bims-chumac 2023-03-05 papers

Issue of 2023–03–05
four papers selected by
Thomas Krichel, Open Library Society

Front Psychol. 2023 ;14 1067487

The role of hormones in attraction and visual attention to facial masculinity.

The current study investigated the ovulatory shift hypothesis, which suggests that women prefer more masculine traits when estradiol is high, and progesterone is low (E/P ratio). The current study used an eye tracking paradigm to measure women's visual attention to facial masculinity across the menstrual cycle. Estradiol (E) and progesterone (P) were collected to determine if salivary biomarkers were associated with visual attention to masculine faces in a short- and long-term mating context. Women (N = 81) provided saliva samples at three time points throughout their menstrual cycle and were asked to rate and view men's faces that had been manipulated to appear feminine and masculine. Overall, masculine faces were viewed longer compared to feminine faces and this was moderated by mating context, where women viewed masculine faces longer for a long-term relationship. There was not any evidence suggesting that E/P ratio was associated with preferences for facial masculinity, but there was evidence to suggest that hormones were associated with visual attention to men in general. In line with sexual strategies theory, there was evidence to suggest that mating context and facial masculinity are important in mate choice; however, there was no evidence to suggest that women's mate choice was associated with shifts across the menstrual cycle.

Keywords: attention; attraction; eye-tracking; mate choice; ovulatory shift hypothesis; sexual selection

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1067487

Eur J Popul. 2022 Dec;38(5): 975-1008

Couple Formation is Prolonged not Postponed. New Paths to Union Formation in Contemporary France.

Marie Bergström, Léonard Moulin.

In France, as in other European countries, the age at first cohabiting union has risen over the past decades, as a result of longer school enrolment, structural economic changes, and new family norms. While the median age at first co-resident couple was 23.8 for men born in France in the beginning of the 1950s, it was 26.0 among the generation born in the beginning of the 1970s. This tendency is often referred to as a postponement of couple formation and as a part of a broader delay in the transition to adulthood. This article argues, on the contrary, that couple formation has not been postponed but prolonged. In fact, age at first couple formation has remained stable across generations born since the mid-twentieth century in France. Starting from there, we take on a biographical approach to examine the nature, duration, and articulation of the successive stages that make up young people's conjugal trajectories in France. What are the different pathways into couple life, and how have these changed over time? In order to answer these questions, we use optimal matching methods to identify ideal typical trajectories and then logistic regressions in order to see how these relate to generational differences as well as sociodemographic characteristics. We observe three traditional, three timeless and five new paths to couple life. The main historical change is the increasingly gradual nature of union formation, a trend that reflects a dual pattern. First, unions are progressively institutionalized: the time laps between different relationship stages, such as "going out," "settling in," and eventually marrying, have expanded. Second, young people increasingly experience several relationships during youth: the different steps of couple formation are taken with different partners. We conclude that couple formation is not delayed per se; it is rather the material and institutional formalization of unions that is put off for the future. We discuss the scientific and methodological implications of this finding.

Keywords: Couple formation; France; Optimal matching analysis; Transition to adulthood; Youth

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-022-09629-0

Eur J Popul. 2022 Dec;38(5): 861-883

Choosing a Major and a Partner: Field of Study and Union Formation Among College-Educated Women in Europe.

Dana Hamplová, Alena Bičáková.

In this paper, we explore the patterns of assortative mating among college-educated women who graduated from typically female, typically male, or mixed disciplines. Using a set of cross-sectional observations of a single cohort of female graduates (2010) from European Union Labour Force Survey data and applying multilevel multinomial logit models, we estimated the relative risk of living with a college-educated partner (homogamy), living with less educated partner (hypogamy), or being single. Focusing on the first five years after graduation, the analysis demonstrated that field of study is a significant predictor of mating behaviour. Women with degrees in male-dominated fields are less likely to partner down with less educated men. The mating advantage of women from male-dominated fields is stronger in countries with a higher female employment rate. Furthermore, more liberal gender roles seem to increase the level of singlehood among women from male-dominated fields. Finally, women from female-dominated and mixed disciplines are more likely to partner down if the man graduated from a male-typical discipline. However, among women from male-dominated disciplines, such a trade-off was not observed.

Keywords: Assortative mating, homogamy; Education; Family; Gender; Union formation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-022-09621-8

J Sex Res. 2023 Mar 01. 1-9

An Agent-Based Model of Sex and Sexual Orientation Differences in Short-Term Mating Behaviors as a Result of Mating Preferences.

Yurun Ying, Jan Antfolk, Pekka Santtila.

Sex differences in short-term mating behaviors are well-documented in human sexuality research. Existing studies usually explain sex differences in sexual behaviors through differences in mating preferences, which is theoretically problematic. Using an agent-based model, we investigated the circumstances under which males' and females' differential preferences for short-term mating would result in sex differences in short-term mating behaviors. The model showed that when all individuals in a closed heterosexual population were considered, males and females had the same average number of short-term mating experiences and short-term mates even when males had stronger preferences for short-term mating. Males (vs. females) had a higher average number of both experiences and mates when analyses were limited to only heterosexual males and females who successfully participated in the mating pool (i.e., those with a non-zero number of short-term mating experiences). Moreover, when males (vs. females) had stronger preferences for short-term mating, gay males had a higher average number of experiences and mates compared to both lesbian females and heterosexual males. These results suggest that even when sex differences in mating preferences exist, the sex differences in short-term mating behaviors only occur among particular populations, or when males' preferences for short-term mating are not constrained by those of females. Suggestions for future research in human mating psychology and behaviors were provided.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2023.2183485