Males Mating Preferences II Influences of Context Evolutionary

Males Mating Preferences II: Influences of Context Evolutionary Psychology Spring 2021 Dr Chapman 1

Context Effects of Males Mating Behavior • • Males in positions of power Viewing attractive models Testosterone levels The Necessities and Luxuries of Mate Preferences © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Males in Positions of Power (high social status) Males with high mate value o just as was true for females with high mate value they are more likely to get the mates they prefer males with more income: o seek younger females in personal ads o marry younger brides, true historically and across cultures o marry more physically attractive females Males with low mate value mate choice does not match mate preference marry older females marry females with less mate value 3

Males in Positions of Power (high social status) Effects of social status have been documented historically across cultures Kings with harems A royal harem Polygyny resulting in some males with no mates Harem is used to describe the separate living quarters of females Currently around 2% of societies Historically was more common Celebrities with young partners An exception to the typical small age difference 4

Viewing Attractive females Reduces perceptions of partners attractiveness o o o Reduces self-perceptions of: o o Contrast Effects and Judgments of Physical Attractiveness: When Beauty Becomes a Social Problem Kenrick (1980) used a field study of male dormitory residents watching "Charlie's Angels" TV program asked to rate a photo of an average female compared to similar male dormitory residents not watching TV Dubbed the "Farah Fawcett Effect" commitment satisfaction seriousness closeness This is a shift in "mating effort" What effect does this have on competition between females? 5

Testosterone and Men's Mating Strategies Influences male mating effort o the time and energy devoted to pursuing mates besting same-sex competitors testosterone levels are responsive to social context of o o competition levels of testosterone go up in anticipation of competition the levels remain high for the winners attractive females levels increase after interacting with an attractive woman presence of attractive females increases risky behavior 6

Testosterone and Men's Mating Strategies Relationship status o o testosterone levels dropped after forming a committed relationship Testosterone and men's Mating Strategies Figure 5. 6 21% lower testosterone levels for males in a committed relationship males who pursue short-term mating while in a long-term relationship have higher levels of testosterone Increased levels of testosterone produce cognitive and emotional effects o o feel like a winner increased self-confidence mild euphoria reduced social anxiety act like a winner increased motivation increased risky behavior increased aggression 7

The Necessities and Luxuries of Mate Preferences The Budget Allocation Method Li (2002) Mate dollars: With a low budget (low mate value) o o participants given a budget (low, medium and high) similar to mate value to be allocated across a set of preferences for an ideal long-term mates females allocated more to economic status and intelligence o females trade off physical attractiveness for resources males allocated more to physical attractiveness and intelligence. With a higher budget (high mate value) females and males allocated more to kindness, creativity and intelligence 8

Impact of the modern environment on mate value and mate preferences Hunter gatherer groups living in groups of 50 - 300 individuals In the modern urban environment o o o Small number of possible mates So finding somebody with all of your mate preferences is very unlikely there are large numbers of people that you can meet face-to-face as well as an enormous number of images in the media and the ability to contact people easily with computers and cell phones The economics of the hunting and gathering lifestyle Status would be determined by their ability to hunt and to gather o There was very little in the way of holding resources (possession of material goods) and there was no currency – It is now possible for individuals to hold enormous resources and economic wealth • Mate preferences have been shaped by selection and can adapt to a changing environment 9

Effects of Male Preferences on Actual Mating Behavior Males responses to females personal ads o o younger females received more responses females mentioning physical attractiveness had more responses Marital decisions and reproductive outcomes o on average American husbands are three years older than their wives for the first marriage five years older for a second marriage and eight years older for a third marriage Age Differences in Marriage on the Island of Poro (1913 -1939) o as males get older the age difference between husband wife gets larger o Similar across cultures, Brazil, Poland, Greece Historical records from Sweden show age difference between husband wife is related to the number of children o o Female attractiveness is also related to fertility, i. e. number of children o Cross-cultural evidence from o o o Hunter gatherer societies Historical records from Wisconsin But not in contemporary Poland 10

Effects of Males Preferences on Actual Mating Behavior How males respond to attractive females o o Using a visual cueing task o presented images of attractive individuals on a computer screen o instructed to shift attention to a different point on the screen o when viewing an attractive woman males had greater difficulty shifting attention "attentional adhesion" When males think they are speaking to an attractive woman they lower their voice pitch probably because of anxiety o In restaurants attractive waitresses receive larger tips o Man proposing to younger females buy more expensive rings 11

Effect of Male Mate Preferences on Female Competition Tactics To Enhance Physical Attraction o o o Deception of Appearance o o o Dieting Cosmetics Clothing colored contact lenses hair color plastic surgery Derogation of competitor o o Physical appearance Sexual promiscuity 12

Summary of Male and Female Long-Term Mate Preferences Similarities with regard to Love, Commitment, Dependability and Stability o o Similarities with regards to attractiveness as a cue to health Females with stronger preferences for resources related characteristics o o o For males this is connected to fidelity because of paternity uncertainty For females this is connected to fidelity because of long-term provisioning for children Age Ambition Social Status Males with stronger and specific preferences for body shape as cues to fertility 13

Chapter Six: Short-Term Sexual Strategies 14

Clarke and Hatfield (1989) • Imagine an attractive individual walks up to you on campus and says: – “Hi, I’ve been noticing you around town lately, and I find you very attractive. Would you have sex with me? ” • females: 100 percent NO • males: 75 percent YES – Of the 25 percent that said no, they were apologetic, citing previous commitments for their declination. • Additional studies indicate that the response is – modulated by attractiveness for males – modulated by social status, attractiveness, emotional connection for females – Similar cross culturally • Large gender difference for casual sex – What underlies these differences? 15

Human mating strategies Sexual Strategies Theory: An evolutionary perspective on human mating. (Buss 1993) o o o males and females have evolved distinct psychological short and long-term mating strategies males and females face different mating problems in both short and long-term mating Relationship are of varying duration; short-term and long-term are end points for the temporal dimension of relationships Human mating is strategic to solve mating problems Strategic does not refer to consciously planned just goal direct 16

Human mating strategies • Human mating strategies; see (Buss, 2006) • Strategies are context sensitive mostly to temporal aspects of the relationship Long-term mating: love, commitment, pair-bonding, investment in offspring Short-term mating: less commitment and investment and places a greater emphasis on sexual behavior A combination of mating strategies o alternate between long-term and short-term mating o a dual mating strategy of maintaining a long-term relationship while seeking extra-pair copulations 17

Possible benefits and costs of short term mating: for males Benefits Increased reproductive success Assuming children survive Costs Sexually transmitted disease Reputation could decrease attractiveness to highly desirable females Decreased survival/prospering of their children Violence from other males Retaliatory affairs and divorce 18

Adaptive Problems for males Increased number of partners o o Motivation (desire) to have sex with a variety of females Relaxation of standards for a number of characteristics Finding females whom are willing to have sex o o Avoid: Prudishness Inexperience Low Sex Drive Cues: Clothing Behavior And Yes, this results in stereotyping and sexual coercion 19

Adaptive Problems for Males Identifying fertile females o o Younger females preferred for L-T because of greater reproductive value Somewhat older females preferred for S-T because of greater fertility • Avoiding commitment – avoid females who want commitment before consenting to sex • Increased investment in one woman decreases opportunity – Hookups: A cultural revolution? • See American Hookup by Lisa Wade – “A hookup culture is an environment that idealizes and promotes casual sexual encounters over other kinds, regardless of what students actually want or are doing. ” • Beginning in the 1920 s with increased freedom • 1960 s, widespread availability of birth control and feminism • 60 -80 % of North American college students have had some sort of hook-up experience – 14% “enthusiasts”, 42% “abstainer”, 45% “dabblers” • Affective reactions – 26 % of females and 50 % of males reported feeling positive after a hookup – 49 % of females and 26 % of males reported a negative reaction – See (Owen et al. , 2010). – Netflix and Chill? What Sex Differences Can Tell Us About Mate Preferences in 20 (Hypothetical) Booty-Call Relationships. (Evita March, 2018)

Physiological Evidence for S-T Mating Testicular size in Primates generally o o related to risk of sperm competition testes size is correlated with the specific mating strategies Human male testes size is in between that of gorillas and chimpanzees implies both sexes engaged in S-T strategies Variation in sperm count: o o o increases with partner separation time because of increased chance of extramarital affair independent of time since last ejaculation sperm count adjusted to replace number lost since last insemination 21