bims-chumac 2023-02-26 papers

bims-chumac

Biomed News

on Context effects on human mate choice

Issue of 2023–02–26
eleven papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society

The criteria of Chinese and South Koreans' mate selection: A comparative study of long-term and short-term mate selection preferences in the cross-cultural perspective.
Intimate Partner Cyberstalking: Exploring Vulnerable Narcissism, Secondary Psychopathy, Borderline Traits, and Rejection Sensitivity.
Biomechanical strategies to maximize gait attractiveness among women.
An evolutionary case for polygyny to counter demographic collapse.
Navigating the Role of LGBTQ+ Identity in Self-Disclosure and Strategies Used for Uncertainty Reduction in Online Dating.
Effects of Ginger on Disgust, Sexual Arousal, and Sexual Engagement: A Placebo-Controlled Experiment.
Only Death Will Separate Us: The Role of Extramarital Partnerships among Himba Pastoralists.
Childhood Family Instability and Young-Adult Union Experiences: Black-White Differences in Outcomes and Effects.
Can Prior Sexual Abuse Explain Global Differences in Measured Self-Esteem in Male and Female Adolescents?
Transactional Desire: Exploring Male Student Sex Workers in China.
Social Norms About Dating and Relationship Violence and Gender Among Adolescents: Systematic Review of Measures Used in Dating and Relationship Violence Research.

Heliyon. 2023 Feb;9(2): e13329

The criteria of Chinese and South Koreans' mate selection: A comparative study of long-term and short-term mate selection preferences in the cross-cultural perspective.

Yunhang Lu.

  Sexual selection has become an important research topic in behavioral ecology, human behavior, and evolution. The study of mate selection preferences across cultures and countries has gradually received increasing attention. The present study was aimed to reveal the differences of long-term and short-term mate selection preferences between young people in Chinese and South Korean. An questionnaire survey method was followed to obtain the aim of the study, and a total of 273 Chinese (M = 22.07, SD = 1.75) and 181 Koreans (M = 21.75, SD = 2.05) unmarried university students were chosen to participate the study. We summarized the important core factors of individual mate preferences and revealed the long-term and short-term mate preferences of young men and women in both countries through quantitative analysis. The results indicated that education played a crucial role in the long-term mate selection for both Chinese males and females. Contrastingly, Koreans valued friendliness and easygoingness in long-term mate value and liveliness in short-term mate value. There were differences found in mate preference by gender between Chinese and Koreans, influenced by cross-cultural factors. These findings strongly supported cultural differences in mate selection and provided practical suggestions for future cross-cultural mate selection research.

Keywords:  Confucianism; Cross-cultural; Cultural differences; Gender differences; Mate preferences; Mate selection

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13329
Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2023 Feb 24.

Intimate Partner Cyberstalking: Exploring Vulnerable Narcissism, Secondary Psychopathy, Borderline Traits, and Rejection Sensitivity.

Allison Duffy, Evita March, Peter K Jonason.

  Intimate partner cyberstalking refers to the monitoring and controlling of an intimate partner through technologies. Unlike the cyberstalking of strangers, less is known about the motives and perpetration of intimate partner cyberstalking. In this study, we explore how vulnerable narcissism, secondary psychopathy, and borderline traits (i.e., the "Vulnerable Dark Triad") and rejection sensitivity relate to the perpetration of intimate partner cyberstalking. Participants (N = 278; 58 percent women) were recruited through social media and completed an anonymous online questionnaire. Positive correlations were observed between vulnerable narcissism, secondary psychopathy, borderline traits, rejection sensitivity, and intimate partner cyberstalking. Borderline traits moderated the relationship between participant sex (men and women) and intimate partner cyberstalking, and women with high borderline traits were most likely to cyberstalk intimate partners. Lastly, there was a significant indirect effect of vulnerable narcissism on intimate partner cyberstalking through rejection sensitivity. These findings highlight the importance of relational insecurity and rejection sensitivity in intimate partner cyberstalking and provide useful directions for future research exploring cyberstalking behaviors in intimate relationships.

Keywords:  borderline; cyberstalking; rejection sensitivity; secondary psychopathy; vulnerable narcissism

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2022.0167
Front Sports Act Living. 2023 ;5 1091470

Biomechanical strategies to maximize gait attractiveness among women.

Hiroko Tanabe, Keisuke Fujii, Naotsugu Kaneko, Hikaru Yokoyama, Kimitaka Nakazawa.

  Physical attractiveness is a key factor in social communication, and through this communication process, we attractively brand and express ourselves. Thus, this study investigated the biomechanical strategies used by women to express gait attractiveness. Our aim was to extend the current literature by examining this aspect of dynamic motion from the perspective of expressed, rather than perceived attractiveness. In this regard, we obtained motion capture data from 17 women, including seven professional fashion models. The participants walked on a treadmill under two conditions: 1) a normal condition in which they were instructed to walk as casually as possible; and 2) an attractive-conscious condition where they were asked to walk as attractively as possible. Then, we used whole-body kinematic data to represent motion energy at each joint, flexibility of the upper body, and the up-down/forward-backward silhouettes of the limbs, and compared these parameters between the two conditions by using statistical parametric mapping. During the attractive-conscious condition, the non-model women increased the energy of the hip and thoracolumbar joints, which emphasized the motions of their bosoms and buttocks. They also increased their upper body flexibility (possibly reflecting fertility) and continued to face front and downward. Conversely, although the fashion models partially shared the same strategy with the non-models (e.g., hip energy, upper body flexibility, and head bending downward), the strategy of the former was prominent in the stretching of the knee during the push-off phase and pulling the upper arm back, allowing them to showcase their youth and emphasize their chests. In addition, the fashion models used a wider variety of strategies to express their gait attractiveness. The findings indicate that the biomechanical strategy used to express gait attractiveness in women involves showcasing femininity, fertility, and youth. Our results not only deepen the understanding of human movement for self-expression through gait attractiveness, but they also help us comprehend self-branding behavior in human social life.

Keywords:  gait; gait attractiveness; kinematic; locomotion; physical expression; social communication; walking; women

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1091470
Front Psychol. 2023 ;14 1062950

An evolutionary case for polygyny to counter demographic collapse.

Mads Larsen.

  Sex ratio theory suggests why mating practices have become dysfunctional in the West and other regions. Spain, Japan, and over 20 other nations are on course to have their populations halved by 2100, dramatically aging their citizenry. Experts and opinion makers warn that a demographic collapse cannot be absorbed by our current social order; Elon Musk proclaims this to be "the biggest threat to human civilization." Statistics from the Nordic countries-the world's most gender-equal region-indicate that subjective perceptions of the sex ratio in modern environments drive singledom and low reproduction. Scandinavia has the world's highest occurrence of one-person households: 43-46%. In the past decade, the Norwegian fertility rate dropped from 2.0 to 1.5. Sex ratio studies suggest that women's perception of there being few acceptable partners activates a polygynous mindset, which in prosperous, monogamous societies drives promiscuity to the detriment of pair-bonding. More than 6 million years of hominin evolution under promiscuous, polygynous, and monogamous regimes shaped mate preferences that evoke different cultural and behavioral responses as environments change. The Church's imposition of lifelong monogamy contributed to the emergence of the modern world, but if this world's gender-equal societies no longer motivate reproduction, being more open to polygyny could be worth considering as a means for increasing fertility. This article makes this case by exploring hominin mating from our last common ancestor with chimpanzees-through the genus Homo's forager and agricultural periods-to modern Scandinavians. In the past millennium, mating practices have coevolved with the emergence of modernity, necessitating frequent cultural updates. An evolutionary analysis of Nordic works of literature illuminates the ways in which ideological narratives influence reproductive norms. The insights gleaned are considered in the context of people's perceived sex ratio.

Keywords:  evolutionary literary criticism; fertility rate; marriage and family practices; mating ideology; pair-bonding; perceived sex ratio

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1062950
J Sex Res. 2023 Feb 17. 1-11

Navigating the Role of LGBTQ+ Identity in Self-Disclosure and Strategies Used for Uncertainty Reduction in Online Dating.

Katharine M Mitchell, Megan L Knittel.

Online dating platforms pose novel challenges for personal privacy, self-disclosure, and uncertainty management. Emerging evidence suggests that LGBTQ+ users may be especially impacted by issues like personal privacy and misrepresentation online. LGBTQ+ identity disclosure is often fraught with pressures related to stigma, fear of accidental disclosure to unintended, undesired audiences, and the possibility of facing harassment and violence. How these identity concerns may manifest in uncertainty reduction strategies in online dating contexts has not yet been examined. To understand this relationship, we replicated and extended precious work examining self-disclosure concerns and uncertainty reduction strategies when online dating with a focus on LGBTQ+ users. Participants were surveyed on the amount of personal information they disclosed, the uncertainty reduction strategies they used, and concerns about disclosure. We found that use of uncertainty reduction strategies was predicted by concerns of personal security, misrepresentation of communication partners, and the possibility of being recognized. We also found that using these strategies predicted the frequency of specific self-disclosure in online dating situations. These findings support the value in continuing to understand the ways in which online information sharing and relationship development are influenced by social identity.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2023.2179009
J Sex Res. 2023 Feb 21. 1-13

Effects of Ginger on Disgust, Sexual Arousal, and Sexual Engagement: A Placebo-Controlled Experiment.

Guangju Wen, Yikang Zhang, Thomas J Nyman, Patrick Jern, Pekka Santtila.

Sexual problems are common complaints across countries and cultures, and behavioral immune system theory suggests disgust plays an essential role in sexual functioning. The current study investigated 1) if disgust induced by sexual body fluids would reduce sexual arousal, reduce the likelihood of sexual engagement, and enhance disgust toward subsequent erotic stimuli, and 2) if the administration of ginger would affect these reactions. We administered either ginger or placebo pills to a sample of 247 participants (Mage = 21.59, SD = 2.52; 122 women) and asked them to complete either behavioral approach tasks with sexual body fluids or with neutral fluids. Next, participants viewed and responded to questions concerning erotic stimuli (nude and seminude pictures of opposite-sex models). As expected, the sexual body fluids tasks induced disgust. The elevated disgust induced by sexual body fluids tasks resulted in lower sexual arousal in women, whereas ginger consumption counteracted this inhibiting effect of disgust on sexual arousal. Disgust elicited by sexual body fluids also increased disgust toward the subsequent erotic stimuli. Ginger increased sexual arousal toward the erotic stimuli in both men and women who had completed the neutral fluids tasks. Findings provide further evidence of the role of disgust in sexual problems, and, importantly, that ginger may improve the sexual function of individuals via its sexual arousal-enhancing effect.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2023.2175191
Arch Sex Behav. 2023 Feb 22.

Only Death Will Separate Us: The Role of Extramarital Partnerships among Himba Pastoralists.

Brooke A Scelza, Sean P Prall.

  Extramarital partnerships are highly stigmatized in many societies and are typically excluded from studies of family dynamics and social support. Nevertheless, in many societies such relationships are common and can have important impacts on resource security and health outcomes. However, current studies of these relationships come mainly from ethnographic studies, with quantitative data extremely rare. Here we present data from a 10-year study of romantic partnerships among a community of Himba pastoralists in Namibia, where concurrency is common. The majority of married men (97%) and women (78%) currently reported having more than one partner (n = 122). Using multilevel models comparing marital and nonmarital relationships, we found that, contrary to conventional wisdom surrounding concurrency, Himba form enduring bonds with extramarital partners that often last decades and are very similar to marital ones in terms of length, emotional affect, reliability, and future prospects. Qualitative interview data showed that extramarital relationships were imbued with a set of rights and obligations that, while distinct from those of spouses, provide an important source of support. Greater inclusion of these relationships in studies of marriage and family would provide a clearer picture of social support and resource transfers in these communities and help to explain variation in the practice and acceptance of concurrency around the world.

Keywords:  Concurrency; Extramarital sex; Himba pastoralists; Reproductive decision-making

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02553-2
Demography. 2023 Feb 22. pii: 10571816. [Epub ahead of print]

Childhood Family Instability and Young-Adult Union Experiences: Black-White Differences in Outcomes and Effects.

Deirdre Bloome, Paula Fomby, Yang Zhang.

  Today's young adults have diverse union experiences; some enter enduring marital or cohabiting unions at young ages, but many delay or dissolve their unions or remain single. Childhood family instability-defined as parents' transitions into or out of romantic coresidential unions-offers one explanation for why some people are more likely than others to enter and exit unions. We evaluate whether this family instability hypothesis-a union-specific version of the general hypothesis that instability affects people across multiple life domains-can explain Black and White young adults' union formation and dissolution. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics' Transition into Adulthood Supplement (birth cohorts 1989-1999), we find that the marginal effects of childhood family instability on cohabitation and marriage are weaker for Black than for White youth. Further, Black-White differences in childhood family instability's prevalence are small. Consequently, novel decompositions that account for racial differences in instability's prevalence and marginal effects reveal that childhood family instability contributes little to Black-White inequality in young adults' union outcomes. Our results challenge the generalizability of the family instability hypothesis across racialized groups in the union domain. Explanations for Black-White differences in young-adult marriage and cohabitation reside beyond childhood family dynamics.

Keywords:  Cohabitation; Family instability; Marriage; Racial inequality; Union dissolution

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1215/00703370-10571816
Children (Basel). 2023 Jan 31. pii: 276. [Epub ahead of print]10(2):

Can Prior Sexual Abuse Explain Global Differences in Measured Self-Esteem in Male and Female Adolescents?

Alice Sawyerr, Chris Adam-Bagley.

  World research has shown that adolescent and young adult women and girls have significantly "poorer" self-esteem than men and boys, on a variety of previously validated self-esteem measures. There is no consensus on reasons for this, and a variety of factors have been proposed: some adolescent girls have a preoccupation with facial and body features, and this leads to a global negative evaluation of self-characteristics; the measures themselves are biased towards describing self-characteristics on which men and boys are likely to evaluate themselves more favourably; and in an often-sexist world, women and girls experience (or anticipate) many structural disadvantages, in education, career and promotion, which lead girls to "internalise" an image of themselves as less able or worthy than men and boys. A separate literature on the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and adolescents has found that (a) sexual exploitation and maltreatment often has a sequel in impaired self-concept and self-esteem and (b) sexual maltreatment is twice as likely to occur in women and girls. It is puzzling that differential levels of child sexual abuse have not been advanced in many studies as an explanation of gender differences in self-esteem in the large-scale studies we review, although this effect is confirmed by clinical and social work literature.

Keywords:  Rosenberg RSES; child sexual abuse; gender differences; longitudinal studies; self-esteem

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/children10020276
J Sex Res. 2023 Feb 24. 1-12

Transactional Desire: Exploring Male Student Sex Workers in China.

Ying Fang, Chaoting Tang.

This paper presents a descriptive study of Chinese male student sex workers through a grounded theory analysis of 25 semi-structured one-to-one online interviews. We found that the internet and introductions by peers were the two primary channels for Chinese male students to enter the sex industry. Most students were motivated to be involved in commercial sex by a mixture of consumption and sexual desires. Student sex workers motivated mainly by sexual desire often selected clients and considered commercial sex as "transactional hookups." Student sex workers used strategies, including concealing, separating sex and love, simulating boyfriend experiences, and terminating romantic relationships, to deal with the stigmas they encountered. Sexual health and sexually transmitted disease prevention-oriented sexuality education in China had positive impacts on male student sex workers, but we also found the need for more comprehensive sexuality education. As emerging adults, college students are in a life stage distinct from adolescents and adults. We believe student sex work, as well as emerging adult sex work in general, needs to be differentiated from voluntary adult sex work in both scholarly research and public discussions of the legal status of sex work, especially in cases where students are not informed about the risks of engaging in commercial sex.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2023.2181306
Trauma Violence Abuse. 2023 Feb 24. 15248380231155526

Social Norms About Dating and Relationship Violence and Gender Among Adolescents: Systematic Review of Measures Used in Dating and Relationship Violence Research.

Rebecca Meiksin, Chris Bonell, Amiya Bhatia, G J Melendez-Torres, Nambusi Kyegombe, Anjalee Kohli.

  Adolescent dating and relationship violence (DRV) is widespread and associated with increased risk of subsequent poor mental health outcomes and partner violence. Shifting social norms (i.e., descriptive norms of perceived behavior and injunctive norms of acceptable behavior among a reference group of important others) may be important for reducing DRV. However, few DRV studies assess norms, measurement varies, and evidence on measure quality is diffuse. We aimed to map and assess how studies examining DRV measured social norms concerning DRV and gender. We conducted a systematic review of DRV literature reporting on the use and validity of such measures among participants aged 10-18 years. Searches included English peer-reviewed and grey literature identified via nine databases; Google Scholar; organization websites; reference checking; known studies; and expert requests. We identified 24 eligible studies from the Americas (N = 15), Africa (N = 4), and Europe (N = 5) using 40 eligible measures of DRV norms (descriptive: N = 19; injunctive: N = 14) and gender norms (descriptive: N = 1; injunctive: N = 6). No measure was shared across studies. Most measures were significantly associated with DRV outcomes and most had a defined reference group. Other evidence of quality was mixed. DRV norms measures sometimes specified heterosexual relationships but rarely separated norms governing DRV perpetrated by girls and boys. None specified sexual-minority relationships. Gender norms measures tended to focus on violence, but missed broader gendered expectations underpinning DRV. Future research should develop valid, reliable DRV norms and gender norms measures, and assess whether interventions' impact on norms mediates impact on DRV.

Keywords:  dating and relationship violence; dating violence; domestic violence; intimate partner violence; measurement; social norms

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380231155526