bims-chumac 2023-04-02 papers

Issue of 2023–04–02
five papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society

Evol Psychol. 2023 Jan-Mar;21(1):21(1): 14747049231165687

Examining the Sexual Double Standards and Hypocrisy in Partner Suitability Appraisals Within a Norwegian Sample.

Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, Andrew G Thomas, David M Buss, Mons Bendixen.

Sexual double standards are social norms that impose greater social opprobrium on women versus men or that permit one sex greater sexual freedom than the other. This study examined sexual double standards when choosing a mate based on their sexual history. Using a novel approach, participants (N = 923, 64% women) were randomly assigned to make evaluations in long-term or short-term mating contexts and asked how a prospective partner's sexual history would influence their own likelihood of having sex (short-term) or entering a relationship (long-term) with them. They were then asked how the same factors would influence the appraisal they would make of male and female friends in a similar position. We found no evidence of traditional sexual double standards for promiscuous or sexually undesirable behavior. There was some evidence for small sexual double standard for self-stimulation, but this was in the opposite direction to that predicted. There was greater evidence for sexual hypocrisy as sexual history tended to have a greater negative impact on suitor assessments for the self rather than for same-sex friends. Sexual hypocrisy effects were more prominent in women, though the direction of the effects was the same for both sexes. Overall, men were more positive about women's self-stimulation than women wee, particularly in short-term contexts. Socially undesirable sexual behavior (unfaithfulness, mate poaching, and jealous/controlling) had a large negative impact on appraisals of a potential suitor across all contexts and for both sexes. Effects of religiosity, disgust, sociosexuality, and question order effects are considered.

Keywords: hypocrisy; long-term relationships; sex differences; sexual double standards; sexual strategies theory; short-term sex

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14747049231165687

Arch Sex Behav. 2023 Mar 28.

Men's Psychopathy and Mating Effort in Intimate Relationships: Links with Jealousy and Sexual Coercion.

Kristopher J Brazil, Gavin Vance, Virgil Zeigler-Hill, Todd K Shackelford.

Psychopathic men sometimes direct sexual aggression toward prospective female partners (e.g., using sexually aggressive behavior on a first date) and such behavior may be indicative of a high mating effort strategy. Less research has investigated the role of psychopathy in men's use of sexually coercive behaviors in their intimate relationships (e.g., sexual aggression directed toward one's long-term romantic partner) or the relationship processes that might facilitate such behavior. The present study surveyed 143 heterosexual dyads to assess men's psychopathic traits and their relation to self-reports and partner-reports of men's jealousy and partner sexual coercion. Results across informant models showed that men's psychopathy was associated with higher suspicious jealousy and partner sexual coercion. Suspicious jealousy also indirectly linked men's psychopathic traits with engaging in partner sexual coercion. The findings provide novel insights using dyadic data and suggest that both psychopathy and jealousy are important for men's engagement in partner sexual coercion.

Keywords: Jealousy; Mating effort; Paternity uncertainty; Psychopathy; Relationship dyads

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02587-6

J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2023 Mar 14.

Beer Googles or Liquid Courage? Alcohol, Attractiveness Perceptions, and Partner Selection Among Males.

Molly A Bowdring, Michael A Sayette.

OBJECTIVE: Perception of physical attractiveness (PPA) is a fundamental aspect of human relationships and may help explain alcohol's rewarding and harmful effects. Yet PPA is rarely studied in relation to alcohol, and existing approaches often rely on simple attractiveness ratings. The present study added an element of realism to the attractiveness assessment by asking participants to select four images of people they were led to believe might be paired with them in a subsequent study.
METHOD: Dyads of platonic, same-sex male friends [n=36; ages 21-27; predominately White (n=20)] attended two lab sessions, wherein they consumed alcohol and a no-alcohol control beverage (counterbalanced). Following beverage onset, participants rated PPA of targets using a Likert scale. They additionally selected four individuals from the PPA rating set to potentially interact with in a future study.
RESULTS: Alcohol did not affect traditional PPA ratings but did significantly enhance the likelihood that participants would choose to interact with the most attractive targets [X 2 (1, N=36)=10.70, p<.01].
CONCLUSIONS: While alcohol did not affect traditional PPA ratings, alcohol did increase the likelihood of choosing to interact with more attractive others. Future alcohol-PPA studies should include more realistic contexts and provide assessment of actual approach behaviors toward attractive targets, to further clarify the role of PPA in alcohol's hazardous and socially rewarding effects.

Keywords: Drinking; Interpersonal; Intoxication; Physical Attractiveness; Social

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.22-00355

J Sex Res. 2023 Mar 29. 1-11

Moral Reactions to Sexual Relationships that Violate Age Norms.

Richard B Felson, Eric Silver.

We examined whether Moral Foundations Theory helps explain Americans' reactions to violations of age-related sexual norms. Attitudes toward sexual relationships between two adolescents, an adolescent and a young adult, and two adults of highly discrepant ages were obtained from a nationally representative sample of 1,117 adults in the United States. The sex of the older person was manipulated in the age-discrepant scenarios. We found that respondents for whom purity was an important value were generally more likely to be bothered by these sexual activities. The reaction to sexual relationships between adolescent girls and young men was an exception. For this type of relationship, the negative reaction was related to the fairness foundation, suggesting that respondents thought the relationship involved exploitation. Reactions to violations of age norms were unrelated to whether respondents had a strong harm foundation, suggesting that their reactions were not motivated by concern that such relationships are harmful to participants. Finally, we found that male respondents were less likely to react negatively to age violations than female respondents, particularly when the sexual relationship involved an adolescent boy and a young woman.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2023.2192196