bims-chumac 2021-06-13 papers

bims-chumac

Biomed News

on Context effects on human mate choice

Issue of 2021–06–13
six papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society

Are there "Better" and "Worse" Ways to be Consensually Non-Monogamous (CNM)?: CNM Types and CNM-Specific Predictors of Dyadic Adjustment.
Internalized Consensual Non-Monogamy Negativity and Relationship Quality Among People Engaged in Polyamory, Swinging, and Open Relationships.
Patterns of love and sexting in teen dating relationships: The moderating role of conflicts.
Singlehood in contemporary Japan: Rating, dating, and waiting for a good match.
Reconfiguration of relationships during the process of remarriage after divorce. A qualitative study in Iran.
Generation Y: Do millennials need a partner to be happy?

Arch Sex Behav. 2021 Jun 07.

Are there "Better" and "Worse" Ways to be Consensually Non-Monogamous (CNM)?: CNM Types and CNM-Specific Predictors of Dyadic Adjustment.

Terri D Conley, Jennifer L Piemonte.

  Research on consensual non-monogamy (CNM) has largely been restricted to comparisons between monogamous and CNM people, with researchers paying little attention to various CNM styles. The current research elucidated differences among three styles of CNM: open relationships, polyamory, and swinging. Across three studies, we demonstrated that people in polyamorous or swinger-style relationships have higher levels of relationship satisfaction and other relational outcomes (e.g., passionate love, trust) than those in open relationships. That is, people in open relationships consistently fared more poorly in their relational outcomes than those in other types of CNM relationships. In Studies 4 and 5, we isolated some of the reasons for these differences. We found that differences in relational outcomes between open-style and other styles of CNM dissipated when controlling for (a) couples' approach to communication, (b) extrinsic versus intrinsic motivations for participating in CNM, (c) adherence to pro-monogamy beliefs and (d) degree of contact with one's partner's partners ("metamours"). Thus, CNM-specific relational dynamics are associated with dyadic adjustment in these relationships.

Keywords:  Consensual non-monogamy; Dyadic adjustment; Open relationships; Polyamory; Relationship satisfaction

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02027-3
Arch Sex Behav. 2021 Jun 07.

Internalized Consensual Non-Monogamy Negativity and Relationship Quality Among People Engaged in Polyamory, Swinging, and Open Relationships.

Amy C Moors, Heath A Schechinger, Rhonda Balzarini, Sharon Flicker.

  Drawing on an internalized homonegativity and minority stress framework, the present study sought to address whether people engaged in consensual non-monogamy (CNM) internalize stigma toward their relationship style, and if internalized CNM negativity is associated with poorer relationship quality and functioning. We recruited a community sample of 339 people engaged in CNM (open, swinging, or polyamorous relationship) with at least two concurrent partners. Participants completed a newly developed measure of internalized CNM negativity (which assessed personal discomfort, social discomfort, and public identification) and four measures of relationship quality for each partner. Regression analyses showed that personal discomfort with CNM (e.g., wanting to change one's relationship style or endorsing CNM as unnatural) was associated with lower satisfaction with romantic and sexual relationship agreements, global relationship satisfaction, and commitment (but not sexual satisfaction) in both concurrent relationships. The other two dimensions of internalized CNM negativity, social discomfort and public identification, were not related to relationship quality with either partner. These findings provide support for the notion that prevailing mononormativity (idealization of monogamy in society) can become applied to the self and negatively impact relationship quality. Understanding the processes in which broader societal stigma toward CNM can become internalized and affect well-being provides a new direction for research at the intersection of public health, psychology, and sexuality.

Keywords:  Consensual non-monogamy; Minority stress; Mononormativity; Polyamory; Relationship quality; Self-stigma

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01885-7
New Dir Child Adolesc Dev. 2021 Jun 09.

Patterns of love and sexting in teen dating relationships: The moderating role of conflicts.

Dora Bianchi, Mara Morelli, Roberto Baiocco, Elena Cattelino, Antonio Chirumbolo.

  According to the triangular love theory, this study investigated the roles of three components of love (i.e., passion, intimacy, commitment) and the moderating role of conflicts in predicting different forms of sexting (i.e., experimental, nonconsensual, under pressure) in teen dating relationships. Participants were 409 adolescents (Mage = 17.20, SDage = 1.61; 62.6% girls) who completed an online questionnaire. Three moderated regressions were performed. Conflicts positively predicted all forms of sexting. Passion positively predicted experimental sexting. Intimacy negatively predicted experimental and nonconsensual sexting, and positively predicted sexting under pressure. Three interaction effects emerged, pointing out the moderating role of conflicts. Passion positively predicted nonconsensual sexting in the presence of high conflicts, while this relationship became negative when conflicts were low. Commitment negatively predicted nonconsensual sexting and sexting under pressure in the presence of high conflicts, but these relationships were not significant when conflicts were low. Research and applicative implications are discussed.

Keywords:  adolescents; commitment; conflicts; dating relationships; intimacy; passion; sexting

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20427
Demogr Res. 2021 Jan-Jun;44:44 239-276

Singlehood in contemporary Japan: Rating, dating, and waiting for a good match.

Mary C Brinton, Eunmi Mun, Ekaterina Hertog.

BACKGROUND: Late age at marriage and rising rates of singlehood increasingly characterize East Asian societies. For Japan, these are major contributors to the very low birth rate.
OBJECTIVE: We analyze two unique data sets: dating records covering a two-year period from one of Japan's largest marriage agencies and in-depth interviews with 30 highly-educated Japanese singles. The longitudinal nature of the quantitative data allows us to test hypotheses about how single men's and women's preferences for partners' characteristics adjust over time. The qualitative data provides a more fine-grained look at Japanese singles' partner preferences.
METHODS: We employ fixed-effects regression models to analyze Japanese men's and women's preferences for the relative and absolute education, income, and age of potential marriage partners.
RESULTS: Both the quantitative and qualitative data suggest that Japanese women continue to highly value men's income-earning capacity. Men, in contrast, value a partner with moderate income-earning potential. Women's and men's preferences for partner's education are somewhat weaker, and women broaden their educational preference over time.
CONCLUSION: Japanese men's and women's preferences for a potential partner's characteristics are largely consistent with Becker's theory of gender-role specialization. But we also find evidence consistent with Oppenheimer's expectation that men are coming to value women's income-earning capacity more highly than in the past.
CONTRIBUTION: We use a unique Japanese data set featuring dating records over a two-year period to examine the appropriateness of theories of marital sorting proposed by Becker and Oppenheimer. Our quantitative analysis is complemented by in-depth interviews with Japanese singles.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4054/demres.2021.44.10
J Med Life. 2021 Mar-Apr;14(2):14(2): 198-204

Reconfiguration of relationships during the process of remarriage after divorce. A qualitative study in Iran.

Abbasali Yazdani, Mirtaher Mousavi, Fardin Alipour, Hassan Rafiey.

  Marriage is highly respected and somehow sacred in eastern societies, including Iran. This qualitative research aimed to explore lived experience of remarried men and women who had experienced divorce in their relationships with their significant others. Seventeen remarried-after-divorce persons whose second marriage lasted over two years participated in the study, conducted using the content analysis method. Under the theme of inter-relationships, four categories were found, including "different spouses, different relations", "reconfiguration of relationships with families", "impacts on child-rearing", and "the importance of unimportant acquaintances". This study showed the complexity of the relationship network when another marriage happens after the first one collapsed. The other finding was that relations after divorce might not disappear completely, and relics of the first ruined shared life may strongly affect the new partnership. The influence of context-oriented issues, particularly in societies where religion and tradition are strong, was the other result. This study showed that remarriage after divorce has positive and negative consequences. Professionals, policymakers and researchers may apply the findings of the research by taking a strengths perspective.

Keywords:  Iran; divorce; quality of life; rebuilt family; remarriage

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.25122/jml-2020-0196
J Adolesc. 2021 Jun 02. pii: S0140-1971(21)00067-1. [Epub ahead of print]90 23-31

Generation Y: Do millennials need a partner to be happy?

Louisa Scheling, David Richter.

   INTRODUCTION: Empirical evidence on Ronald Inglehart's theory of value change shows that subsequent generations show a decline in values of physical and economic security (materialism) in favor of an increase in values of self-expression and autonomy (postmaterialism).
METHODS: We investigate in a pre-registered study whether Inglehart's theory also applies to partnership, such that millennials think less that they need a partner to be happy. We used data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study on 4540 17-year-olds from 16 birth cohorts.
RESULTS: Results show that adolescents' estimated importance of a romantic partner for personal happiness decreases on average with each subsequent birth cohort. Further significant predictors were socialization and relationship status of the parents, birth year of the father, as well as education and sex of the adolescent. Socioeconomic status and education level of the parents and birth year of the mother were not significant.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide initial evidence that as society becomes more individualized, even personal happiness is increasingly seen as independent of significant others. Ronald Inglehart's theory of value change, however, seems to have only limited applicability as an explanatory model for this development.

Keywords:  Happiness; Individualism; Millennials; Romantic partner; Values

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.05.006