On the Market
Boosting Beauty in an Economic Decline: Mating, Spending, and the Lipstick Effect
Sarah Hill et al.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
Although consumer spending typically declines in economic recessions, some observers have noted that recessions appear to increase women's spending on beauty products - the so-called lipstick effect. Using both historical spending data and rigorous experiments, the authors examine how and why economic recessions influence women's consumer behavior. Findings revealed that recessionary cues - whether naturally occurring or experimentally primed - decreased desire for most products (e.g., electronics, household items). However, these cues consistently increased women's desire for products that increase attractiveness to mates - the first experimental demonstration of the lipstick effect. Additional studies show that this effect is driven by women's desire to attract mates with resources and depends on the perceived mate attraction function served by these products. In addition to showing how and why economic recessions influence women's desire for beauty products, this research provides novel insights into women's mating psychology, consumer behavior, and the relationship between the two.
----------------------
Searching for a Mate: The Rise of the Internet as a Social Intermediary
Michael Rosenfeld & Reuben Thomas
American Sociological Review, forthcoming
Abstract:
This article explores how the efficiency of Internet search is changing the way Americans find romantic partners. We use a new data source, the How Couples Meet and Stay Together survey. Results show that for 60 years, family and grade school have been steadily declining in their influence over the dating market. In the past 15 years, the rise of the Internet has partly displaced not only family and school, but also neighborhood, friends, and the workplace as venues for meeting partners. The Internet increasingly allows Americans to meet and form relationships with perfect strangers, that is, people with whom they had no previous social tie. Individuals who face a thin market for potential partners, such as gays, lesbians, and middle-aged heterosexuals, are especially likely to meet partners online. One result of the increasing importance of the Internet in meeting partners is that adults with Internet access at home are substantially more likely to have partners, even after controlling for other factors. Partnership rate has increased during the Internet era (consistent with Internet efficiency of search) for same-sex couples, but the heterosexual partnership rate has been flat.
----------------------
Beauty and the Sources of Discrimination
Michèle Belot, V. Bhaskar & Jeroen van de Ven
Journal of Human Resources, Summer 2012, Pages 851-872
Abstract:
We analyze discrimination against less attractive people on a TV game show with high stakes. The game has a rich structure that allows us to disentangle the relationship between attractiveness and the determinants of a player's earnings. Unattractive players perform no worse than attractive ones, and are equally cooperative in the prisoner's dilemma stage of the game. Nevertheless, they are substantially more likely to be eliminated by their peers, even though this is costly. We investigate third party perceptions of discrimination by asking subjects to predict elimination decisions. Subjects implicitly assign a role for attractiveness but underestimate its magnitude.
----------------------
Inna Schneiderman et al.
Psychoneuroendocrinology, August 2012, Pages 1277-1285
Abstract:
Romantic relationships can have a profound effect on adults' health and well-being whereas the inability to maintain intimate bonds has been associated with physical and emotional distress. Studies in monogamous mammalian species underscore the central role of oxytocin (OT) in pair-bonding and human imaging studies implicate OT-rich brain areas in early romantic love. To assess the role of OT in romantic attachment, we examined plasma OT in 163 young adults: 120 new lovers (60 couples) three months after the initiation of their romantic relationship and 43 non-attached singles. Twenty-five of the 36 couples who stayed together were seen again six months later. Couples were observed in dyadic interactions and were each interviewed regarding relationship-related thoughts and behaviors. OT was significantly higher in new lovers compared to singles, F(1, 152) = 109.33, p < .001, which may suggest increased activity of the oxytocinergic system during the early stages of romantic attachment. These high levels of OT among new lovers did not decrease six months later and showed high individual stability. OT correlated with the couples' interactive reciprocity, including social focus, positive affect, affectionate touch, and synchronized dyadic states, and with anxieties and worries regarding the partner and the relationship, findings which parallel those described for parent-infant bonding. OT levels at the first assessment differentiated couples who stayed together six months later from those who separated during this period. Regression analysis showed that OT predicted interactive reciprocity independent of sex, relationship duration, and the partner's OT. Findings suggest that OT may play an important role at the first stages of romantic attachment and lend support to evolutionary models suggesting that parental and romantic attachment share underlying bio-behavioral mechanisms.
----------------------
Sport, attractiveness and aggression
G. Brewer & Sharon Howarth
Personality and Individual Differences, forthcoming
Abstract:
Previous research indicates that male athletes attract a higher number of sexual partners than non athletes. Furthermore, sport may provide a lek type environment in which men can develop and display a range of desirable traits. The current study investigated the attractiveness of male targets as a function of involvement in sport and the aggressiveness of the sporting participation. Heterosexual women (N = 84) aged 19-39 (M = 25.52, SD = 3.20) were opportunity sampled from the local community. Participants were presented with a facial photograph of a male target, described as either (a) not playing sport, (b) playing sport on a casual basis, (c) playing competitive sport non aggressively, or (d) playing competitive sport aggressively. Women rated the attractiveness of the male target and their willingness to enter relationships of varying degrees of commitment with him. For each level of relationship commitment, participants rated men that did not engage in sport or engaged in sport on a casual basis as the least attractive. Men that played competitive sport in an aggressive manner were rated as the most desirable partner for all levels of relationship commitment, including both short and long term relationships.
----------------------
Kelly Donahue et al.
Health Psychology, forthcoming
Objective: Previous studies have found an association between early age at first sexual intercourse and subsequent psychosocial maladjustment. Using a quasi-experimental approach, we examined the extent to which this observed association may be due to familial confounds not explored in prior research.
Methods: Using a population-based cohort of Swedish adult twins (ages 19-47; N = 12,126), we examined the nature of the association between early sexual intercourse (i.e., first intercourse occurring before age 16) and various outcomes reflecting psychosocial health, including substance use, depression, criminal convictions, and adolescent childbearing. We used two methods - discordant-twin analyses and bivariate twin modeling - to estimate the extent to which genetic and environmental confounds explained observed associations.
Results: Individuals who engaged in early intercourse were at greater risk for most of the adverse psychosocial health outcomes measured in this study. However, twin pairs discordant for engaging in early intercourse did not differ significantly in their risk for psychosocial maladjustment. Our results indicated that early age at first sexual intercourse and subsequent psychosocial maladjustment may be associated because of familial factors shared by twins.
Conclusions: Early intercourse may be associated with poor psychosocial health largely due to shared familial influences rather than through a direct causal connection. Therefore, effective and efficient interventions should address other risk factors common to early intercourse and poor psychosocial health.
----------------------
Gone but Not Forgotten: Virginity Loss and Current Sexual Satisfaction
Carrie Veronica Smith & Matthew Jason Shaffer
Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, forthcoming
Abstract:
Although the loss of one's virginity remains a salient experience throughout a person's lifetime, little is known about whether this experience has implications for later sexual functioning (e.g., sexual satisfaction). Previous research tends to ask participants about their first time and their current sexual functioning concurrently, which may lead to spillover effects. The present research investigated the relationship between first-time sexual intercourse and current sexual satisfaction using an event-sampling methodology. A sample of 331 undergraduate participants answered questions about their first time sexual encounter as well as their present sexual functioning (e.g., sexual satisfaction, sexual depression). Participants then described and rated each of their sexual interactions for two weeks. Results show that participants who had more positive first time sexual experiences (e.g., intimacy, respect) report greater feelings of sexual satisfaction and esteem and less sexual depression. A series of multilevel random coefficient modeling analyses revealed that positive first time experiences were predictive of both physical and emotional satisfaction in their current sexual interactions, even when controlling for global sexual satisfaction. These results suggest that one's first time sexual experience is more than just a milestone in development. Rather, it appears to have implications for their sexual well-being years later.
----------------------
Steven Arnocky & Tracy Vaillancourt
Evolutionary Psychology, Spring 2012, Pages 253-270
Abstract:
Adolescent peer-aggression has recently been considered from the evolutionary perspective of intrasexual competition for mates. We tested the hypothesis that peer-nominated physical aggression, indirect aggression, along with self-reported bullying behaviors at Time 1 would predict Time 2 dating status (one year later), and that Time 1 peer- and self-reported peer victimization would negatively predict Time 2 dating status. Participants were 310 adolescents who were in grades 6 through 9 (ages 11-14) at Time 1. Results showed that for both boys and girls, peer-nominated indirect aggression was predictive of dating one year later even when controlling for age, peer-rated attractiveness, and peer-perceived popularity, as well as initial dating status. For both sexes, self-reported peer victimization was negatively related to having a dating partner at Time 2. Findings are discussed within the framework of intrasexual competition.
----------------------
Tattoos, Piercing, and Sexual Behaviors in Young Adults
Krzysztof Nowosielski et al.
Journal of Sexual Medicine, forthcoming
Introduction: Body piercing and tattooing are accepted by a growing number of teenagers and young adults as a way of self-expressing. Some authors suggest association between body piercings/tattoos and early sexual initiation, higher number of sexual partners, or risky sexual behaviors.
Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate sexual behaviors among young adults with body modifications (BMs) - tattoos and piercings.
Methods: One hundred twenty young healthy adults, ages between 20 and 35, were included in the population study. The study group was divided into three subgroups: controls (N = 60), adults with tattoos (N = 28), and adults with piercings (N = 32). The research instrument was a self-prepared questionnaire containing 59 questions assessing socioepidemiological parameters, sexual behaviors, incidents of sexual harassment in the past, and self-attractiveness evaluation, as well as questions concerning tattoos and piercings. Socioepidemiological variables and sexual behaviors were compared between subgroups.
Main Outcome Measures: To assess and describe the correlation between having BM - tattoos and piercings - and sexual behaviors in the population of young adults by using the logistic regression model.
Results: Adults with BMs have had their first intercourse statistically earlier and were more sexually active compared with controls. There were no statically significant differences in sexual orientation, sexual preferences, engaging in risky sexual behaviors, frequency of masturbation, and history of sexual abuse between the groups. In contrast, the frequency of sexual intercourses was statistically higher and oral sex was more likely to be a dominant sexual activity in adults with BM compared with controls. The multivariate logistic model revealed that adults with BM were four times less likely to participate in religious practices and twice more likely to have early sexual initiation.
Conclusions: Having BM is associated with early sexual initiation and more liberal attitudes toward sexual behaviors but not with engaging in risky sexual behaviors.
----------------------
Yuko Homma et al.
Journal of Adolescent Health, July 2012, Pages 18-24
Purpose: Childhood and adolescent sexual abuse has been shown to lead to increased odds of sexual behaviors that lead to sexually transmitted infections and early pregnancy involvement. Research, meta-analyses, and interventions, however, have focused primarily on girls and young women who have experienced abuse, yet some adolescent boys are also sexually abused. We performed a meta-analysis of the existing studies to assess the magnitudes of the link between a history of sexual abuse and each of the three risky sexual behaviors among adolescent boys in North America.
Methods: The three outcomes were (a) unprotected sexual intercourse, (b) multiple sexual partners, and (c) pregnancy involvement. Weighted mean effect sizes were computed from ten independent samples, from nine studies published between 1990 and 2011.
Results: Sexually abused boys were significantly more likely than nonabused boys to report all three risky sexual behaviors. Weighted mean odds ratios were 1.91 for unprotected intercourse, 2.91 for multiple sexual partners, and 4.81 for pregnancy involvement.
Conclusions: Our results indicate that childhood and adolescent sexual abuse can substantially influence sexual behavior in adolescence among male survivors. To improve sexual health for all adolescents, even young men, we should strengthen sexual abuse prevention initiatives, raise awareness about male sexual abuse survivors' existence and sexual health issues, improve sexual health promotion for abused young men, and screen all people, regardless of gender, for a history of sexual abuse.
----------------------
David Lewis et al.
Personality and Individual Differences, forthcoming
Abstract:
In selecting opposite-sex friends (OSFs), men prioritize physical attractiveness, whereas women prioritize physical prowess and economic resources. This parallel with mate preferences suggests mating mechanisms may partially drive OSF preferences. Selection would have favored activation of mating mechanisms when the probabilistic net benefits of pursuing a mating strategy with OSFs exceeded those associated with alternative strategies, such as platonic friendship. During human evolution, individual differences in sociosexual orientation and relationship status may have been recurrently linked to greater net benefits of pursuing a mating strategy with OSFs. We hypothesized these individual differences would predict individuals' prioritization in their OSFs of traits desired in mates. Participants (N = 167) allocated "friend dollars" to design their ideal OSFs. Sex, sociosexual orientation, and relationship status predicted OSF preferences. Replicating previous research, men placed greater value than women on their OSFs' physical attractiveness. Independent of sex, however, an unrestricted sociosexual orientation predicted prioritizing OSFs'
physical attractiveness. Sociosexual orientation also interacted with sex; among women, an unrestricted orientation predicted greater valuation of OSFs' physical prowess. Results suggest mating motivations in opposite-sex friendship depend on interactions between sex, personality, and relationship status.
----------------------
To Have and to Hold: Gratitude Promotes Relationship Maintenance in Intimate Bonds
Amie Gordon et al.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
This multimethod series of studies merges the literatures on gratitude and risk regulation to test a new process model of gratitude and relationship maintenance. We develop a measure of appreciation in relationships and use cross-sectional, daily experience, observational, and longitudinal methods to test our model. Across studies, we show that people who feel more appreciated by their romantic partners report being more appreciative of their partners. In turn, people who are more appreciative of their partners report being more responsive to their partners' needs (Study 1), and are more committed and more likely to remain in their relationships over time (Study 2). Appreciative partners are also rated by outside observers as relatively more responsive and committed during dyadic interactions in the laboratory, and these behavioral displays are one way in which appreciation is transmitted from one partner to the other (Study 3). These findings provide evidence that gratitude is important for the successful maintenance of intimate bonds.
----------------------
Cervical, Anal and Oral HPV in an Adolescent Inner-City Health Clinic Providing Free Vaccinations
Nicolas Schlecht et al.
PLoS ONE, May 2012
Objectives: Published human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine trials indicate efficacy is strongest for those naive to the vaccine-types. However, few high-risk young women have been followed and cervical HPV has been the predominant outcome measure.
Methods: We collected cervical and anal swabs, as well as oral rinse specimens from 645 sexually active inner-city young females attending a large adolescent health-clinic in New York City that offers free care and HPV vaccination. Specimens were tested for HPV-DNA using a MY09/MY11-PCR system. Type-specific prevalence of HPV at each anatomic site was compared for individuals by vaccination dose using generalized estimating equation logistic regression models.
Results: The majority of subjects reported being of non-Caucasian (92%) and/or Hispanic ethnicity (61%). Median age was 18 years (range:14-20). All had practiced vaginal sex, a third (33%) practiced anal sex, and most (77%) had also engaged in oral sex. At enrollment, 21% had not received the vaccine and 51% had received three doses. Prevalent HPV infection at enrollment was detected in 54% of cervical, 42% of anal and 20% of oral specimens, with vaccine types present in 7%, 6% and 1% of specimens, respectively. Comparing prevalence for vaccine types, the detection of HPV in the cervix of vaccinated compared to unvaccinated adolescents was significantly reduced: HPV6/11 (odds ratio [OR] = 0.19, 95%CI:0.06-0.75), HPV16 (OR = 0.31, 95%CI:0.11-0.88) and HPV18 (OR = 0.14, 95%CI:0.03-0.75). For anal HPV, the risk of detecting vaccine types HPV6/11 (OR = 0.27, 95%CI:0.10-0.72) and HPV18(OR = 0.12, 95%CI:0.01-1.16) were significantly reduced for vaccinated adolescents however, the risk for HPV16 was not significantly decreased (OR = 0.63, 95%CI:0.18-2.20).
Conclusion: HPV Prevalence is extremely high in inner-city female adolescents. Administration of the HPV vaccine reduced the risk for cervical HPV; however continued follow-up is required to assess the protection for HPV at all sites in young women with high exposure.
----------------------
Alex Carballo-Diéguez et al.
Journal of Sex Research, July/August 2012, Pages 379-387
Abstract:
The Food and Drug Administration may license OraQuickTM, a rapid HIV test, for over-the-counter (OTC) sale. This study investigated whether HIV-uninfected, non-monogamous, gay and bisexual men who never or rarely use condoms would use the test with partners as a harm-reduction approach. Sixty participants responded to two computer-assisted self-interviews, underwent an in-depth interview, and chose whether to test themselves with OraQuick. Over 80% of the men said they would use the kit to test sexual partners or themselves if it became available OTC. Most participants understood that antibody tests have a window period in which the virus is undetectable, yet saw advantages to using the test to screen partners; 74% tested themselves in our offices. Participants offered several possible strategies to introduce the home-test idea to partners, frequently endorsed mutual testing, and highlighted that home testing could stimulate greater honesty in serostatus disclosure. Participants drew distinctions between testing regular versus occasional partners. Non-monogamous men who have sex with men, who never or rarely use condoms, may nevertheless seek to avoid HIV. Technologies that do not interfere with sexual pleasure are likely to be used when available. Studies are needed to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using OTC rapid HIV tests as one additional harm-reduction tool.
----------------------
Hypersexuality in college students: The role of psychopathy
Rebecca Kastner & Martin Sellbom
Personality and Individual Differences, forthcoming
Abstract:
Psychopathy is a maladaptive personality style that is marked by hypersexual activity that may put the individual or others at risk for unintended consequences such as pregnancy, STDs, pain, and emotional distress. The current study examined associations between psychopathic personality traits and normative sexual risk taking behaviors. In a sample of undergraduate students (n = 393), we examined psychopathy, with an emphasis on the two facets of Fearless-Dominance and Impulsive-Antisociality, and various aspects of hypersexuality (e.g., sexual sensation seeking, compulsivity, excitation, and disinhibition), including risky sexual behavior. Both psychopathy facets, particularly Impulsive-Antisociality, were distinctly associated with all forms of hypersexuality. An interaction effect for the two psychopathy facets was found for predicting risky sexual behavior, indicating that scoring high on both facets was a stronger predictor of hypersexuality than scoring high on either facet in isolation. The psychopathy effects were present even when controlling for general sensation seeking, impulsivity, and antisociality.
----------------------
Amy Adamczyk
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, June 2012, Pages 324-342
Abstract:
Research finds that religious youth, compared to less religious youth, are more likely to delay their sexual debut (sometimes until marriage). This study is one of the first to examine the influence of involvement in religion-supported secular activities for shaping initiation into vaginal sex. Does involvement in religion-sponsored secular programs produce any health-related benefits for youth? Using two waves of data from the National Study of Youth and Religion this study finds that among teens who have engaged in some of the precursors to first sex, namely, sexual touching, involvement in religion-sponsored secular activities is associated with lower odds of having first sex between W1 and W2. Conservative attitudes about sex outside of marriage explain, in part, the relationship. Conversely, network overlap, the number of friends who belong to a youth group, and pressure from friends and partners to have sex do not significantly mediate the relationship.