Boguslaw Pawlowski

Women's preferences for sexual dimorphism in height depend on menstrual cycle phase and expected duration of relationship.

Human mate preferences are related to many morphological traits, such as female waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), male height or facial symmetry. People also vary in preferences for sexual dimorphism in stature (SDS = male height/female height) between themselves and a potential partner. Here, we demonstrate that women adjust their preference for SDS not only in relation to their own height but also in relation to (1) the phase of menstrual cycle during which their preferences were studied and (2) the sexual strategy (short- versus long-term) they were asked to choose. Taller males (larger SDS) were preferred more often when women were in the follicular (i.e. fertile) phase of their menstrual cycle and when the partners were chosen for short-term relationships. These effects were independent of womans height. The results show that women in a potentially fertile phase of their menstrual cycle and when choosing a partner who might be less likely to invest in children select genes of taller males.

Men’s ratings of female attractiveness are influenced more by changes in female waist size compared with changes in hip size

Womens attractiveness has been found to be negatively correlated with waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in many studies. Two components of this ratio can, however, carry different signals for a potential mate. Hip size indicates pelvic size and the amount of additional fat storage that can be used as a source of energy. Waist size conveys information such as current reproductive status or health status. To assess which of these two dimensions is more important for mens perception of female attractiveness, we used a series of photographs of a woman with WHR manipulated either by hip or waist changes. Attractiveness was correlated negatively with WHR, when WHR was manipulated by waist size. The relation was inverted-U shape when WHR was changed by hip size. We postulate that in westernized societies with no risk of seasonal lack of food, the waist, conveying information about fecundity and health status, will be more important than hip size for assessing a females attractiveness.

Parasite stress and pathogen avoidance relate to distinct dimensions of political ideology across 30 nations

Significance Pathogens, and antipathogen behavioral strategies, affect myriad aspects of human behavior. Recent findings suggest that antipathogen strategies relate to political attitudes, with more ideologically conservative individuals reporting more disgust toward pathogen cues, and with higher parasite stress nations being, on average, more conservative. However, no research has yet adjudicated between two theoretical accounts proposed to explain these relationships between pathogens and politics. We find that national parasite stress and individual disgust sensitivity relate more strongly to adherence to traditional norms than they relate to support for barriers between social groups. These results suggest that the relationship between pathogens and politics reflects intragroup motivations more than intergroup motivations. People who are more avoidant of pathogens are more politically conservative, as are nations with greater parasite stress. In the current research, we test two prominent hypotheses that have been proposed as explanations for these relationships. The first, which is an intragroup account, holds that these relationships between pathogens and politics are based on motivations to adhere to local norms, which are sometimes shaped by cultural evolution to have pathogen-neutralizing properties. The second, which is an intergroup account, holds that these same relationships are based on motivations to avoid contact with outgroups, who might pose greater infectious disease threats than ingroup members. Results from a study surveying 11,501 participants across 30 nations are more consistent with the intragroup account than with the intergroup account. National parasite stress relates to traditionalism (an aspect of conservatism especially related to adherence to group norms) but not to social dominance orientation (SDO; an aspect of conservatism especially related to endorsements of intergroup barriers and negativity toward ethnic and racial outgroups). Further, individual differences in pathogen-avoidance motives (i.e., disgust sensitivity) relate more strongly to traditionalism than to SDO within the 30 nations.

Eye-mouth-eye angle as a good indicator of face masculinization, asymmetry, and attractiveness (Homo sapiens).

Past research on male facial attractiveness has been limited by the reliance on facialmetric measures that are less than ideal. In particular, some of these measures are face size dependent and show only weak sexual dimorphism, which limits the ability to identify the relationship between masculinization and attractiveness. Here, the authors show that eye-mouth-eye (EME) angle is a quantitative and face size independent trait that is sexually dimorphic and a good indicator of masculinity and face symmetry. Using frontal photographs of female and male faces, the authors first confirmed that the EME angle (measured with the vertex in the middle of the mouth and the arms crossing the centers of pupils) was highly sexually dimorphic. Then, using pictures of young male faces whose attractiveness was assessed on a 7-point scale by young women, the authors showed that attractiveness rate was negatively correlated with EME angle and with the angle asymmetry. The results are compared with those that could be obtained with interpupilary or upper face height measurements. The authors discuss the relationship between attractiveness and both EME angle and its symmetry in the light of evolutionary psychology.

Lack of support for relation between woman's masculinity preference, estradiol level and mating context.

It has been proposed that womens preferences for male facial sexual dimorphism are positively correlated with conception probability and differ between short- and long-term mating contexts. In this study, we tested this assumption by analyzing relationships between estradiol levels to the womens preferences of male faces that were manipulated to vary in masculinity. Estradiol was measured in daily saliva samples throughout the entire menstrual cycle collected by Polish women with regular menstrual cycles. In our analyses, we included the three most commonly used definitions of the fertile window in the literature. After computing the overall masculinity preference of each participant and measuring hormone levels, we found that i) the timing of ovulation varied greatly among women (between -11 and -17days from the onset of the next menses, counting backwards), ii) there was no relationship between daily, measured during the day of the test (N=83) or average for the cycle (N=115) estradiol levels and masculinity preferences, iii) there were no differences in masculinity preferences between women in low- and high-conception probability phases of the cycle, and iv) there were no differences in masculinity preferences between short- and long-term mating contexts. Our results do not support the idea that womens preferences for a potential sexual partners facial masculinity fluctuate throughout the cycle.

Comparison between primary and secondary mate markets: an analysis of data from lonely hearts columns

Abstract Personal advertisements placed in newspapers can be a good source of information on the dynamics of the human mate market. From an analysis of 1587 (776 female and 811 male) advertisements placed in the local Lower Silesian (Poland) newspaper, we were able to compare primary (never married) (PMM) and secondary (divorced/separated) (SMM) mate markets. When controlling for place of residence, it was revealed that the mean time span between the end of education and the age at which females resort to personal advertisement (7–8 years) is very similar in the three education categories. Men who graduated from high school or university were over-represented on the SMM. There were no differences in the residuals of height, weight or BMI between PMM and SMM for females and significant difference only for mens height with relatively taller men on the SMM for the combined two lower levels of education. We also compared PMM and SMM separately for men and women in terms of the rates of offering and seeking resources, attractiveness, commitment and social skills. PMM and SMM differ in three such categories for men and in four for women. However when controlling for advertisers age, there were only two differences for women (resources were sought for and attractiveness offered more often on the SMM) and one for men (commitment was sought more frequently on the SMM). This indicates that the difference in preferences should be attributed mainly to the age of subjects and only to a smaller extent to the type of mate market (PMM vs SMM).

Temperament and ovarian reproductive hormones in women: Evidence from a study during the entire menstrual cycle

Personality and temperament were hypothesized to function as important factors affecting life history strategies. Recent research has demonstrated the association between temperamental traits and reproduction in humans, however, the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. This study presents evidence for an association between temperamental traits and womans fecundity, as indicated by levels of ovarian steroid hormones during the menstrual cycle. On a large sample of urban, reproductive age women (n = 108) we demonstrated that activity, endurance and emotional reactivity are associated with levels of estrogen and with a pattern of change of progesterone levels. Women high in activity, high in endurance and low in emotional reactivity had up to twice as high estradiol levels and more favorable progesterone profiles as women low in activity, low in endurance and high in emotional reactivity. The temperamental traits we measured highly overlap with extraversion, neuroticism and negative emotionality that were reported to correlate with reproductive success. Our findings thus suggest a possible explanation for these relationships, linking personality and womens reproductive success through a hormonal pathway.

Higher luteal progesterone is associated with low levels of premenstrual aggressive behavior and fatigue

Contradictory findings show both positive and negative effect of progesterone on the premenstrual mood changes in women. Here we present the study investigating this relationship on the large sample of premenstrual women. 122 healthy, reproductive age women collected daily morning saliva samples and recorded intensity scores for the mood symptoms: irritability, anger, sadness, tearfulness, insomnia, and fatigue. Saliva samples were assayed for progesterone concentrations and mood intensity scores were used to calculate behavioral indices. Women with low Aggression/Irritability and Fatigue had consistently higher progesterone levels during the luteal phase than women with high Aggression/Irritability and Fatigue. Additionally, Aggression/Irritability and Fatigue correlated negatively with maximal progesterone value during the luteal phase. Our results demonstrated a negative effect of low progesterone level on the premenstrual mood symptoms such as aggressive behavior and fatigue in healthy reproductive age women. This supports a previously proposed model of biphasic action of progesterone metabolites on mood.

Human body morphology, prevalence of nasopharyngeal potential bacterial pathogens, and immunocompetence handicap principal.

Body height, body mass index (BMI) and waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) are the main traits characterizing human body morphology. Studies show that these traits are related to attractiveness and, therefore, according to an evolutionary point of view, are supposed to be honest signals of biological quality. If the immunocompetence handicap principal (IHP) is true, people with more attractive values of these traits should be more immunologically competent. To test this, we analyzed whether nasal and throat colonization with potentially pathogenic bacteria is related to body height and BMI in both sexes and to WHR in females.

Trait anxiety moderates the association between estradiol and dominance in women.

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between self-assessed social dominance trait and levels of free basal sex steroids: estradiol and testosterone, in reproductive age women. Polish urban women aged 24-35 (N = 72) filled in Trait Dominance-Submissiveness Scale (TDS) and State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). They also gave a single blood sample during the follicular phase of the following menstrual cycle. The blood sample was analyzed for concentration of free testosterone (T), estradiol (E2) and cortisol (C). We found that self-assessed social dominance was negatively associated with free E2 and E2 to T ratio. This general relationship was moderated by Trait Anxiety. Higher social dominance was associated with lower E2 and lower E2 to T ratio in moderate and highly anxious women. No such relationship was found in low anxious women. Results of this study evidence important contribution of estradiol and question the independent role of testosterone in shaping dominance in women. They might also suggest important biological and psychological cost of maintaining high social dominance in reproductive age women.