bims-chumac 2021-10-10 papers

Issue of 2021–10–10
six papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society

Evol Psychol. 2021 Oct;19(4): 14747049211045271

How People Become Attractive to Prospective Mates: Strategies of Self-Promotion in the Greek Cultural Context.

Menelaos Apostolou, Yan Wang, Athina Gavriilidou.

An important aspect of human mating is to appeal to prospective mates. Accordingly, the current research attempted to identify the strategies that people use in order to become more attractive as prospective intimate partners. More specifically, using open-ended questionnaires in a sample of 326 Greek-speaking participants, we identified 87 acts that people performed in order to become more attractive as mates. By using quantitative research methods in a sample of 2,197 Greek-speaking participants, we classified these acts into 16 different strategies. We found that, enhancing one's looks and becoming more pleasant, were among the most preferred strategies. Women were more likely than men to adopt strategies that involved looks, while men were more likely than women to adopt strategies that involved resource acquisition capacity. Moreover, age effects were found for most strategies. The identified strategies were classified into two broader domains, one aiming to develop and demonstrate fitness-increasing qualities, and the other to deceive about fitness-impairing traits.

Keywords: attraction; mating; mating strategies; self-promotion strategies

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/14747049211045271

Hum Brain Mapp. 2021 Oct 06.

Mate preference and brain oscillations: Initial romantic attraction is associated with decreases in alpha- and lower beta-band power.

Guangjie Yuan, Guangyuan Liu.

Initial romantic attraction (IRA) refers to a series of positive reactions (such as feelings of exhilaration and compulsive thinking) toward desirable potential partners, usually at initial or early-stage encounters when no close relationship has yet been established. After decades of effort, the evolutionary value and key characteristics of IRA are well understood. However, the brain mechanisms associated with IRA are unclear. To address this question, we simulated a mate selection platform similar to that of Tinder. When participants assessed their romantic interest in potential partners on the platform, their electroencephalogram (EEG) signals were recorded in real time. The behavioral data demonstrated that IRA to ideal potential partners mainly reflects the dimensions of arousal and domination. The main study finding was that processing of the individual preference faces that resulted in IRA was associated with a decrease in power in the alpha and lower beta bands over the posterior and anterior sensor clusters; this occurred between 870 and 2,000 ms post-stimulus. Key findings regarding event-related potentials (ERPs) sensitive to individual stimuli preferences were replicated. The results support the hypothesis that brain oscillations in the alpha and lower beta range may reflect modulation in cortical activity associated with individual mate preferences.

Keywords: event-related desynchronization; event-related potential; individual preference; mate selection; romantic attraction

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.25681

Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2021 Sep 17. pii: S0306-4530(21)00289-4. [Epub ahead of print]134 105415

I only have eyes for you: Oxytocin administration supports romantic attachment formation through diminished interest in close others and strangers.

Harry Freeman, Jamie L Scholl, Musheera AnisAbdellatif, Etienne Gnimpieba, Gina L Forster, Suma Jacob.

Animal studies confirm oxytocin's (OT) role in regulating monogamous sexual behavior in pair-bonding rodents; and human studies are beginning to translate how this highly conserved neuropeptide is implicated in romantic attachment formation. A number of studies have shown how OT promotes relationship exclusivity by diminishing interest in strangers and increasing reward response to partners. Less clear is whether these effects are modulated by romantic duration or life history factors, or if OT's social distancing effects generalize beyond strangers to close relationships. We report the results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study on the effects of a single dose of intranasal OT (24 IU) on forty-four young adults (91% female) in different stages of romantic attachment formation (M duration=21 months). Participants completed a screening survey and two lab visits separated by 4-weeks, including a diagrammatic measure of attachment to parents and peers, attitudes related to sexual conservatism and partner infidelity, ratings scales of closeness to romantic partners, and visual attractiveness ratings of strangers. Individual differences were examined by life history factors, including maternal love withdrawal and parental separation. Results indicated that OT administration decreased attachment to mothers, decreased attachment to subsidiary attachment figures, and decreased attraction to strangers. In all cases, emotional distancing was stronger among participants in newer romantic relationships. OT increased arousal to partner infidelity and increased sexual conservatism among participants with negative life history experiences (parental separation and high love withdrawal), whereas the reverse was true for participants reporting a more positive life history. Findings suggest that OT supports exclusivity through social distancing from strangers and close others within a sensitive period of attachment formation. In addition, findings indicate OT plays a different role in mate retention strategies by life history.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105415

Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2021 Oct 05. 17470218211050318

EXPRESS: Identifying with the Beautiful: Facial attractiveness effects on unisensory and multisensory self-other distinction.

Elena Panagiotopoulou, Laura Crucianelli, Alessandra Lemma, Katerina Fotopoulou.

People tend to evaluate their own traits and abilities favourably and such favourable self-perceptions extend to attractiveness. However, the exact mechanism underlying this self-enhancement bias remains unclear. One possibility could be the identification with attractive others through blurring of self-other boundaries. Across two experiments, we used the enfacement illusion to investigate the effect of others' attractiveness in the multisensory perception of the self. In Experiment 1 (N=35), participants received synchronous or asynchronous interpersonal visuo-tactile stimulation with an attractive and non-attractive face. In Experiment 2 (N=35), two new faces were used and spatial incοngruency was introduced as a control condition. The results showed that increased ratings of attractiveness of an unfamiliar face lead to blurring of self-other boundaries, allowing the identification of our psychological self with another's physical self and, specifically, their face, and this seems to be unrelated to perceived own attractiveness. The effect of facial attractiveness on face ownership showed dissociable mechanisms, with multisensory integration modulating the effect on similarity but not identification, an effect that may be purely based on vision. Overall, our findings suggest that others' attractiveness may lead to positive distortions of the self. This research provides a psychophysical starting point for studying the impact of others' attractiveness on self-face recognition, which can be particularly important for individuals with malleable, embodied self-other boundaries and body image disturbances.

Keywords: Enfacement illusion; Facial attractiveness; Multisensory integration; Self-enhancement bias

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218211050318

AIDS Behav. 2021 Oct 05.

A Latent Profile Analysis of Online Dating Patterns Among Single Young Men Who Have Sex with Men.

Seul Ki Choi, José Bauermeister.

Despite the increased use of geosocial networking applications for finding sexual partners among young men who have sex with men (YMSM), few studies have examined the intricate patterns of online dating behaviors. In order to advance understanding of online dating patterns among YMSM, various factors, including how frequently and how much time is spent within partner-seeking sites, need to be examined concurrently. Therefore, we used latent profile analysis to identify online dating patterns and logistic regressions to examine their associations with sexual behaviors and relationship characteristics among single YMSM (N = 180; ages 18-24). We found three online dating patterns: discouraged users (N = 93, 52%), date seekers (N = 67, 37%), and instant lovers (N = 20, 11%). Discouraged users were less likely to seek sexual sensational activities, while date seekers were more likely to seek sexual sensational activities. Moreover, instant lovers were less likely to pursue committed romantic relationships, while they reported a higher number of condomless anal intercourse. Given that online dating patterns are not homogeneous, HIV prevention interventions may benefit from tailored approaches based on YMSM's different online dating profiles.

Keywords: Dating; Hooking-up; Relationship characteristics; Sexual behaviors; Sexual minority; Youth

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03485-5

J Sex Marital Ther. 2021 Oct 07. 1-12

Effects of Typical and Binge Drinking on Sexual Consent Perceptions and Communication.

Tiffany L Marcantonio, Malachi Willis, Kristen N Jozkowski.

Young adults frequently engage in sexual activity after consuming alcohol and, consequently, may try to communicate sexual consent while intoxicated. We aimed to assess how people's drinking behaviors relate to their consent perceptions and communication with their current sexual partners. Using aggregated data from a 30-day daily diary study, young adults (n = 86, 77.9% women, 86% in a monogamous relationship) reported instances of partnered sexual activity and their perceptions of whether that activity was consensual. For each partnered sexual event, participants reported what they said or did to perceive the sexual activity as consensual. Responses were coded as active consent communication (i.e., using verbal or nonverbal cues) or tacit knowledge (i.e., using context to understand consent). During an exit survey, participants retrospectively reported how many days they drank (i.e., typical drinking) during the 30-day study and whether they binge drank. Typical and binge drinking were associated with identifying sexual experiences as consensual. Participants who binge drank relied less on active consent communication and more on context compared with those who did not binge drink. Young adults who binge drink may rely more on tacit knowledge because alcohol impedes their ability to process complex stimuli-such as active consent cues.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2021.1986445