdenas
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, Moore Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Kevin A Rosenfield
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, Carpenter Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - J Michael Bailey
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Swift Hall 303B, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | | | - Angela Delaney
- Reproductive Physiology and Pathophysiology Group, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - S Marc Breedlove
- Neuroscience Program and Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 240 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - David A Puts
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, Carpenter Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Scott-Sheldon LAJ, Mark KP, Balzarini RN, Welling LLM. Call for Proposals: Special Issue of Archives of Sexual Behavior on the Impact of COVID-19 on Sexual Health and Behavior. Arch Sex Behav 2020; 49:1393-1394. [PMID: 32367484 PMCID: PMC7197631 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-020-01725-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lori A J Scott-Sheldon
- Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, CORO West, Suite 309, 164 Summit Ave., Providence, RI, 02906, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA.
| | - Kristen P Mark
- Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | | | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sulikowski D, Tan KW, Jones AL, Welling LLM, Stephen ID. Editorial: Perceptions of People: Cues to Underlying Physiology and Psychology. Front Psychol 2020; 11:643. [PMID: 32322229 PMCID: PMC7156615 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Sulikowski
- Perception and Performance Research Group, School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Kok Wei Tan
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading Malaysia, Gelang Patah, Malaysia
| | - Alex L Jones
- Department of Psychology, College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa L M Welling
- Psychology Department, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, United States
| | - Ian D Stephen
- Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Perception in Action Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Body Image and Ingestive Behaviour Group, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Mitchell VE, Mogilski JK, Donaldson SH, Nicolas SCA, Welling LLM. Sexual Motivation and Satisfaction Among Consensually Non-Monogamous and Monogamous Individuals. J Sex Med 2020; 17:1072-1085. [PMID: 32205084 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research has found differences in sexual motives and, separately, sexual satisfaction in consensually non-monogamous (CNM) and monogamous individuals and that these constructs are related to relationship outcomes (eg, relationship quality). AIMS The present study sought to refine and expand on previous research by (i) using a more common, validated measure of sexual motives, (ii) measuring sexual satisfaction with multiple partners within CNM relationships, and (iii) examining how sexual motives are related to sexual satisfaction in CNM relationships. METHODS Participants were recruited from a university and using online forums that CNM individuals frequently use (eg, reddit, Facebook). Individuals recruited included those in non-exclusive relationships with one partner ("non-exclusive single-partner;" n = 40), those in non-exclusive relationships with more than one partner ("non-exclusive multipartner;" n = 87), and monogamous individuals (n = 322). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance and hierarchical multiple regressions. OUTCOMES The main outcome measures of this study are scores on the Why Humans Have Sex Scale and the New Scale for Sexual Satisfaction. RESULTS Non-exclusive multipartner participants were more motivated to have sex for physical motivations compared with monogamous participants. Although there were no significant differences in sexual satisfaction when comparing monogamous with non-exclusive multipartner participant's secondary and primary partners, unique patterns of sexual motivations were associated with sexual satisfaction based on relationship configuration. CLINICAL TRANSLATION Understanding the unique sexual motives associated with sexual satisfaction in various relationship configurations may help improve clinical approaches to couples counseling for both CNM and non-CNM populations. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS Data were collected from CNM participants in a variety of relationship configurations and provide analyses comparing primary and secondary partners. However, these results are limited by a small sample of CNM participants who were intentionally recruited from self-identified CNM e-forums. CONCLUSIONS These findings add further understanding to the unique traits that characterize CNM individuals and the underlying motivational framework that may encourage individuals to initiate and maintain CNM relationships. Mitchell VE, Mogilski JK, Donaldson SH, et al. Sexual Motivation and Satisfaction Among Consensually Non-Monogamous and Monogamous Individuals. J Sex Med 2020;17:1072-1085.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Justin K Mogilski
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA; Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina Salkehatchie, Walterboro, SC, USA
| | - Sarah H Donaldson
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | | | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Mogilski JK, Mitchell VE, Reeve SD, Donaldson SH, Nicolas SCA, Welling LLM. Life History and Multi-Partner Mating: A Novel Explanation for Moral Stigma Against Consensual Non-monogamy. Front Psychol 2020; 10:3033. [PMID: 32038399 PMCID: PMC6985779 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Life history theory (LHT) predicts that individuals vary in their sexual, reproductive, parental, familial, and social behavior according to the physical and social challenges imposed upon them throughout development. LHT provides a framework for understanding why non-monogamy may be the target of significant moral condemnation: individuals who habitually form multiple romantic or sexual partnerships may pursue riskier, more competitive interpersonal strategies that strain social cooperation. We compared several indices of life history (i.e., the Mini-K, the High-K Strategy Scale, pubertal timing, sociosexuality, disease avoidance, and risk-taking) between individuals practicing monogamous and consensually non-monogamous (CNM) romantic relationships. Across several measures, CNM individuals reported a faster life history strategy than monogamous individuals, and women in CNM relationships reported earlier pubertal development. CNM individuals also reported more social and ethical risk-taking, less aversion to germs, and greater interest in short-term mating (and less interest in long-term mating) than monogamous individuals. From these data, we discuss a model to explain how moral stigma toward non-monogamy evolved and how these attitudes may be mismatched to the modern environment. Specifically, we argue that the culture of sexual ethics that pervades contemporary CNM communities (e.g., polyamory, swinging) may attenuate risky interpersonal behaviors (e.g., violent intrasexual competition, retributive jealousy, partner/child abandonment, disease transmission) that are relatively more common among those who pursue multi-partner mating.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin K. Mogilski
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina Salkehatchie, Walterboro, SC, United States
| | | | - Simon D. Reeve
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, United States
| | - Sarah H. Donaldson
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, United States
| | | | - Lisa L. M. Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, United States
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Mogilski JK, Reeve SD, Nicolas SCA, Donaldson SH, Mitchell VE, Welling LLM. Jealousy, Consent, and Compersion Within Monogamous and Consensually Non-Monogamous Romantic Relationships. Arch Sex Behav 2019; 48:1811-1828. [PMID: 30607710 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-018-1286-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2017] [Revised: 07/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionary psychological research has studied romantic jealousy extensively within monogamous relationships, but has largely ignored jealousy among partners who mutually consent to forming extra-pair relationships (i.e., consensual non-monogamy; CNM). We examined monogamous (n = 529) and CNM (n = 159) individuals' reactions to imagining their romantic partner(s)'s extra-pair involvement. For each romantic partner, men and women completed measures of relationship jealousy and reacted to scenarios of their partner's extra-pair emotional and sexual involvement. Scenarios prompted participants to indicate which type of involvement would be more distressing and more enjoyable. They also described whether or not participants had consented to their partner's extradyadic relationship. Monogamous men were more distressed by a partner's extradyadic sexual versus emotional involvement (and a partner's emotional involvement was more enjoyable) whether the scenario was consensual or not. Monogamous women were more distressed by a partner's emotional versus sexual involvement (and a partner's sexual involvement was more enjoyable) for consensual, but not non-consensual, scenarios. There were no gender differences among CNM participants. Monogamous individuals reported greater emotional distress toward a partner's imagined extradyadic involvement, whereas CNM individuals reported thinking about their partner's extra-pair relationships more frequently. Monogamous (vs. CNM) individuals reported greater confidence that their partner would never cheat on them (i.e., enter another relationship without their consent), and CNM participants were more confident that their primary versus secondary partner would never cheat, although this effect was stronger among CNM women. Moreover, CNM participants rated that it was more important that their primary versus secondary partner did not cheat, and reported greater distress imagining that their primary versus secondary partner had cheated. Women in CNM relationships rated it more important that their partner did not cheat sexually than emotionally. Finally, we replicated previous research showing that monogamous individuals mate guard more than CNM individuals, who mate guard their primary versus secondary partner more frequently. Future directions for developing evolutionary and romantic relationship research on CNM are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin K Mogilski
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Pryale Hall, 654 Pioneer Drive, Rochester, MI, 48039, USA
| | - Simon D Reeve
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Pryale Hall, 654 Pioneer Drive, Rochester, MI, 48039, USA
| | - Sylis C A Nicolas
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Pryale Hall, 654 Pioneer Drive, Rochester, MI, 48039, USA
| | - Sarah H Donaldson
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Pryale Hall, 654 Pioneer Drive, Rochester, MI, 48039, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Virginia E Mitchell
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Pryale Hall, 654 Pioneer Drive, Rochester, MI, 48039, USA
| | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Pryale Hall, 654 Pioneer Drive, Rochester, MI, 48039, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Mogilski JK, Welling LLM. The Relative Contribution of Jawbone and Cheekbone Prominence, Eyebrow Thickness, Eye Size, and Face Length to Evaluations of Facial Masculinity and Attractiveness: A Conjoint Data-Driven Approach. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2428. [PMID: 30568613 PMCID: PMC6290027 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent work demonstrates the methodological rigor of a type of data-driven analysis (i.e., conjoint analysis; CA), which accounts for the relative contribution of different facial morphological cues to interpersonal perceptions of romantic partner quality. This study extends this literature by using a conjoint face ranking task to predict the relative contribution of five sexually dimorphic facial shape features (jawbone and cheekbone prominence, eyebrow thickness, eye size, face length) to participants’ (N = 922) perceptions of facial attractiveness and sex-typicality (i.e., masculinity/femininity). For overall partner attractiveness, eyebrow thickness and jawbone prominence were relatively more salient than cheekbone prominence and eye size. Interestingly, masculinized (i.e., thicker) eyebrows were marginally more attractive for female than male faces, particularly within a long-term mating context. Masculinized jawbone prominence was more attractive for male than female faces, and feminized jawbone prominence was more attractive for female than male faces. For perceptions of masculinity, eyebrow thickness, jawbone prominence, and facial height were relatively more salient than cheekbone prominence and eye size, although facial height was more important for female than male faces, and jawbone prominence was marginally more important for male than female faces. These findings highlight the prominence of eyebrows, the jawline, and facial height during perception of facial attractiveness and masculinity – though it should be noted that many of these differences were small to moderate in effect size. Findings are interpreted in the context of prior research, and future directions for studying why these facial traits exhibit superior signaling capacity are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin K Mogilski
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina Salkehatchie, Walterboro, SC, United States
| | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, United States
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Pham MN, Barbaro N, Holub AM, Holden CJ, Mogilski JK, Lopes GS, Nicolas SCA, Sela Y, Shackelford TK, Zeigler-Hill V, Welling LLM. Do Men Produce Higher Quality Ejaculates When Primed With Thoughts of Partner Infidelity? Evol Psychol 2018; 16:1474704918757551. [PMID: 29478337 PMCID: PMC10367497 DOI: 10.1177/1474704918757551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 01/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Sperm competition theory can be used to generate the hypothesis that men alter the quality of their ejaculates as a function of sperm competition risk. Using a repeated measures experimental design, we investigated whether men produce a higher quality ejaculate when primed with cues to sperm competition (i.e., imagined partner infidelity) relative to a control prime. Men ( n = 45) submitted two masturbatory ejaculates-one ejaculate sample for each condition (i.e., sperm competition and control conditions). Ejaculates were assessed on 17 clinical parameters. The results did not support the hypothesis: Men did not produce higher quality ejaculates in the sperm competition condition relative to the control condition. Despite the null results of the current research, there is evidence for psychological and physiological adaptations to sperm competition in humans. We discuss methodological limitations that may have produced the null results and present methodological suggestions for research on human sperm competition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Yael Sela
- Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Mogilski JK, Memering SL, Welling LLM, Shackelford TK. Monogamy versus Consensual Non-Monogamy: Alternative Approaches to Pursuing a Strategically Pluralistic Mating Strategy. Arch Sex Behav 2017; 46:407-417. [PMID: 26679305 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-015-0658-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2014] [Revised: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 10/23/2015] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the frequency of partner-directed mate retention behaviors and several self- and partner-rated romantic relationship evaluations (i.e., sociosexuality, relationship satisfaction, mate value, and partner ideal measures) within monogamous and consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships. Measures were compared (1) between monogamous and CNM participants and (2) between two concurrent partners within each CNM relationship (i.e., primary and secondary partners). We found that individuals in currently monogamous relationships (n = 123) performed more mate retention behaviors compared to those currently in CNM relationships (n = 76). Within CNM relationships, participants reported engaging in more mate retention behaviors with primary partners compared to secondary partners. Likewise, CNM participants reported talking about their extra-dyadic sexual experiences and downplaying these sexual experiences more often with their primary partner compared to their secondary partner. There were no significant differences between ratings of monogamous and primary partners in participants' overall relationship satisfaction. However, monogamous participants reported less satisfaction with the amount of communication and openness they had with their partner compared to CNM participants' reports of their primary partner, but not secondary partner. By comparison, CNM participants reported higher overall relationship satisfaction with primary compared to secondary partners and considered their primary partner to be more desirable as a long-term mate than their secondary partner. We interpret these results within the context of previous research on monogamous and CNM relationships and hypothesize that these relationship configurations are alternative strategies for pursuing a strategically pluralistic mating strategy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin K Mogilski
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA.
| | - Stacy L Memering
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA
| | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Mogilski JK, Welling LLM. Honest Signaling. Evolutionary Psychological Science 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-016-0058-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
15
|
Hill AK, Cárdenas RA, Wheatley JR, Welling LLM, Burriss RP, Claes P, Apicella CL, McDaniel MA, Little AC, Shriver MD, Puts DA. Are there vocal cues to human developmental stability? Relationships between facial fluctuating asymmetry and voice attractiveness. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2016; 38:249-258. [PMID: 34629843 DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), deviation from perfect bilateral symmetry, is thought to reflect an organism's relative inability to maintain stable morphological development in the face of environmental and genetic stressors. Previous research has documented negative relationships between FA and attractiveness judgments in humans, but scant research has explored relationships between the human voice and this putative marker of genetic quality in either sex. Only one study (and in women only) has explored relationships between vocal attractiveness and asymmetry of the face, a feature-rich trait space central in prior work on human genetic quality and mate choice. We therefore examined this relationship in three studies comprising 231 men and 240 women from two Western samples as well as Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania. Voice recordings were collected and rated for attractiveness, and FA was computed from two-dimensional facial images as well as, for a subset of men, three-dimensional facial scans. Through meta-analysis of our results and those of prior studies, we found a negative association between FA and vocal attractiveness that was highly robust and statistically significant whether we included effect sizes from previously published work, or only those from the present research, and regardless of the inclusion of any individual sample or method of assessing FA (e.g., facial or limb FA). Weighted mean correlations between FA and vocal attractiveness across studies were -.23 for men and -.29 for women. This research thus offers strong support for the hypothesis that voices provide cues to genetic quality in humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander K Hill
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Rodrigo A Cárdenas
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - John R Wheatley
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Robert P Burriss
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Peter Claes
- KU Leuven, ESAT/PSI - UZ Leuven, MIRC - iMinds, Medical IT Department, Belgium
| | - Coren L Apicella
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Michael A McDaniel
- Department of Management, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284
| | | | - Mark D Shriver
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - David A Puts
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.,Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Bird BM, Welling LLM, Ortiz TL, Moreau BJP, Hansen S, Emond M, Goldfarb B, Bonin PL, Carré JM. Effects of exogenous testosterone and mating context on men's preferences for female facial femininity. Horm Behav 2016; 85:76-85. [PMID: 27511452 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Revised: 08/02/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Correlational research suggests that men show greater attraction to feminine female faces when their testosterone (T) levels are high. Men's preferences for feminine faces also seem to vary as a function of relationship context (short versus long-term). However, the relationship between T and preferences for female facial femininity has yet to be tested experimentally. In the current paper, we report the results of two experiments examining the causal role of T in modulating preferences for facial femininity across both short and long-term mating contexts. Results of Experiment 1 (within-subject design, n=24) showed that participants significantly preferred feminized versus masculinized versions of women's faces. Further, participants showed a stronger preference for feminine faces in the short versus the long-term context after they received T, but not after they received placebo. Post-hoc analyses suggested that this effect was driven by a lower preference for feminine faces in the long-term context when on T relative to placebo, and this effect was found exclusively for men who received placebo on the first day of testing, and T on the second day of testing (i.e., Order x Drug x Mating context interaction). In Experiment 2 (between-subject design, n=93), men demonstrated a significant preference for feminized female faces in the short versus the long-term context after T, but not after placebo administration. Collectively, these findings provide the first causal evidence that T modulates men's preferences for facial femininity as a function of mating context.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian M Bird
- Department of Psychology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, United States
| | - Triana L Ortiz
- Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Steve Hansen
- Physical and Health Education, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Emond
- Department of Psychology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Pierre L Bonin
- Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
| | - Justin M Carré
- Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Puts DA, Hill AK, Bailey DH, Walker RS, Rendall D, Wheatley JR, Welling LLM, Dawood K, Cárdenas R, Burriss RP, Jablonski NG, Shriver MD, Weiss D, Lameira AR, Apicella CL, Owren MJ, Barelli C, Glenn ME, Ramos-Fernandez G. Sexual selection on male vocal fundamental frequency in humans and other anthropoids. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20152830. [PMID: 27122553 PMCID: PMC4855375 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In many primates, including humans, the vocalizations of males and females differ dramatically, with male vocalizations and vocal anatomy often seeming to exaggerate apparent body size. These traits may be favoured by sexual selection because low-frequency male vocalizations intimidate rivals and/or attract females, but this hypothesis has not been systematically tested across primates, nor is it clear why competitors and potential mates should attend to vocalization frequencies. Here we show across anthropoids that sexual dimorphism in fundamental frequency (F0) increased during evolutionary transitions towards polygyny, and decreased during transitions towards monogamy. Surprisingly, humans exhibit greater F0 sexual dimorphism than any other ape. We also show that low-F0 vocalizations predict perceptions of men's dominance and attractiveness, and predict hormone profiles (low cortisol and high testosterone) related to immune function. These results suggest that low male F0 signals condition to competitors and mates, and evolved in male anthropoids in response to the intensity of mating competition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David A Puts
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Alexander K Hill
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Drew H Bailey
- School of Education, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Robert S Walker
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Drew Rendall
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1 K 3M4
| | - John R Wheatley
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Khytam Dawood
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Rodrigo Cárdenas
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Robert P Burriss
- Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
| | - Nina G Jablonski
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Mark D Shriver
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Daniel Weiss
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Adriano R Lameira
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK Pongo Foundation, Papenhoeflaan 91, Oudewater 3421XN, The Netherlands
| | - Coren L Apicella
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Michael J Owren
- OSV Acoustical Associates and Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Claudia Barelli
- Sezione di Biodiversità Tropicale, Museo delle Scienze, Trento 38122, Italy
| | - Mary E Glenn
- Department of Anthropology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA 95521, USA
| | - Gabriel Ramos-Fernandez
- CIIDIR Unidad Oaxaca, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico and C3-Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad, Mexico 04510, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Welling LLM, Moreau BJP, Bird BM, Hansen S, Carré JM. Exogenous testosterone increases men's perceptions of their own physical dominance. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 64:136-42. [PMID: 26671006 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2015] [Revised: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 11/20/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Men's testosterone is associated with several constructs that are linked to dominance rank, such as risk-taking, mating success, and aggression. However, no study has directly tested the relationship between men's self-perceived dominance and testosterone using an experimental design. We employed a within-subjects, double-blind, placebo-controlled paradigm to assess whether testosterone influences men's self-perceived dominance. Exogenous testosterone or a placebo was administered to healthy adult men and self-perceptions of physical dominance were subsequently assessed by having participants select what they believed to be their true face from an array of images digitally manipulated in masculinity. Men picked a more masculine version of their own face after testosterone versus placebo--an effect that was particularly pronounced among men with relatively low baseline testosterone. These findings indicate that a single administration of testosterone can rapidly modulate men's perceptions of their own physical dominance, which may explain links between testosterone and dominance-related behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, 2200 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.
| | - Benjamin J P Moreau
- Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, Box 5002, North Bay, ON P1B 8L7, Canada.
| | - Brian M Bird
- Department of Psychology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada.
| | - Steve Hansen
- Physical and Health Education, Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, Box 5002, North Bay, ON P1B 8L7, Canada.
| | - Justin M Carré
- Department of Psychology, Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, Box 5002, North Bay, ON P1B 8L7, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Abstract
The effect of oxytocin on cognitive bias was investigated in rats in a modified conditioned place preference paradigm. Fifteen male rats were trained to discriminate between two different cue combinations, one paired with palatable foods (reward training), and the other paired with unpalatable food (aversive training). Next, their reactions to two ambiguous cue combinations were evaluated and their latency to contact the goal pot recorded. Rats were injected with either oxytocin (OT) or saline with the prediction that rats administered OT would display a shorter average latency to approach on ambiguous trials. There was no significant difference between latencies to approach on ambiguous trials compared to reward trials, but the rats were significantly slower on the aversive compared to the ambiguous conditions. Oxytocin did not affect approach time; however, it was unclear, after follow-up testing, whether the OT doses tested were sufficient to produce the desired effects on cognitive bias. Future research should consider this possibility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Molly C McGuire
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University , Rochester, MI, USA
| | - Keith L Williams
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University , Rochester, MI, USA
| | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University , Rochester, MI, USA
| | - Jennifer Vonk
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University , Rochester, MI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Gonzalez-Santoyo I, Wheatley JR, Welling LLM, Cárdenas RA, Jimenez-Trejo F, Dawood K, Puts DA. The face of female dominance: Women with dominant faces have lower cortisol. Horm Behav 2015; 71:16-21. [PMID: 25857930 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Revised: 03/29/2015] [Accepted: 03/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The human face displays a wealth of information, including information about dominance and fecundity. Dominance and fecundity are also associated with lower concentrations of the stress hormone cortisol, suggesting that cortisol may negatively predict facial dominance and attractiveness. We digitally photographed 61 women's faces, had these images rated by men and women for dominance, attractiveness, and femininity, and explored relationships between these perceptions and women's salivary cortisol concentrations. In a first study, we found that women with more dominant-appearing, but not more attractive, faces had lower cortisol levels. These associations were not due to age, ethnicity, time since waking, testosterone, or its interaction with cortisol. In a second study, composite images of women with low cortisol were perceived as more dominant than those of women with high cortisol significantly more often than chance by two samples of viewers, with a similar but non-significant trend in a third sample. However, data on perceptions of attractiveness were mixed; low-cortisol images were viewed as more attractive by two samples of US viewers and as less attractive by a sample of Mexican viewers. Our results suggest that having a more dominant-appearing face may be associated with lower stress and hence lower cortisol in women, and provide further evidence regarding the information content of the human face.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Gonzalez-Santoyo
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - John R Wheatley
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Rodrigo A Cárdenas
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Francisco Jimenez-Trejo
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, 04530 Ciudad de México, México D.F., Mexico
| | - Khytam Dawood
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - David A Puts
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Puts DA, Pope LE, Hill AK, Cárdenas RA, Welling LLM, Wheatley JR, Marc Breedlove S. Fulfilling desire: evidence for negative feedback between men's testosterone, sociosexual psychology, and sexual partner number. Horm Behav 2015; 70:14-21. [PMID: 25644313 PMCID: PMC4409524 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2014] [Revised: 01/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Across human societies and many nonhuman animals, males have greater interest in uncommitted sex (more unrestricted sociosexuality) than do females. Testosterone shows positive associations with male-typical sociosexual behavior in nonhuman animals. Yet, it remains unclear whether the human sex difference in sociosexual psychology (attitudes and desires) is mediated by testosterone, whether any relationships between testosterone and sociosexuality differ between men and women, and what the nature of these possible relationships might be. In studies to resolve these questions, we examined relationships between salivary testosterone concentrations and sociosexual psychology and behavior in men and women. We measured testosterone in all men in our sample, but only in those women taking oral contraception (OC-using women) in order to reduce the influence of ovulatory cycle variation in ovarian hormone production. We found that OC-using women did not differ from normally-ovulating women in sociosexual psychology or behavior, but that circulating testosterone mediated the sex difference in human sociosexuality and predicted sociosexual psychology in men but not OC-using women. Moreover, when sociosexual psychology was controlled, men's sociosexual behavior (number of sexual partners) was negatively related to testosterone, suggesting that testosterone drives sociosexual psychology in men and is inhibited when those desires are fulfilled. This more complex relationship between androgens and male sexuality may reconcile some conflicting prior reports.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David A Puts
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Center for Behavior, Brain, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Lauramarie E Pope
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Alexander K Hill
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Rodrigo A Cárdenas
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - John R Wheatley
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - S Marc Breedlove
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
McCoy MG, Welling LLM, Shackelford TK. Development and initial psychometric assessment of the reasons for pretending orgasm inventory. Evol Psychol 2015; 13:129-39. [PMID: 25647786 PMCID: PMC10426945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Accepted: 11/24/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Research suggests that women pretend orgasm with their partner as a mate retention strategy, but the cognitive reasons behind this deception are not well known. To explore women's cognitive reasons for pretending orgasm, we first assembled a list of the reasons women report for pretending orgasm. We refined this list using independent data collected on performance frequencies for each item, followed by a principal components analysis, to generate the Reasons for Pretending Orgasm Inventory (RPOI). We found three components encompassing the cognitive reasons women pretend orgasm: Improve Partner's Experience (i.e., increasing the quality of the sexual experience for the partner), Deception and Manipulation (i.e., deceiving the partner or manipulating his perceptions for other gains), and Hiding Sexual Disinterest (i.e., sparing the partner's feelings about the woman's lack of sexual excitement). Discussion highlights limitations of this research and the RPOI, but suggests that the RPOI is useful as a structured means for assessing women's reasons for pretending orgasm.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark G. McCoy
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester Hills, MI, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Abstract
Research suggests that women pretend orgasm with their partner as a mate retention strategy, but the cognitive reasons behind this deception are not well known. To explore women's cognitive reasons for pretending orgasm, we first assembled a list of the reasons women report for pretending orgasm. We refined this list using independent data collected on performance frequencies for each item, followed by a principal components analysis, to generate the Reasons for Pretending Orgasm Inventory (RPOI). We found three components encompassing the cognitive reasons women pretend orgasm: Improve Partner's Experience (i.e., increasing the quality of the sexual experience for the partner), Deception and Manipulation (i.e., deceiving the partner or manipulating his perceptions for other gains), and Hiding Sexual Disinterest (i.e., sparing the partner's feelings about the woman's lack of sexual excitement). Discussion highlights limitations of this research and the RPOI, but suggests that the RPOI is useful as a structured means for assessing women's reasons for pretending orgasm.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark G. McCoy
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester Hills, MI, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Li Y, Bailey DH, Winegard B, Puts DA, Welling LLM, Geary DC. Women's preference for masculine traits is disrupted by images of male-on-female aggression. PLoS One 2014; 9:e110497. [PMID: 25314277 PMCID: PMC4197028 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Women's preferences for men's masculinized faces and voices were assessed after women (n = 331) were primed with images of male-on-male aggression, male-on-female aggression, pathogens, and neutral scenes. Male-on-male aggression and pathogen primes were associated with increased preference for masculine traits, but the same effect emerged in the neutral condition. We show the increased preference for masculine traits was due to repeated exposure to these traits, not the priming images themselves. Images of male-on-female aggression were an exception; these elicited feelings of disgust and anger appeared to disrupt the preference for masculinized traits. The results suggest women process men's facial and vocal traits as signals of aggressive potential and lose any preference for these traits with cues indicating men might direct this aggression toward them.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yaoran Li
- Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Drew H. Bailey
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Winegard
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - David A. Puts
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Lisa L. M. Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States of America
| | - David C. Geary
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Abstract
This series of studies is the first to use conjoint analysis to examine how individuals make trade-offs during mate selection when provided information about a partner's history of sexual infidelity. Across three studies, participants ranked profiles of potential mates, with each profile varying across five attributes: financial stability, physical attractiveness, sexual fidelity, emotional investment, and similarity. They also rated each attribute separately for importance in an ideal mate. Overall, we found that for a long-term mate, participants prioritized a potential partner's history of sexual fidelity over other attributes when profiles were ranked conjointly. For a short-term mate, sexual fidelity, physical attractiveness, and financial stability were equally important, and each was more important than emotional investment and similarity. These patterns contrast with participants' self-reported importance ratings of each individual attribute. Our results are interpreted within the context of previous literature examining how making trade-offs affect mate selection.
Collapse
|
26
|
Pham MN, Shackelford TK, Welling LLM, Ehrke AD, Sela Y, Goetz AT. Oral sex, semen displacement, and sexual arousal: testing the ejaculate adjustment hypothesis. Evol Psychol 2013; 11:1130-9. [PMID: 24356208 PMCID: PMC10429105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Accepted: 11/30/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Male Indian Flying Foxes (Pteropus giganteus) that spend more time performing oral sex on a female also spend more time copulating with her. In humans, men who spend more time copulating with their regular partner also perform more "semen-displacing" copulatory behaviors (e.g., deeper, more vigorous penile thrusting). We investigated whether men who spend more time performing oral sex on their regular partner also spend more time copulating with her and perform more semen-displacing copulatory behaviors. We proposed and tested the ejaculate adjustment hypothesis for men's copulatory behaviors: Men adjust their copulatory behaviors to increase their sexual arousal and consequent ejaculate quality, thereby increasing their chances of success in sperm competition. Two hundred and thirty-three men in a committed, heterosexual relationship responded to questions about their copulatory behavior and sexual arousal during their most recent sexual encounter with their long-term partner. The results indicated that men who spend more time performing oral sex on their partner also spend more time copulating with her, perform more semen-displacing copulatory behaviors, and report greater sexual arousal. We discuss limitations to the current research and highlight the heuristic value of sperm competition theory for understanding human sexual behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael N. Pham
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan,
USA
| | | | | | - Alyse D. Ehrke
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan,
USA
| | - Yael Sela
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan,
USA
| | - Aaron T. Goetz
- Department of Psychology, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton,
California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Pham MN, Shackelford TK, Welling LLM, Ehrke AD, Sela Y, Goetz AT. Oral Sex, Semen Displacement, and Sexual Arousal: Testing the Ejaculate Adjustment Hypothesis. Evol Psychol 2013. [DOI: 10.1177/147470491301100515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Male Indian Flying Foxes ( Pteropus giganteus) that spend more time performing oral sex on a female also spend more time copulating with her. In humans, men who spend more time copulating with their regular partner also perform more “semen-displacing” copulatory behaviors (e.g., deeper, more vigorous penile thrusting). We investigated whether men who spend more time performing oral sex on their regular partner also spend more time copulating with her and perform more semen-displacing copulatory behaviors. We proposed and tested the ejaculate adjustment hypothesis for men's copulatory behaviors: Men adjust their copulatory behaviors to increase their sexual arousal and consequent ejaculate quality, thereby increasing their chances of success in sperm competition. Two hundred and thirty-three men in a committed, heterosexual relationship responded to questions about their copulatory behavior and sexual arousal during their most recent sexual encounter with their long-term partner. The results indicated that men who spend more time performing oral sex on their partner also spend more time copulating with her, perform more semen-displacing copulatory behaviors, and report greater sexual arousal. We discuss limitations to the current research and highlight the heuristic value of sperm competition theory for understanding human sexual behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael N. Pham
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA
| | | | | | - Alyse D. Ehrke
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA
| | - Yael Sela
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA
| | - Aaron T. Goetz
- Department of Psychology, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Welling LLM. Psychobehavioral effects of hormonal contraceptive use. Evol Psychol 2013; 11:718-42. [PMID: 23864301 PMCID: PMC10481013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2012] [Accepted: 10/02/2012] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Although female use of hormonal contraceptives (HCs) has been associated with a variety of physical side effects, the psychological and behavioral side effects have received comparatively little attention until recently. Indeed, the long-term impact of HC use on human psychology has been vastly under-researched and has only recently become a focus for mainstream scholars. Women who use HCs report higher rates of depression, reduced sexual functioning, and higher interest in short-term sexual relationships compared to their naturally-cycling counterparts. Also, HC use may alter women's ability to attract a mate, as well as the mate retention behaviors in both users and their romantic partners. Some evidence even suggests that HC use alters mate choice and may negatively affect sexual satisfaction in parous women, with potential effects on future offspring. Interestingly, HCs have become a standard method of population control for captive nonhuman primates, opening up exciting avenues for potential comparative research. Here, the existing literature on the psychobehavioral effects of HCs in humans and nonhuman primates is reviewed and discussed. The potential resulting downstream consequences for the path of human evolution and recommendations for how future research could tease apart the underlying causes of these psychobehavioral effects of HC use are discussed, including suggestions for research involving nonhuman primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa L M Welling
- Psychology Department, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Welling LLM, Singh K, Puts DA, Jones BC, Burriss RP. Self-reported sexual desire in homosexual men and women predicts preferences for sexually dimorphic facial cues. Arch Sex Behav 2013; 42:785-91. [PMID: 23297152 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-012-0059-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2011] [Revised: 02/03/2012] [Accepted: 03/18/2012] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies investigating the relationship between self-reported sexual desire and attraction to same- and opposite-sex individuals have found that homosexual men's sexual desire is positively correlated with their self-reported attraction to own-sex individuals only, while homosexual women's sexual desire is positively correlated with their self-reported attraction to both men and women. These data have been interpreted as evidence that sexual desire strengthens men's pre-existing (i.e., dominant) sexual behaviors and strengthens women's sexual behaviors in general. Here we show that homosexual men's (n = 106) scores on the Sexual Desire Inventory-2 (SDI-2) were positively correlated with their preferences for exaggerated sex-typical shape cues in own-sex, but not opposite-sex, faces. Contrary to the hypothesis that sexual desire strengthens women's preferences for sexual dimorphism generally, homosexual women's (n = 83) SDI-2 scores were positively correlated with their preferences for exaggerated sex-typical shape cues in opposite-sex faces only. Together with previous research in heterosexual subjects, our findings support the proposal that sexual desire increases the incidence of existing sexual behaviors in homosexual and heterosexual men, and increases the incidence of sexual responses more generally in heterosexual women, although not necessarily in homosexual women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa L M Welling
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Abstract
Although female use of hormonal contraceptives (HCs) has been associated with a variety of physical side effects, the psychological and behavioral side effects have received comparatively little attention until recently. Indeed, the long-term impact of HC use on human psychology has been vastly under-researched and has only recently become a focus for mainstream scholars. Women who use HCs report higher rates of depression, reduced sexual functioning, and higher interest in short-term sexual relationships compared to their naturally-cycling counterparts. Also, HC use may alter women's ability to attract a mate, as well as the mate retention behaviors in both users and their romantic partners. Some evidence even suggests that HC use alters mate choice and may negatively affect sexual satisfaction in parous women, with potential effects on future offspring. Interestingly, HCs have become a standard method of population control for captive nonhuman primates, opening up exciting avenues for potential comparative research. Here, the existing literature on the psychobehavioral effects of HCs in humans and nonhuman primates is reviewed and discussed. The potential resulting downstream consequences for the path of human evolution and recommendations for how future research could tease apart the underlying causes of these psychobehavioral effects of HC use are discussed, including suggestions for research involving nonhuman primates.
Collapse
|
31
|
Abstract
We secured data from 243 men in committed, sexual, heterosexual relationships to test the sperm retention hypothesis of oral sex. We predicted that, among men who perform cunnilingus on their partner, those at greater risk of sperm competition are more likely to perform cunnilingus until their partner achieves orgasm (Prediction 1), and that, among men who ejaculate during penile-vaginal intercourse and whose partner experiences a cunnilingus-assisted orgasm, ejaculation will occur during the brief period in which female orgasm might function to retain sperm (Prediction 2). The results support Prediction 1 but not Prediction 2. We discuss limitations of the current research and discuss how these results may be more consistent with alternative hypotheses regarding female orgasm and oral sex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael N. Pham
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA
| | | | - Yael Sela
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Puts DA, Bailey DH, Cárdenas RA, Burriss RP, Welling LLM, Wheatley JR, Dawood K. Women's attractiveness changes with estradiol and progesterone across the ovulatory cycle. Horm Behav 2013; 63:13-9. [PMID: 23159480 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2012] [Revised: 11/06/2012] [Accepted: 11/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In many species, females are more sexually attractive to males near ovulation. Some evidence suggests a similar pattern in humans, but methodological limitations prohibit firm conclusions at present, and information on physiological mechanisms underlying any such pattern is lacking. In 202 normally-cycling women, we explored whether women's attractiveness changed over the cycle as a function of two likely candidates for mediating these changes: estradiol and progesterone. We scheduled women to attend one session during the late follicular phase and another during the mid-luteal phase. At each session, facial photographs, voice recordings and saliva samples were collected. All photographs and voice recordings were subsequently rated by men for attractiveness and by women for flirtatiousness and attractiveness to men. Saliva samples were assayed for estradiol and progesterone. We found that progesterone and its interaction with estradiol negatively predicted vocal attractiveness and overall (facial plus vocal) attractiveness to men. Progesterone also negatively predicted women's facial attractiveness to men and female-rated facial attractiveness, facial flirtatiousness and vocal attractiveness, but not female-rated vocal flirtatiousness. These results strongly suggest a pattern of increased attractiveness during peak fertility in the menstrual cycle and implicate estradiol and progesterone in driving these changes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David A Puts
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Jones BC, Fincher CL, Welling LLM, Little AC, Feinberg DR, Watkins CD, Al-Dujaili EAS, Debruine LM. Salivary cortisol and pathogen disgust predict men's preferences for feminine shape cues in women's faces. Biol Psychol 2012. [PMID: 23182875 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that individuals who are particularly concerned about infectious diseases show stronger preferences for exaggerated sex-typical characteristics in potential mates' faces. However, these studies have generally investigated individual differences in women's mate preferences and relied on questionnaires to assess disease-related concerns. Here we show that men's scores on the pathogen disgust subscale of the Three Domains of Disgust Scale are positively correlated with their preferences for femininity in women's faces and that this relationship is independent of the possible effects of both sexual and moral disgust. We then show that men with higher trait (i.e., average) salivary cortisol, a biomarker for immunosuppression, have stronger preferences for femininity in women's faces. Finally, we show that pathogen disgust is correlated with partnered men's femininity ratings of both their actual and ideal romantic partner. Together, these findings suggest that disease-related factors are important for individual differences in men's mate preferences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benedict C Jones
- Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Puts DA, Dawood K, Welling LLM. Why women have orgasms: an evolutionary analysis. Arch Sex Behav 2012; 41:1127-1143. [PMID: 22733154 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-012-9967-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2011] [Revised: 11/08/2011] [Accepted: 02/19/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Whether women's orgasm is an adaptation is arguably the most contentious question in the study of the evolution of human sexuality. Indeed, this question is a veritable litmus test for adaptationism, separating those profoundly impressed with the pervasive and myriad correspondences between organisms' phenotypes and their conditions of life from those who apply the "onerous concept" of adaptation with more caution, skepticism or suspicion. Yet, the adaptedness of female orgasm is a question whose answer will elucidate mating dynamics in humans and nonhuman primates. There are two broad competing explanations for the evolution of orgasm in women: (1) the mate-choice hypothesis, which states that female orgasm has evolved to function in mate selection and (2) the byproduct hypothesis, which states that female orgasm has no evolutionary function, existing only because women share some early ontogeny with men, in whom orgasm is an adaptation. We review evidence for these hypotheses and identify areas where relevant evidence is lacking. Although additional research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn, we find that the mate-choice hypothesis receives more support. Specifically, female orgasm appears to have evolved to increase the probability of fertilization from males whose genes would improve offspring fitness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David A Puts
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Abstract
Although several prominent theories of human facial attractiveness propose that some facial characteristics convey information about people's health, empirical evidence for this claim is somewhat mixed. While most previous research into this issue has focused on facial characteristics such as symmetry, averageness, and sexual dimorphism, a recent study reported that ratings of facial adiposity (i.e., perceptions of fatness in the face) were positively correlated with indices of poor physical condition in a sample of young adults (i.e., reported past health problems and measures of cardiovascular fitness). These findings are noteworthy, since they suggest that perceived adiposity is a potentially important facial cue of health that has been overlooked by much of the previous work in this area. Here, we show that ratings of young adult women's facial adiposity are (1) better predicted by their body weight than by their body shape (Studies 1 and 2), (2) correlated with a composite measure of their physical and psychological condition (Study 2), and (3) negatively correlated with their trait (i.e., average) salivary progesterone levels (Study 3). Together, these findings present further evidence that perceived facial adiposity, or a correlate thereof, conveys potentially important information about women's actual health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rowan M Tinlin
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
36
|
Welling LLM, Puts DA, Roberts SC, Little AC, Burriss RP. Hormonal contraceptive use and mate retention behavior in women and their male partners. Horm Behav 2012; 61:114-20. [PMID: 22119340 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2011] [Revised: 08/29/2011] [Accepted: 10/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Female hormonal contraceptive use has been associated with a variety of physical and psychological side effects. Women who use hormonal contraceptives report more intense affective responses to partner infidelity and greater overall sexual jealousy than women not using hormonal contraceptives. Recently, researchers have found that using hormonal contraceptives with higher levels of synthetic estradiol, but not progestin, is associated with significantly higher levels of self-reported jealousy in women. Here, we extend these findings by examining the relationship between mate retention behavior in heterosexual women and their male partners and women's use of hormonal contraceptives. We find that women using hormonal contraceptives report more frequent use of mate retention tactics, specifically behaviors directed toward their partners (i.e., intersexual manipulations). Men partnered with women using hormonal contraceptives also report more frequent mate retention behavior, although this relationship may be confounded by relationship satisfaction. Additionally, among women using hormonal contraceptives, the dose of synthetic estradiol, but not of synthetic progesterone, positively predicts mate retention behavior frequency. These findings demonstrate how hormonal contraceptive use may influence behavior that directly affects the quality of romantic relationships as perceived by both female and male partners.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa L M Welling
- Anthropology Department, The Pennsylvania State University, 409 Carpenter Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Jones BC, Little AC, Watkins CD, Welling LLM, DeBruine LM. Reported sexual desire predicts men's preferences for sexually dimorphic cues in women's faces. Arch Sex Behav 2011; 40:1281-1285. [PMID: 21213032 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-010-9721-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2010] [Revised: 12/17/2010] [Accepted: 12/17/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies investigating the relationship between sexual desire and sexual attraction have found that heterosexual women's reported sexual desire is positively correlated with their reported attraction to both own- and opposite-sex individuals, but that heterosexual men's reported sexual desire is positively correlated with their reported attraction to opposite-sex individuals only. These findings have led to the proposal that sexual desire is a generalized energizer of sexual attraction in heterosexual women (i.e., influences women's attraction to both men and women), but only energizes heterosexual men's sexual attraction to women. Here we show that heterosexual men's scores on the Sexual Desire Inventory-2 were positively correlated with their preferences for exaggerated sex-typical shape cues in opposite-sex, but not own-sex, faces. Together with previous research showing that heterosexual women's reported sexual desire is positively correlated with their preferences for exaggerated sex-typical shape cues in both own- and opposite-sex faces, our findings present novel converging evidence for sex-specific relationships between sexual desire and attractiveness judgments of own- and opposite-sex individuals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benedict C Jones
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
DeBruine LM, Jones BC, Little AC, Crawford JR, Welling LLM. Further evidence for regional variation in women's masculinity preferences. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 278:813-814. [PMCID: PMC3049056 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.2200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2010] [Accepted: 11/17/2010] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. DeBruine
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK
| | | | | | - John R. Crawford
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK
| | - Lisa L. M. Welling
- Department of Anthropology, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Burriss RP, Roberts SC, Welling LLM, Puts DA, Little AC. Heterosexual romantic couples mate assortatively for facial symmetry, but not masculinity. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 2011; 37:601-13. [PMID: 21343440 DOI: 10.1177/0146167211399584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Preferences for partners with symmetric and sex-typical faces are well documented and considered evidence for the good-genes theory of mate choice. However, it is unclear whether preferences for these traits drive the real-world selection of mates. In two samples of young heterosexual couples from the United Kingdom (Study 1) and the United States (Study 2), the authors found assortment for facial symmetry but not for sex typicality or independently rated attractiveness. Within-couple similarity in these traits did not predict relationship duration or quality, although female attractiveness and relationship duration were negatively correlated among couples in which the woman was the more attractive partner. The authors conclude that humans may mate assortatively on facial symmetry, but this remains just one of the many physical and nonphysical traits to which people likely attend when forming romantic partnerships. This is also the first evidence that preferences for symmetry transfer from the laboratory to a real-world setting.
Collapse
|
40
|
Vukovic J, Jones BC, Feinberg DR, DeBruine LM, Smith FG, Welling LLM, Little AC. Variation in perceptions of physical dominance and trustworthiness predicts individual differences in the effect of relationship context on women's preferences for masculine pitch in men's voices. Br J Psychol 2011; 102:37-48. [DOI: 10.1348/000712610x498750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
|
41
|
DeBruine LM, Welling LLM, Jones BC, Little AC. Opposite effects of visual versus imagined presentation of faces on subsequent sex perception. Visual Cognition 2010. [DOI: 10.1080/13506281003691357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
42
|
Vukovic J, Jones BC, DeBruine L, Feinberg DR, Smith FG, Little AC, Welling LLM, Main J. Women’s own voice pitch predicts their preferences for masculinity in men’s voices. Behav Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
|
43
|
DeBruine LM, Jones BC, Crawford JR, Welling LLM, Little AC. The health of a nation predicts their mate preferences: cross-cultural variation in women's preferences for masculinized male faces. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 277:2405-10. [PMID: 20236978 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.2184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent formulations of sexual selection theory emphasize how mate choice can be affected by environmental factors, such as predation risk and resource quality. Women vary greatly in the extent to which they prefer male masculinity and this variation is hypothesized to reflect differences in how women resolve the trade-off between the costs (e.g. low investment) and benefits (e.g. healthy offspring) associated with choosing a masculine partner. A strong prediction of this trade-off theory is that women's masculinity preferences will be stronger in cultures where poor health is particularly harmful to survival. We investigated the relationship between women's preferences for male facial masculinity and a health index derived from World Health Organization statistics for mortality rates, life expectancies and the impact of communicable disease. Across 30 countries, masculinity preference increased as health decreased. This relationship was independent of cross-cultural differences in wealth or women's mating strategies. These findings show non-arbitrary cross-cultural differences in facial attractiveness judgements and demonstrate the use of trade-off theory for investigating cross-cultural variation in women's mate preferences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M DeBruine
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Jones BC, DeBruine LM, Main JC, Little AC, Welling LLM, Feinberg DR, Tiddeman BP. Facial cues of dominance modulate the short-term gaze-cuing effect in human observers. Proc Biol Sci 2009; 277:617-24. [PMID: 19864283 PMCID: PMC2842686 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.1575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Responding appropriately to gaze cues is essential for fluent social interaction, playing a crucial role in social learning, collaboration, threat assessment and understanding others' intentions. Previous research has shown that responses to gaze cues can be studied by investigating the gaze-cuing effect (i.e. the tendency for observers to respond more quickly to targets in locations that were cued by others' gaze than to uncued targets). A recent study demonstrating that macaques demonstrate larger gaze-cuing effects when viewing dominant conspecifics than when viewing subordinate conspecifics suggests that cues of dominance modulate the gaze-cuing effect in at least one primate species. Here, we show a similar effect of facial cues associated with dominance on gaze cuing in human observers: at short viewing times, observers demonstrated a greater cuing effect for gaze cues from masculinized (i.e. dominant) faces than from feminized (i.e. subordinate) faces. Moreover, this effect of facial masculinity on gaze cuing decreased as viewing time was increased, suggesting that the effect is driven by involuntary responses. Our findings suggest that the mechanisms that underpin reflexive gaze cuing evolved to be sensitive to facial cues of others' dominance, potentially because such differential gaze cuing promoted desirable outcomes from encounters with dominant individuals.
Collapse
|
45
|
Vukovic J, Jones BC, DeBruine LM, Little AC, Feinberg DR, Welling LLM. Circum-menopausal effects on women's judgements of facial attractiveness. Biol Lett 2009; 5:62-4. [PMID: 19004751 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The marked change in a woman's hormonal profile that happens at menopause affects many aspects of behaviour. We investigated circum-menopausal women's preferences for femininity in the faces of young adult men and women. Post-menopausal women demonstrated stronger preferences for femininity in same-sex faces than pre-menopausal women did. This effect was independent of possible effects of participant's age and suggests that dislike of feminine (i.e. attractive) same-sex competitors decreases as fertility decreases. No significant difference between pre- and post-menopausal women was observed for men's faces, potentially because circum-menopausal women do not necessarily view young adult men as potential mates. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate circum-menopausal changes in women's face preferences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jovana Vukovic
- Department of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2UB, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Welling LLM, Jones BC, Bestelmeyer PEG, DeBruine LM, Little AC, Conway CA. View-Contingent Aftereffects Suggest Joint Coding of Face Shape and View. Perception 2009; 38:133-41. [DOI: 10.1068/p5656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
While it is well established that different neural populations code different face views, behavioural evidence that these neurons also code other aspects of face shape is equivocal. For example, previous studies have interpreted the partial transfer of face aftereffects across different viewpoints as evidence for either view-specific coding of face shape or that the locus of adaptation is in face-coding mechanisms that are relatively robust to changes in face view. Here we show that it is possible to simultaneously induce aftereffects in opposite directions for 3/4 and front views of upright faces with manipulated mouth position (experiment 1). For example, simultaneous adaptation to 3/4 views with raised mouth position and front views with lowered mouth position caused raised mouth position to appear more normal for 3/4 views of novel faces, but less normal for front views. View-contingent adaptation did not occur for inverted faces, however (experiment 2). Dissociable aftereffects for different views of upright faces, but not for different views of inverted faces, suggest that neurons that code face view can also code other aspects of face shape.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Patricia E G Bestelmeyer
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Dugald Stewart Building, 3 Charles Street, Edinburgh EH8 9AD, Scotland, UK
| | | | - Anthony C Little
- Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Welling LLM, Jones BC, DeBruine LM, Smith FG, Feinberg DR, Little AC, Al-Dujaili EAS. Men report stronger attraction to femininity in women's faces when their testosterone levels are high. Horm Behav 2008; 54:703-8. [PMID: 18755192 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2008.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2008] [Revised: 07/21/2008] [Accepted: 07/22/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have shown that women's judgments of men's attractiveness are affected by changes in levels of sex hormones. However, no studies have tested for associations between changes in levels of sex hormones and men's judgments of women's attractiveness. To investigate this issue, we compared men's attractiveness judgments of feminized and masculinized women's and men's faces in test sessions where salivary testosterone was high and test sessions where salivary testosterone was relatively low. Men reported stronger attraction to femininity in women's faces in test sessions where salivary testosterone was high than in test sessions where salivary testosterone was low. This effect was found to be specific to judgments of opposite-sex faces. The strength of men's reported attraction to femininity in men's faces did not differ between high and low testosterone test sessions, suggesting that the effect of testosterone that we observed for judgments of women's faces was not due to a general response bias. Collectively, these findings suggest that changes in testosterone levels contribute to the strength of men's reported attraction to femininity in women's faces and complement previous findings showing that testosterone modulates men's interest in sexual stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa L M Welling
- Face Research Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, UK.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Welling LLM, Jones BC, Debruine LM, Little AC, Smith FG. Exposure to sexually attractive men decreases women's preferences for feminine faces. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1556/jep.6.2008.3.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
|
49
|
Conway CA, Jones BC, Debruine LM, Little AC, Hay J, Welling LLM, Perrett DI, Feinberg DR. Integrating physical and social cues when forming face preferences: Differences among low and high-anxiety individuals. Soc Neurosci 2008; 3:89-95. [DOI: 10.1080/17470910701676145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
|
50
|
Bestelmeyer PEG, Jones BC, Debruine LM, Little AC, Perrett DI, Schneider A, Welling LLM, Conway CA. Sex-contingent face aftereffects depend on perceptual category rather than structural encoding. Cognition 2007; 107:353-65. [PMID: 17870064 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2007.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2006] [Revised: 07/24/2007] [Accepted: 07/26/2007] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have used visual adaptation to investigate how recent experience with faces influences perception. While faces similar to those seen during adaptation phases are typically perceived as more 'normal' after adaptation, it is possible to induce aftereffects in one direction for one category (e.g. female) and simultaneously induce aftereffects in the opposite direction for another category (e.g. male). Such aftereffects could reflect 'category-contingent' adaptation of neurons selective for perceptual category (e.g. male or female) or 'structure-contingent' adaptation of lower-level neurons coding the physical characteristics of different face patterns. We compared these explanations by testing for simultaneous opposite after effects following adaptation to (a) two groups of faces from distinct sex categories (male and female) or (b) two groups of faces from the same sex category (female and hyper-female) where the structural differences between the female and hyper-female groups were mathematically identical to those between male and female groups. We were able to induce opposite aftereffects following adaptation between sex categories but not after adaptation within a sex category. These findings indicate the involvement of neurons coding perceptual category in sex-contingent face aftereffects and cannot be explained by neurons coding only the physical aspects of face patterns.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P E G Bestelmeyer
- Face Research Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|