bims-chumac Biomed News
on Context effects on human mate choice
Issue of 2022–07–31
seven papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society
  1. Factors that Facilitate and Hinder the Experience of Compersion Among Individuals in Consensually Non-Monogamous Relationships.
  2. Vocal Characteristics Influence Women's Perceptions of Infidelity and Relationship Investment in China.
  3. Prevalence of Sexting among Greek University Students: A Matter of Relationships?
  4. The Effects of Pitch Manipulation on Male Ratings of Female Speakers and Their Voices.
  5. 'Relationships on campus are situationships': A grounded theory study of sexual relationships at a Ugandan university.
  6. Heterosexual Marital Intention: The Influences of Confucianism and Stigma Among Chinese Sexual Minority Women and Men.
  7. Appearance Orientation and Dating Anxiety in Emerging Adults: Considering the Roles of Appearance-Based Rejection Sensitivity, Social Physique Anxiety, and Self-Compassion.
  1. Arch Sex Behav. 2022 Jul 25.
    Factors that Facilitate and Hinder the Experience of Compersion Among Individuals in Consensually Non-Monogamous Relationships.
    Sharon M Flicker, Marie I Thouin-Savard, Michelle D Vaughan.
      Compersion refers to the positive feelings, such as joy, excitement and contentment, that one may experience in response to one's partner's other consensually non-monogamous (CNM) intimate relationship(s). In the study, we recruited 44 CNM participants who had experienced compersion to complete an open-ended online survey regarding the factors that facilitated and hindered their experiences of compersion. A thematic analysis identified three main themes: intrapersonal/individual factors, experiences in and characteristics of the relationship with one's partner(s), and feelings/judgments about one's metamour (one's partner's partner). The factors most commonly named by participants as facilitating compersion included: feelings of self-worth, feeling secure and that one's needs were being met in the relationship with the partner, communication with one's partner, and positive regard for one's metamour. Participants shared conflicting experiences regarding the nature of the relationship between jealousy and compersion and whether the ability to feel compersion was innate or learned. Findings were generally consistent with the small body of literature on this phenomenon. Several theories, including Broaden-and-Build, Self-Expansion, and Crossover, may help us understand the underpinnings of compersion and the pathways through which the experience might strengthen and deepen relationships. The study's results suggest multiple hypotheses ripe for future testing. Increasing our knowledge of this little known phenomenon carries the potential to help us identify strategies to manage jealousy and increase positive feelings across all relationship types.
    Keywords:  Compersion; Consensual non-monogamy; Emotion; Metamour; Polyamory; Relationships
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02333-4
  2. Evol Psychol. 2022 Jul-Sep;20(3):20(3): 14747049221108883
    Vocal Characteristics Influence Women's Perceptions of Infidelity and Relationship Investment in China.
    Jing Zhang, Shuli Tao.
      Vocal characteristics are important cues to form social impressions. Previous studies indicated that men with masculine voices are perceived as engaging in higher rates of infidelity and being less committed to their relationship. In the current study, we examined how women in China perceive information regarding infidelity and relationship investment conveyed by the voices (voice pitch and vocal tract length) of males, and whether different vocal characteristics play a similar role in driving these impressions. In addition, we examined whether these perceptions are consistent in Chinese and English language contexts. The results indicated that women perceived men with more masculine voices (lower voice pitch and longer vocal tract length) as showing a lower likelihood of infidelity and higher relationship investment; further, women who preferred more masculine voices in long-term relationships, but not in short-term relationships, were more likely to perceive men with masculine voices as less likely to engage in infidelity and more likely to invest in their relationship. Moreover, the participants formed very similar impressions irrespective of whether the voices spoke native (Chinese) or foreign (English) languages. These results provide new evidence for the role of the voice in women's choices in selecting long-term partners.
    Keywords:  Masculine; infidelity; investment; mate preference; voice
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/14747049221108883
  3. J Psychol. 2022 Jul 26. 1-19
    Prevalence of Sexting among Greek University Students: A Matter of Relationships?
    Constantinos M Kokkinos, Christina Krommida.
      The study examines sexting among 3,171 Greek university students in the context of different relationship types (i.e. romantic partners, friends, strangers). Participants completed an anonymous online survey, assessing sexting during the last year along with demographic and relationship status information. Sexting was a common practice among participants, with the use of mobile phones and the Messenger application to exchange sexts. Sexting was more common among males and non-heterosexuals. Participants aged 25 and above were more likely to exchange sexts with strangers than those aged between 18 and 24. Romantic partners reported exchanging sexts more often than strangers. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that non-heterosexual males in a long-distance romantic relationship were more likely to participate in sexting, and that non-heterosexual older males who have been single for the last year were more likely to exchange sexual or provocative messages with strangers. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications.
    Keywords:  Sexting; mobile technology; online survey; relationship type; sexual orientation; university students
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2022.2093822
  4. Front Psychol. 2022 ;13 911854
    The Effects of Pitch Manipulation on Male Ratings of Female Speakers and Their Voices.
    Christina Krumpholz, Cliodhna Quigley, Karsan Ameen, Christoph Reuter, Leonida Fusani, Helmut Leder.
      Vocal and facial cues typically co-occur in natural settings, and multisensory processing of voice and face relies on their synchronous presentation. Psychological research has examined various facial and vocal cues to attractiveness as well as to judgements of sexual dimorphism, health, and age. However, few studies have investigated the interaction of vocal and facial cues in attractiveness judgments under naturalistic conditions using dynamic, ecologically valid stimuli. Here, we used short videos or audio tracks of females speaking full sentences and used a manipulation of voice pitch to investigate cross-modal interactions of voice pitch on facial attractiveness and related ratings. Male participants had to rate attractiveness, femininity, age, and health of synchronized audio-video recordings or voices only, with either original or modified voice pitch. We expected audio stimuli with increased voice pitch to be rated as more attractive, more feminine, healthier, and younger. If auditory judgements cross-modally influence judgements of facial attributes, we additionally expected the voice pitch manipulation to affect ratings of audiovisual stimulus material. We tested 106 male participants in a within-subject design in two sessions. Analyses revealed that voice recordings with increased voice pitch were perceived to be more feminine and younger, but not more attractive or healthier. When coupled with video recordings, increased pitch lowered perceived age of faces, but did not significantly influence perceived attractiveness, femininity, or health. Our results suggest that our manipulation of voice pitch has a measurable impact on judgements of femininity and age, but does not measurably influence vocal and facial attractiveness in naturalistic conditions.
    Keywords:  age; cross-modal attractiveness; face; femininity; health; multisensory processing; sexual dimorphism; voice
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.911854
  5. PLoS One. 2022 ;17(7): e0271495
    'Relationships on campus are situationships': A grounded theory study of sexual relationships at a Ugandan university.
    Vikas Choudhry, Karen Odberg Petterson, Maria Emmelin, Charles Muchunguzi, Anette Agardh.
      Understanding the complexities of sexual relationships is essential to understand the risky sexual behaviours among young people in Ugandan universities. Nine focus group discussions conducted with 31 males and 33 female students in 2014 utilising the grounded theory approach explored the role of sexual relationships in their lives. 'Relationships in campus are situationships' emerged as the core category and referred to the variety of sexual interactions within relationships among young people in a Ugandan university. The study findings indicated that sexual interactions often follow a sexual script that undergoes transitions to negotiate various situations. The sexual scripts in these situationships were strongly influenced by local socio-cultural norms and global aspirations among young people. Students often discussed these sexual scripts within a wider discourse on transactional sexual relationships. The motivations for transactional sexual relationships ranged from 'fulfilling aspirations' of various kinds on the one hand to 'being forced into trading sex' to overcome socio-economic vulnerabilities. Sexual relationships were facilitated by the perception of a university as a sexualized space in which one may enjoy a period of emerging adulthood characterized by exploration in relationships, access to alcohol and prolonged delay in assuming the traditional adult roles of marriage and family. The sexual scripts at the cultural level were grounded in traditional gender roles although at the same time, were under transition during university life with the growing influence of globalization and consumerism in the Ugandan society. Young men and young women must be engaged to critically challenge the implicit assumptions about sexual interactions within various situations that may put them at risk for poor sexual health outcomes.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271495
  6. Arch Sex Behav. 2022 Jul 28.
    Heterosexual Marital Intention: The Influences of Confucianism and Stigma Among Chinese Sexual Minority Women and Men.
    Wenjian Xu, Yuxia Huang, Wanjie Tang, Michelle R Kaufman.
      In traditional Confucianist culture in China, marriage and offspring are highly valued, placing sexual minority adults under tremendous pressure to marry an opposite sex partner. This study explored how Confucianism and stigma were associated with the intention to pursue a heterosexual marriage among Chinese sexual minority individuals as well as the moderating mechanisms of gender and age. Cross-sectional data were collected from 747 participants via online social networks from March to June 2020. Items assessed Confucianism values (communalism, filial piety, traditional gender roles); stigma (rejection sensitivity, social discrimination); and heterosexual marital intention (HMI). A total of 1.7% (n = 12) participants had ever been married, 11.6% (n = 87) planned to marry a different-sex partner, 60.4% (n = 451) had no intention to pursue a heterosexual marriage, and 26.4% (n = 197) had no specific marital plan. Bisexual participants scored significantly higher than homosexual individuals in HMI. Sexual minority adults with high levels of Confucianism and stigma were more likely to intend to marry. Importantly, both individual stigma (rejection sensitivity) and interpersonal stigma (social discrimination) partially mediated the relationship between Confucianism and HMI. Confucianism had a stronger impact on HMI for men than women, and age moderated the influence of Confucianism (including communalism and filial piety) on HMI, with a stronger impact for younger than older generations. This study contributes to a better understanding of how Confucianism and stigma may be connected to the intention to pursue a heterosexual marriage, suggesting culture-modified theories of stigma and sexual minority stress are needed to explain the experiences of sexual minority people in contemporary China.
    Keywords:  Confucianism; Heterosexual marital intention; Sexual minority women and men; Sexual orientation; Stigma
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02229-9
  7. Arch Sex Behav. 2022 Jul 28.
    Appearance Orientation and Dating Anxiety in Emerging Adults: Considering the Roles of Appearance-Based Rejection Sensitivity, Social Physique Anxiety, and Self-Compassion.
    Viren Swami, David Barron, Adrian Furnham.
      Emerging research has suggested that appearance-related factors, such as greater appearance orientation, are associated with dating anxiety in emerging adults, but much more could be done to understand mechanistic pathways and potential buffers. Here, we tested a moderated mediation model in which appearance-based rejection sensitivity and social physique anxiety were explored as mediators, and self-compassion was explored as a moderator, of the relationship between appearance orientation and dating anxiety. A total of 501 heterosexual emerging adults (248 women, 253 men) from the UK completed instruments measuring the aforementioned constructs. Relationships among all variables were largely similar across women and men, with only the association between social physique anxiety and appearance-based rejection sensitivity being significantly stronger in women. Mediation analysis in the total sample indicated that both social physique anxiety and appearance-based rejection anxiety were significant mediators. Additionally, we confirmed a serial mediation involving appearance orientation → appearance-based rejection sensitivity → social physique anxiety → dating anxiety. Conversely, self-compassion did not moderate the effects of either social physique anxiety or appearance-based rejection sensitivity on dating anxiety, although greater self-compassion was moderately associated lower dating anxiety. We suggest ways in which existing interventions aimed at reducing dating anxiety could be combined with body image interventions to reduce dating anxiety in heterosocial contexts.
    Keywords:  Appearance-based rejection sensitivity; Dating anxiety; Moderated mediation; Self-compassion; Social physique anxiety
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02367-8
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