bims-chumac Biomed News
on Context effects on human mate choice
Issue of 2019–12–29
seven papers selected by
Jay Dixit, Storytelling.NYC



  1. Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2019 Dec 27. 1088868319891310
      (Hetero)sexual double standards (SDS) entail that different sexual behaviors are appropriate for men and women. This meta-analysis (k = 99; N = 123,343) tested predictions of evolutionary and biosocial theories regarding the existence of SDS in social cognitions. Databases were searched for studies examining attitudes or stereotypes regarding the sexual behaviors of men versus women. Studies assessing differences in evaluations, or expectations, of men's and women's sexual behavior yielded evidence for traditional SDS (d = 0.25). For men, frequent sexual activity was more expected, and evaluated more positively, than for women. Studies using Likert-type-scale questionnaires did not yield evidence of SDS (combined M = -0.09). Effects were moderated by level of gender equality in the country in which the study was conducted, SDS-operationalization (attitudes vs. stereotypes), questionnaire type, and sexual behavior type. Results are consistent with a hybrid model incorporating both evolutionary and sociocultural factors contributing to SDS.
    Keywords:  gender; meta-analysis; sexual double standards; sexuality; social cognitions
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868319891310
  2. Span J Psychol. 2019 Dec 26. 22 E61
      The advent of social media platforms has revolutionized the process of information creation, dissemination and consumption. Although highly debated, pornography consumption on social media is a reality. Building on an acquisition, activation, and application model, this study investigates student's (n = 379) gratification in romantic relationships as an outcome of their pornography consumption on social media, through the mediating effect of sexual confidence and sexual compulsivity. PROCESS macro was used to analyze the data. Results indicate that the effect of pornography consumption on a viewer's gratification in a romantic relationship is partially mediated by sexual confidence (β = .0461, p < .001) and sexual compulsivity (β = .420, p < .001). These findings hold important contributions to current literature. Findings also indicate that pornography consumption positively and significantly aids a viewer's sexual gratification in romantic relationships.
    Keywords:  pornography; romantic relationships; sexual compulsivity; sexual gratification; social media
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1017/sjp.2019.60
  3. Front Psychol. 2019 ;10 2754
      Despite the emergence of research into interpersonal dehumanization, there has been little by way of empirical investigation of the phenomenon within the context of romantic relationships. To address this, we introduce and validate the Dehumanization in Romantic Relationships Scale (DIRRS), a self-report measure of dehumanization perpetration and targeting within close relationships. In Study 1 (N = 1251, M age = 25.35, SD = 6.03), confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the dimensionality of interpersonal dehumanization may be more nuanced than first thought. Specifically, a four factor first-order structure [comprised of factors that relate to denials of human uniqueness (i.e., immature and unrefined) and human nature (i.e., exploitable and emotionless) was found to be the best fit to the data]. These results were replicated on a different sample in Study 2 (N = 847, M age = 23.40, SD = 6.43)-in addition to the assessment of criterion-related validity. Study 3 (N = 328, M age = 23.40, SD = 6.43) cross-validated the criterion-related validity reported in Study 2, and in addition, highlights that dehumanization is also associated with emotional and physical abuse. This research extends theory on interpersonal dehumanization and provides an empirically validated measure to reliably assess the occurrence of dehumanization within romantic relationships.
    Keywords:  abuse; confirmatory factor analysis; dehumanization; interpersonal relationships; maltreatment; measurement
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02754
  4. J Sex Marital Ther. 2020 ;46(1): 67-77
      This study utilizes an online survey (open and closed questions) to examine how those whose partners' have engaged in online affairs define and experience online infidelity. As with offline affairs, respondents were most likely to define sexual (vs. emotional) behaviors as infidelity (e.g., cybersex, exchanging sexual self-images, sharing sexual fantasies online). However, thematic analysis of the qualitative data identified how online behaviors and spaces are confusing and that infidelity is defined more broadly and fluidly in the online context. This potentially explains why participants saw the Internet as facilitating affairs. Findings are discussed in relation to existing literature and study limitations.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2019.1654577
  5. Fam Process. 2019 Dec 23.
      The degree of approval for a relationship from one's social network has been shown to predict relationship outcomes. Additional research has shown that attachment can buffer the negative effects of various factors (e.g., depression) on relationships. Using an actor-partner interdependence model in an SEM framework, we research the effects of disapproval from parents and friends for one's relationship on marital relationship quality for self and partner in a sample of 858 married couples. We also examine whether each spouse's attachment behaviors can moderate these effects. Results indicated that one's own attachment behaviors moderate the effects of their own parents' and friends' disapproval on their self-reported relationship quality for both men and women. Partner's attachment behaviors moderate own friend's disapproval on self-reported relationship quality for men and women; additionally, the main effect of partner's friends' and parents' disapproval became nonsignificant with that test. The findings provide evidence that attachment behaviors of both partners play a role in buffering the negative effects of the social network disapproval on relationship outcomes. Clinical implications are discussed.
    Keywords:  Approval; Attachment Behaviors; Relationship Quality; aprobación; calidad de la relación; conductas de apego; 依恋行为; 关系质量; 认可
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12519
  6. Front Psychol. 2019 ;10 2709
      Evolutionary mismatch concepts are being fruitfully employed in a number of research domains, including medicine, health, and human cognition and behavior to generate novel hypotheses and better understand existing findings. We contend that research on human mating will benefit from explicitly addressing both the evolutionary mismatch of the people we study and the evolutionary mismatch of people conducting the research. We identified nine mismatch characteristics important to the study of human mating and reviewed the literature related to each of these characteristics. Many of the people we study are: exposed to social media, in temporary relationships, relocatable, autonomous in their mating decisions, nulliparous, in groups that are socially segmented, in an educational setting, confronted with lots of options, and young. We applied mismatch concepts to each characteristic to illustrate the importance of incorporating mismatch into this research area. Our aim in this paper is not to identify all potential mismatch effects in mating research, nor to challenge or disqualify existing data. Rather, we demonstrate principled ways of thinking about evolutionary mismatch in order to propel progress in mating research. We show how attending to the potential effects of mismatch can help us refine our theoretical and methodological approaches and deepen our understanding of existing patterns in the empirical record. We conclude with specific recommendations about how to include consideration of evolutionary mismatch into research on human mating.
    Keywords:  attraction; evolutionary mismatch; evolutionary psychology; mating; relationships
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02709
  7. Heliyon. 2019 Dec;5(12): e02949
      With an estimated 50 million or more users worldwide, Tinder has become one of the most popular mobile dating applications. Although judgments of physical attractiveness are assumed to drive the "swiping" decisions that lead to matches, we propose that there is an additional evaluative dimension driving behind these decisions: judgments of moral character. With the aim of adding empirical support for this proposition, we critically review the most striking findings about first impressions extracted from faces, moral character in person perception, creepiness, and the uncanny valley, as they apply to Tinder behavior. Drawing on this research and the evolutionary theory of biological markets, we formulate several hypotheses that offer directions for future studies of Tinder and other dating apps. We conclude that research on face perception of novel targets supports the plausibility of moral character as a potential factor affecting the swiping decisions and subsequent behavior of Tinder users.
    Keywords:  Face perception; Moral character; Psychology; Tinder; Uncanny valley
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02949