bims-chumac 2023-06-25 papers

Issue of 2023–06–25
five papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society

Heliyon. 2023 Jun;9(6): e16895

A test of multimodal communication in humans using 881 judgements of men and women's physical, vocal, and olfactory attractiveness.

Megan Nicole Williams, Coren Lee Apicella.

Human mate value is assessed on numerous variables including, reproductive potential and disease resistance. Many of these variables have been correlated with judgments of physical, vocal, and odor attractiveness. While some researchers posit that attractiveness judgments made across different sensory modalities reflect the same underlying variable(s) (i.e., the information is redundant), others suggest that judgments made in different modalities reflect different variables. Previous studies of human attractiveness indicate that attractiveness judgments of others' faces, bodies, and voices are intercorrelated, which is suggested to support the redundancy hypothesis. Less is known about body odor attractiveness. Only one study has simultaneously investigated the relationships between judgments of body odor, face, and voice attractiveness finding weak positive associations, but small effect sizes. In this study, we empirically investigate the correlation between different modalities of attractiveness in men and women in the largest sample to date (N = 881 ratings). For men, we find no correlations between modalities of attractiveness. However, for women we find odor, face, and voice attractiveness are weakly correlated. Moreover, a general attractiveness factor (i.e., a common underlying variable) modestly contributed to the observed correlations between modality-specific attractiveness judgments, providing some evidence for the redundancy hypothesis.

Keywords: Attractiveness; Body odor; Multimodal communication; Multiple messages hypothesis; Multisensory communication; Olfaction; Redundancy hypothesis

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16895

Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2023 Jun 23.

Finding Intimacy Online: A Machine Learning Analysis of Predictors of Success.

Germano Vera Cruz, Elias Aboujaoude, Lucien Rochat, Francesco Bianchi-Demichelli, Yasser Khazaal.

While an extensive scientific literature now exists on the use of online dating services, there are very few studies on user satisfaction with dating apps and with the resulting offline dates. This study aimed to assess the level of satisfaction with Tinder use (STU) and the level of satisfaction with Tinder offline dates (STOD) in a sample of adult users of the app. The study also aimed to examine, among 28 variables, those that are the most important in predicting STU and STOD. Overall, 1,387 Tinder users completed an online questionnaire. A machine learning model was used to rank order predictors from most to least important. On a 4-point scale, participants' mean STU score was 2.39, and, on a 5-point scale, mean STOD score was 3.05. The results indicate that satisfaction with dating apps and with resulting offline dates is strongly predicted by participants' age and by their motives for using Tinder (enhancement, emotional coping, socialization, finding "true love," or casual sexual partners), whereas the variables negatively associated with satisfaction were those related to psychopathology. Interestingly, 65.3 percent of app users were married or "in a relationship," and only 50.3 percent of app users were using it to meet someone offline. Generally, participants who engage with the app to cope with personal difficulties seem more likely to report higher levels of dissatisfaction, suggesting that dating apps are a poor coping mechanism and highlighting the need to address underlying problems or pathologies that may be driving their use.

Keywords: Tinder; dating app; satisfaction with use

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2022.0367

J Fam Psychol. 2023 Jun 22.

The relationship between narcissistic traits and attitudes toward infidelity: A dyadic analysis.

Ateret Gewirtz-Meydan, Roi Estlein, Ricky Finzi-Dottan.

Previous research suggested that narcissism is associated with infidelity and reduced commitment in relationships. However, the majority of studies supporting this association were conducted among individuals and did not examine dyadic paths and also conceptualized and measured narcissism as a global variable, lacking a nuance perspective of the two traits of narcissism (i.e., grandiose and vulnerable). The present study sought to examine attitudes toward infidelity from a dyadic perspective, using narcissism personality traits (grandiose and vulnerable) as predictors. The effect of narcissism personality traits on attitudes toward infidelity was investigated among 135 couples (N = 270) in enduring relationships. To assess whether attitudes toward infidelity were explained by grandiose narcissism and vulnerable narcissism, we used multivariate multilevel statistical model for matched pairs to evaluate the effect of each partner's characteristics on their own (actor effect) and their partner's (partner effect) attitudes. The results indicate that females' attitudes toward infidelity were positively associated with their own grandiose narcissism and vulnerable narcissism and negatively associated with their partner's grandiose narcissism. Males' attitudes toward infidelity were positively associated with both their own and their partner's vulnerable narcissism but not with their or their partner's grandiose narcissism. The results highlighted the importance of studying different aspects of narcissism in relation to dyadic processes within intimate relationships in general and regarding infidelity in particular. Our findings suggest that more or less favorable attitudes toward infidelity depend not only on the individual's narcissistic traits but on his/her partner's grandiosity and vulnerability as well. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0001126

Curr Opin Psychol. 2023 May 25. pii: S2352-250X(23)00041-6. [Epub ahead of print]52 101596

Self-esteem's impacts on intimacy-building: Pathways through self-disclosure and responsiveness.

Amanda L Forest, Kirby N Sigler, Kaitlin S Bain, Emily R O'Brien, Joanne V Wood.

Building intimate relationships is rewarding but entails risking rejection. Trait self-esteem-a person's overall self-evaluation-has important implications for how people behave in socially risky situations. Integrating established models of responsiveness and intimacy with theory and research on self-esteem, we present a model that highlights the ways in which self-esteem impacts intimacy-building. A review of relevant research reveals that compared to people with high self-esteem, people with low self-esteem exhibit interpersonal perceptions and behaviors that can hinder intimacy development-for example, disclosing less openly, and eliciting and perceiving less responsiveness from others. We identify important directions for future research and consider methods for encouraging intimacy-promoting processes among people with low self-esteem.

Keywords: Close relationships; Intimacy; Responsiveness; Self-disclosure; Self-esteem

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101596

Arch Sex Behav. 2023 Jun 21.

Dating Violence Trajectories in Adolescence: How Do They Relate to Sexual Outcomes in Canada?

Jacinthe Dion, Martine Hébert, Gentiana Sadikaj, Alice Girouard, Natacha Godbout, Alexa Martin-Storey, Martin Blais, Sophie Bergeron.

Dating violence during adolescence is a major public health issue: it is highly prevalent and extensive research has documented its physical and psychological consequences, yet very little has focused on its sexual consequences. The present study investigated the longitudinal associations between dating violence victimization (psychological, sexual or physical) and sexual well-being (sexual satisfaction and sexual distress) among 1442 sexually active adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years who completed at least one of three data waves (51.1% girls; 45.7% boys; 0.3% non-binary; 3.0% varying gender identity). The study also examined whether these associations differed by gender identity and sexual minority status. Adolescents completed online questionnaires on electronic tablets during class. The results indicated that psychological, physical (except for boys), and sexual dating violence victimization were all associated with lower sexual satisfaction and greater sexual distress over time. Moreover, the between-level associations between dating violence and poorer sexual outcomes were stronger among girls and gender varying adolescents than among boys. The within-level association between physical dating violence and sexual satisfaction was significant among adolescents with a nonvarying sexual minority status, but not among those with a nonvarying heterosexual status or that varied in sexual minority status. Findings offer cues for dating violence prevention and intervention programs by suggesting the need to examine sexual well-being over time.

Keywords: Adolescents; Dating violence; Gender identity; Sexual distress; Sexual minority; Sexual satisfaction

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02625-3