bims-chumac Biomed News
on Context effects on human mate choice
Issue of 2022–08–21
seven papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society
  1. Investigating the Crossmodal Influence of Odour on the Visual Perception of Facial Attractiveness and Age.
  2. Is Infidelity Contagious? Online Exposure to Norms of Adultery and Its Effect on Expressions of Desire for Current and Alternative Partners.
  3. Dating in the Digital Age: A Content Analysis of Dating Websites Designed for Disabled People.
  4. Cosmetic makeup enhances facial attractiveness and affective neural responses.
  5. Gender-Egalitarian Attitudes and Assortative Mating by Age and Education.
  6. Personality and Sexual Perceptions of Penises: Digital Impression Formation.
  7. Incomplete faces are completed using a more average face.
  1. Multisens Res. 2022 May 31. 35(6): 447-469
    Investigating the Crossmodal Influence of Odour on the Visual Perception of Facial Attractiveness and Age.
    Yi-Chuan Chen, Charles Spence.
      We report two experiments designed to investigate whether the presentation of a range of pleasant fragrances, containing both floral and fruity notes, would modulate people's judgements of the facial attractiveness (Experiment 1) and age (Experiment 2) of a selection of typical female faces varying in age in the range 20-69 years. In Experiment 1, male participants rated the female faces as less attractive when presented with an unpleasant fragrance compared to clean air. The rated attractiveness of the female faces was lower when the participants rated the unpleasant odour as having a lower attractiveness and pleasantness, and a higher intensity. In Experiment 2, both male and female participants rated the age of female faces while presented with one of four pleasant fragrances or clean air as a control. Only the female participants demonstrated a crossmodal effect, with the pleasant fragrances inducing an older rating for female faces in the 40-49-years-old age range, whereas a younger rating was documented for female faces in the 60-69-years-old age range. Taken together, these results are consistent with the view that while the valence of fragrance (pleasant versus unpleasant) exerts a robust crossmodal influence over judgements of facial attractiveness, the effects of pleasant fragrance on judgements of a person's age appear to be less reliable. One possible explanation for the differing effect of scent in the two cases relates to the fact that attractiveness judgements are more subjective, hedonic, and/or intuitive than age ratings which are more objective, cognitive-mediated, and/or analytic in nature.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1163/22134808-bja10076
  2. Arch Sex Behav. 2022 Aug 17.
    Is Infidelity Contagious? Online Exposure to Norms of Adultery and Its Effect on Expressions of Desire for Current and Alternative Partners.
    Gurit E Birnbaum, Kobi Zholtack, Shahar Ayal.
      Research exploring the determinants of infidelity has mainly focused on individual and relationship characteristics that render relationships vulnerable, paying less attention to the external circumstances that increase the likelihood of straying. The present research examined whether online exposure to norms of adultery would affect expressions of desire for alternative mates. In three studies, romantically involved participants were exposed to others' cheating behavior and then thought of or encountered attractive strangers. Their relationship perceptions and reactions during these experiences (fantasmatic themes, expressed interest in alternative partners, and overt flirtation with them in Studies 1-3, respectively) were recorded. Results showed that following exposure to others' cheating behavior, participants were less likely to devalue the attractiveness of alternative partners and to be committed to their relationship. These findings suggest that exposure to adultery norms decreases the awareness of long-term priorities of relationship maintenance, lessening the resistance to the temptation of attractive alternatives.
    Keywords:  Attractive alternatives; Flirting; Infidelity; Romantic relationships; Social norms
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02392-7
  3. Sex Disabil. 2022 Aug 03. 1-10
    Dating in the Digital Age: A Content Analysis of Dating Websites Designed for Disabled People.
    A Santinele Martino, E Moumos.
      In our current collective sexual sphere, a range of digital sexual fields, such as mobile applications and dating websites, provide new opportunities for sexual actors to meet partners, negotiate their self-presentation, and explore niche desires. This exploratory qualitative study examines online dating websites catered to disabled people to understand the language and imagery employed in these niche sexual fields. Drawing on a sexual fields framework (Green, 2014), this article analyzed 26 dating websites through a content analysis. Websites emphasized the narrative of disabled people overcoming isolation and accessibility barriers. Many websites also promoted the idea that their platform eased the uncomfortable task of disclosing one's impairment and would improve their overall quality of life. Digital sexual fields can be vital for these individuals who often face social isolation and inaccessibility. We provide insights into how disability is constructed through language in disability-focused dating websites. These websites (re)produce particular (and sometimes dominant) conceptualizations of disability. This is important as language and images used in digital sexual fields can impact constructions of disabled sexualities.
    Keywords:  Content analysis; Dating websites; Digital sexual fields; Disability; Sexuality
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-022-09751-1
  4. PLoS One. 2022 ;17(8): e0272923
    Cosmetic makeup enhances facial attractiveness and affective neural responses.
    Tomohiro Arai, Hiroshi Nittono.
      Although it is well established that cosmetic makeup enhances perceived facial attractiveness, few studies have examined whether facial makeup modulates neural responses to face images. This study investigated behavioral and attractiveness-related brain responses to self-applied makeup, focusing on the N170, early posterior negativity, P300, and late positive potential components of event-related brain potentials. A total of 77 Japanese women participated in two experiments (N = 34 and 43 for Experiments 1 and 2, respectively). Experiment 1 assessed the effects of self-applied makeup on attractiveness-related event-related potential amplitudes using facial images during a makeup identification task in which makeup was directly relevant to task demands. Experiment 2 examined the effects of self-applied makeup using images of one's own face and another female's face when performing a gender classification task, where the presence of makeup had no explicit connection to facial gender classification. In both experiments, faces with makeup were rated as more attractive and elicited more negative early posterior negativity and more positive late positive potential components, regardless of the participant's own face or another person's face. These findings suggest that people are spontaneously motivated to pay visual attention to faces with makeup, which supports the idea that makeup adds reward value to the facial appearance of the human. Moreover, neural evidence empirically confirmed that the benefits of makeup are not just limited to how others see your face but also extend to how you see your own face.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272923
  5. Eur J Popul. 2022 Aug;38(3): 429-456
    Gender-Egalitarian Attitudes and Assortative Mating by Age and Education.
    Alessandra Trimarchi.
      In the last decades, conventional patterns of assortative mating have been challenged by changes in the gender-gap in education. In many countries, educationally hypogamous unions (i.e. the woman is more educated than the man) now outnumber hypergamous unions (i.e. the man is more educated than the woman). The extent to which such structural changes have also been accompanied by gender egalitarian attitudes has not yet been investigated. This paper fills the gap by focusing on both age and educational assortative mating, using data from wave 1 and 2 of the Generations and Gender Surveys for 6 European countries. I investigate the role of gender-role attitudes of single men and women, measured in the first wave, on their age and educational assortative mating outcomes observed in the second wave. To this aim, I applied multinomial logistic regressions, and used as reference outcome category remaining single in the second wave. Compared to non-egalitarian men, I found that men holding gender-egalitarian views are more likely to form hypogamous unions instead of remaining single, in terms of both age and educational assortative mating. Egalitarian women are more likely than non-egalitarian women to form age-hypogamous unions instead of remaining single, but they are less likely to form educationally hypogamous unions. I discuss the implications of these results in relation to the convergence of mating preferences between men and women.
    Keywords:  Assortative mating; Gender-egalitarian attitudes; Hypogamy; Mate-selection
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-022-09607-6
  6. Sex Cult. 2022 Aug 04. 1-18
    Personality and Sexual Perceptions of Penises: Digital Impression Formation.
    Thomas R Brooks, Stephen Reysen.
      Dating app users are likely to experience a high frequency of viewing the sexually explicit material of potential partners prior to a physical meeting. The present study aimed to investigate what information is inferred from a picture of a penis at zero-acquaintance. Past research in impression formation at zero-acquaintance has demonstrated a stability with regard to personality and trait perceptions of faces. Utilizing 106 participants, our study extends this paradigm by testing the hypothesis that penis prototypicality would be associated with attractiveness, as well as explore the personality and sexual perceptions of penises along the dimensions of girth, length, and amount of pubic hair. The hypotheses were confirmed and the analysis of penis dimensions revealed strong results. Penises which were wider, longer, and moderately hairy were perceived more positively in terms of personality and sexual appeal. Shorter and narrower penises were perceived as more neurotic. The results demonstrate the function of impression formation within the digital sexual landscape with regard to sexually explicit material.
    Keywords:  Digital; Penis; Perception; Sexting; Zero acquaintance
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-022-10000-y
  7. Cogn Res Princ Implic. 2022 Aug 19. 7(1): 79
    Incomplete faces are completed using a more average face.
    Robin S S Kramer, Alex L Jones.
      Facial first impressions are known to influence how we behave towards others. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we often view incomplete faces due to the commonplace wearing of face masks. Previous research has shown that perceptions of attractiveness are often increased due to these coverings, with initial evidence suggesting that this may be caused by viewers using a mental representation of the average face to complete any missing information. Here, we directly address this hypothesis by presenting participants with incomplete faces (either the lower or upper half removed) and asking them to decide how they thought the actual, full face looked. Participants were able to manipulate the missing half of the face onscreen by increasing or decreasing the averageness of its shape. Our results demonstrated that participants did not select the original versions of the faces but instead chose more average versions when manipulating both the lower and upper face. Further, the typicality of the original image influenced responses, with less typical faces (in comparison with more typical ones) being completed using an even more average version of the missing half of the faces. Taken together, these findings provide the first direct evidence that people utilise an average/typical internal representation when inferring information about incomplete faces. This result has theoretical importance in terms of visual perception, as well as real-world relevance in a time where face masks are commonplace due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Keywords:  Face average; Face morph; Facial attractiveness; Facial typicality; Positivity bias; Upper- and lower-face
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-022-00429-y
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