International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Research

15 pages, 689 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The More Fertile, the More Creative: Changes in Women’s Creative Potential across the Ovulatory Cycle

by Katarzyna Galasinska and Aleksandra Szymkow

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(10), 5390; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105390 - 18 May 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 6064

Creative thinking is a defining human feature. It provides novel solutions and as such undoubtedly has contributed to our survival. However, according to signaling theory, creativity could also have evolved through sexual selection as a potential fitness indicator. In our study, we tested [...] Read more.

Creative thinking is a defining human feature. It provides novel solutions and as such undoubtedly has contributed to our survival. However, according to signaling theory, creativity could also have evolved through sexual selection as a potential fitness indicator. In our study, we tested one implication of this theory. Specifically, we hypothesized that if creativity can serve as a signal of women’s fitness, then we should observe an increase in creative thinking in the fertile phase of the ovulatory cycle compared to other non-fertile phases. In our study (N = 751), we tested creative potential throughout the ovulatory cycle. We found a positive correlation between the probability of conception and both creative originality and flexibility. Importantly, we also tested the mediating role of arousal in the relationship between the probability of conception and creative thinking. The results of our study are discussed in terms of signaling theory, through which women advertise their fitness with their creativity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology of Human Psychology and Behavior)

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9 pages, 501 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Much Money Do You Need to Feel Taller? Impact of Money on Perception of Body Height

by Radosław Walczak, Przemysław Zdybek, Felice Giuliani and Luca Tommasi

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(9), 4533; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094533 - 24 Apr 2021

Viewed by 2548

Abstract

Body height is considered to be one of the most important reproductive signals. However, there are only a few publications on what influences the sense of whether we assess ourselves as tall or short. In the present contribution, the psychological impact of money [...] Read more.

Body height is considered to be one of the most important reproductive signals. However, there are only a few publications on what influences the sense of whether we assess ourselves as tall or short. In the present contribution, the psychological impact of money on the evaluation of a person’s own height was tested. We performed two experimental studies in which the respondents had contact with different amounts of money and were asked to evaluate their body height with the use of a laser pointer. The first experiment (N = 61) showed that contact with money significantly increased subjective height evaluation, and the effect was independent of participants’ real body height. The second experiment (N = 120) replicated the effect of money manipulation. Moreover, it was shown that higher amounts of money increased one’s own height estimation more than smaller amounts. Our research shows that money can be used for building one’s social position, which is an attractiveness signal that can influence one’s own height evaluation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology of Human Psychology and Behavior)

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15 pages, 2230 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial and Social Behavior of Single and Coupled Individuals of Both Sexes during COVID-19 Lockdown Regime in Russia

by Olga Semenova, Julia Apalkova and Marina Butovskaya

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(8), 4283; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084283 - 17 Apr 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2946

Abstract

Testing individual motivations for social activity in violation of the mandated lockdown regime is a challenging research topic for evolutionary psychology. To this purpose, we analyzed twenty popular weekly routes and the potential impact of sex and relationship status (single versus coupled) on [...] Read more.

Testing individual motivations for social activity in violation of the mandated lockdown regime is a challenging research topic for evolutionary psychology. To this purpose, we analyzed twenty popular weekly routes and the potential impact of sex and relationship status (single versus coupled) on the reported level of spatial-social activity during the quarantine in Russia between March and June 2020 (N = 492). Our study revealed a significant difference between men’s and women’s mobility: men, in general, tend to exhibit substantially higher spatial activity. The results have shown that individuals living on their own have more social interactions with friends and exhibit more profound spatial mobility via public transport. On the other hand, spatial activity of coupled individuals of both sexes were mostly devoted to solving a list of economic and matrimonial tasks. At the same time, men already cohabiting with a partner leave their homes for dating purposes more frequently than single men and women. We interpret these findings in the sense that both individual and sex-specific differences in observed sociality could be a result of a fine-tuned adaptive populational response to a contemporary virus threat, predominantly rooted in the evolution of behavioral strategies in the reproductive and economic spheres of each sex. Indeed, unlike women, coupled men have been preserving highly risky and intense social behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology of Human Psychology and Behavior)

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15 pages, 576 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Commitment, Dominance, and Mate Value: Power Bases in Long-Term Heterosexual Couples

by Jitka Lindová, Tereza Habešová, Kateřina Klapilová and Jan Havlíček

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(4), 1914; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041914 - 16 Feb 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2886

Abstract

We assessed the relative contribution of economic, personal, and affective power bases to perceived relationship power. Based on evolutionary studies, we predicted that personality dominance and mate value should represent alternative personal power bases. Our sample was comprised of 84 Czech heterosexual couples. [...] Read more.

We assessed the relative contribution of economic, personal, and affective power bases to perceived relationship power. Based on evolutionary studies, we predicted that personality dominance and mate value should represent alternative personal power bases. Our sample was comprised of 84 Czech heterosexual couples. We measured the economic power base using self-report scales assessing education, income and work status. Personal power bases were assessed using self-report measures of personality dominance (International Personality Item Pool Dominance and Assertiveness subscale from NEO Personality Inventory-Revised Extraversion scale), and partner-report measures of mate value (Trait-Specific Dependence Inventory, factors 2–6). The first factor of Trait-Specific Dependence Inventory, which measures agreeableness/commitment was used to assess the affective power base. Our results show that perceived relationship power is associated with a perception of partner’s high agreeableness/commitment. Moreover, women’s personality dominance and mate value are also linked with perceived relationship power, which supports our evolutionary prediction of dominance and mate value working as power bases for women. The stronger effect of women’s than men’s power bases may be due to gender differences in investment into relationships and/or due to transition to more equal relationships currently sought by women in the Czech Republic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology of Human Psychology and Behavior)

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10 pages, 321 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Women Walk in High Heels: Lumbar Curvature, Dynamic Motion Stimuli and Attractiveness

by Norbert Meskó, Fanni Őry, Edit Csányi, Lea Juhász, Gréta Szilágyi, Olivér Lubics, Ádám Putz and András Láng

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(1), 299; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010299 - 3 Jan 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5446

Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated that the angle of women’s lumbar curvature affects men’s attractiveness judgments of them. The theoretically optimal angle of lumbar curvature provides better resistance against both hyperlordosis and hypolordosis as biomechanical costs of a bipedal fetal load that could impair [...] Read more.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the angle of women’s lumbar curvature affects men’s attractiveness judgments of them. The theoretically optimal angle of lumbar curvature provides better resistance against both hyperlordosis and hypolordosis as biomechanical costs of a bipedal fetal load that could impair a woman’s fertility. Since men find this attribute attractive, women aim to emphasize it by wearing high-heeled shoes. The primary objective of the present study was to test this evolutionary hypothesis using short videos presenting women walking by the camera. In line with previous findings based on static stimuli (photographs), dynamic stimuli (videos) presenting women walking in high-heeled shoes were expected to elicit increased attractiveness ratings as compared to women wearing flat shoes, which would be associated with the angle of lumbar curvature. Videos were taken of 52 female models walking in two conditions (i.e., wearing either high-heeled or flat shoes). A total of 108 participants (61 males, 47 females) rated the walking models’ physical attractiveness in an online setting. Each model’s lumbar curvature was measured both in high heels and in flat shoes using photographs taken of them prior to each video recording. The results showed that wearing high heels consistently increased the models’ attractiveness, regardless of whether or not it decreased their natural difference from the theoretically optimal angle of lumbar curvature. Both male and female observers showed this positive effect. Furthermore, a negative correlation was found between the models’ body mass index (BMI) and their perceived attractiveness scores in both conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology of Human Psychology and Behavior)

12 pages, 379 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pharyngeal Detection of Staphylococcus aureus as a Possible Factor Related to Disgust Sensitivity in Humans

by Agnieszka Żelaźniewicz, Judyta Nowak-Kornicka, Renata Figura, Agata Groyecka-Bernard, Piotr Sorokowski and Bogusław Pawłowski

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(21), 8286; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218286 - 9 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2432

Abstract

Disgust triggers behavioral avoidance of pathogen-carrying and fitness-reducing agents. However, because of the cost involved, disgust sensitivity should be flexible, varying as a function of an individual’s immunity. Asymptomatic colonization with Staphylococcus aureus often results from weakened immunity and is a potential source [...] Read more.

Disgust triggers behavioral avoidance of pathogen-carrying and fitness-reducing agents. However, because of the cost involved, disgust sensitivity should be flexible, varying as a function of an individual’s immunity. Asymptomatic colonization with Staphylococcus aureus often results from weakened immunity and is a potential source of subsequent infections. In this study, we tested if pharyngeal colonization with S. aureus, evaluated based on a single swab collection, is related to an individual’s disgust sensitivity, measured with the Three Domain Disgust Scale. Levels of immunomodulating hormones (cortisol and testosterone), general health, and body adiposity were controlled. Women (N = 95), compared to men (N = 137), displayed higher sexual disgust sensitivity, but the difference between individuals with S. aureus and without S. aureus was significant only in men, providing support for prophylactic hypothesis, explaining inter-individual differences in disgust sensitivity. Men (but not women) burdened with asymptomatic S. aureus presence in pharynx exhibit higher pathogen disgust (p = 0.04) compared to individuals in which S. aureus was not detected. The positive relationship between the presence of the pathogen and sexual disgust was close to the statistical significance level (p = 0.06), and S. aureus colonization was not related with moral disgust domain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology of Human Psychology and Behavior)

10 pages, 927 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Difference in Perception of Onset of Old Age in Traditional (Hadza) and Modern (Polish) Societies

by Tomasz Frąckowiak, Agata Groyecka-Bernard, Anna Oleszkiewicz, Marina Butovskaya, Agnieszka Żelaźniewicz and Piotr Sorokowski

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(19), 7079; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197079 - 27 Sep 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3778

Abstract

Despite relatively clear physiological indicators of old age, little is known about cross-cultural differences in psychological perceptions of the transition to old age. Although recent studies suggest consistency between modern countries, the subjective perception of old age onset in traditional societies remains poorly [...] Read more.

Despite relatively clear physiological indicators of old age, little is known about cross-cultural differences in psychological perceptions of the transition to old age. Although recent studies suggest consistency between modern countries, the subjective perception of old age onset in traditional societies remains poorly explored. Therefore, we compared the perception of timing of old age between a traditional tribe of hunter-gatherers (the Hadza) and a Polish sample representing a modern, industrialized population. The results indicate that the Hadza perceive old age onset as being significantly earlier than do the Poles. Furthermore, we found between-gender differences in the Polish sample: men set a lower threshold of old age onset than women. The Hadza showed no between-gender difference. Although the samples were matched for age, a larger proportion of Hadza considered themselves old. We discuss these findings from cultural and demographical perspectives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology of Human Psychology and Behavior)

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10 pages, 1066 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shifts in Female Facial Attractiveness during Pregnancy

by Dariusz P. Danel, Kasper Kalinowski, Natalia Nowak-Szczepanska, Anna Ziomkiewicz-Wichary, Anna Apanasewicz, Krzysztof Borysławski, Sławomir Kozieł, Danuta Kornafel and Pawel Fedurek

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(14), 5176; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17145176 - 17 Jul 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 8439

Abstract

It has been proposed that women’s physical attractiveness is a cue to temporal changes in fertility. If this is the case, we should observe shifts in attractiveness during pregnancy—a unique physiological state of temporal infertility. The aim of this study was to examine [...] Read more.

It has been proposed that women’s physical attractiveness is a cue to temporal changes in fertility. If this is the case, we should observe shifts in attractiveness during pregnancy—a unique physiological state of temporal infertility. The aim of this study was to examine how women’s facial attractiveness changes during the subsequent trimesters of pregnancy and how it compares to that of nonpregnant women. Sixty-six pictures of pregnant women (22 pictures per trimester) and 22 of nonpregnant women (a control group) were used to generate four composite portraits, which were subsequently assessed for facial attractiveness by 117 heterosexual men. The results show considerable differences between facial attractiveness ratings depending on the status and progress of pregnancy. Nonpregnant women were perceived as the most attractive, and the attractiveness scores of pregnant women decreased throughout the course of pregnancy. Our findings show that facial attractiveness can be influenced by pregnancy and that gestation, even at its early stages, affects facial attractiveness. Considerable changes in women’s physiology that occur during pregnancy may be responsible for the observed effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology of Human Psychology and Behavior)

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