Jaroslava Varella Valentova

Judgments of sexual orientation and masculinity-femininity based on thin slices of behavior: a cross-cultural comparison.

Studies of North Americans suggest that laypeople can judge the sexual orientation of others with greater than chance accuracy based on brief observations of their behavior (i.e., “gaydar” exists). One factor that appears to contribute to these judgments is targets’ degree of masculinity–femininity. However, behaviors related to sexual orientation and to masculinity–femininity might vary across cultures. Thus, cross-cultural work is needed to test whether judgments of sexual orientation are more accurate when targets and raters are from the same culture. American and Czech male targets, 38 homosexual and 41 heterosexual, were videotaped and brief segments of the videotapes were presented to American and Czech raters. Overall, raters’ judgments of targets’ sexual orientation were related to targets’ self-reported sexual orientation. However, the relationship was stronger when targets were judged by raters from their own country. In general, results suggest that there are both cross-cultural similarities and differences in gaydar and in cues related to sexual orientation.

Shape Differences Between the Faces of Homosexual and Heterosexual Men

Previous studies have shown that homosexual men differ from heterosexual men in several somatic traits and lay people accurately attribute sexual orientation based on facial images. Thus, we may predict that morphological differences between faces of homosexual and heterosexual individuals can cue to sexual orientation. The main aim of this study was to test for possible differences in facial shape between heterosexual and homosexual men. Further, we tested whether self-reported sexual orientation correlated with sexual orientation and masculinity–femininity attributed from facial images by independent raters. In Study 1, we used geometric morphometrics to test for differences in facial shape between homosexual and heterosexual men. The analysis revealed significant shape differences in faces of heterosexual and homosexual men. Homosexual men showed relatively wider and shorter faces, smaller and shorter noses, and rather massive and more rounded jaws, resulting in a mosaic of both feminine and masculine features. In Study 2, we tested the accuracy of sexual orientation judgment from standardized facial photos which were assessed by 80 independent raters. Binary logistic regression showed no effect of attributed sexual orientation on self-reported sexual orientation. However, homosexual men were rated as more masculine than heterosexual men, which may explain the misjudgment of sexual orientation. Thus, our results showed that differences in facial morphology of homosexual and heterosexual men do not simply mirror variation in femininity, and the stereotypic association of feminine looking men as homosexual may confound judgments of sexual orientation.

Perceived sexual orientation based on vocal and facial stimuli is linked to self-rated sexual orientation in Czech men.

Previous research has shown that lay people can accurately assess male sexual orientation based on limited information, such as face, voice, or behavioral display. Gender-atypical traits are thought to serve as cues to sexual orientation. We investigated the presumed mechanisms of sexual orientation attribution using a standardized set of facial and vocal stimuli of Czech men. Both types of stimuli were rated for sexual orientation and masculinity-femininity by non-student heterosexual women and homosexual men. Our data showed that by evaluating vocal stimuli both women and homosexual men can judge sexual orientation of the target men in agreement with their self-reported sexual orientation. Nevertheless, only homosexual men accurately attributed sexual orientation of the two groups from facial images. Interestingly, facial images of homosexual targets were rated as more masculine than heterosexual targets. This indicates that attributions of sexual orientation are affected by stereotyped association between femininity and male homosexuality; however, reliance on such cues can lead to frequent misjudgments as was the case with the female raters. Although our study is based on a community sample recruited in a non-English speaking country, the results are generally consistent with the previous research and thus corroborate the validity of sexual orientation attributions.

Preferred and actual relative height among homosexual male partners vary with preferred dominance and sex role

Previous research has shown repeatedly that human stature influences mate preferences and mate choice in heterosexuals. In general, it has been shown that tall men and average height women are most preferred by the opposite sex, and that both sexes prefer to be in a relationship where the man is taller than the woman. However, little is known about such partner preferences in homosexual individuals. Based on an online survey of a large sample of non-heterosexual men (N = 541), we found that the majority of men prefer a partner slightly taller than themselves. However, these preferences were dependent on the participant’s own height, such that taller men preferred shorter partners, whereas shorter men preferred taller partners. We also examined whether height preferences predicted the preference for dominance and the adoption of particular sexual roles within a couple. Although a large proportion of men preferred to be in an egalitarian relationship with respect to preferred dominance (although not with respect to preferred sexual role), men that preferred a more dominant and more “active” sexual role preferred shorter partners, whereas those that preferred a more submissive and more “passive” sexual role preferred taller partners. Our results indicate that preferences for relative height in homosexual men are modulated by own height, preferred dominance and sex role, and do not simply resemble those of heterosexual women or men.

Engagement in Olfaction-Related Activities is Associated with the Ability of Odor Identification and Odor Awareness

Recent research has shown that within-gender variability in olfactory abilities may be linked to sexual orientation, particularly in men, but is better predicted by childhood gender nonconformity. However, whether there could be similar within-gender variability in odor awareness remains unclear. Further, gender differences in olfactory abilities and odor awareness in favor of women have been proposed to be partly related to women’s broader olfactory experience due to their greater engagement in olfaction-related activities. Nevertheless, within-gender variability in odor exposure could also be expected. Therefore, in a sample of 156 men and women (83 non-heterosexual), we aimed to look for between- and within-gender variability in odor awareness and self-reported engagement in specific olfaction-related activities. Secondly, we tested whether interindividual (between- and within-gender) differences in olfactory abilities and odor awareness might be related to experience with odors, assessed in terms of engagement in olfaction-related activities. The results of the present study show that within-gender variability, previously found in some olfactory abilities in men and women, does not seem to extend to odor awareness, and appears to only apply to certain olfaction-related activities. In the total sample, more frequent exposure to a greater variety of potentially intense or novel food odors and flavors in both childhood and adulthood was positively linked to both greater odor awareness and better odor identification. There was also a positive link between female-stereotyped activities in childhood and odor awareness. Our results suggest that long-term everyday experience with odors may be linked to a better ability of odor identification and greater odor awareness, although longitudinal studies are needed to further investigate these associations.

Preferences for facial and vocal masculinity in homosexual men: the role of relationship status, sexual restrictiveness, and self-perceived masculinity

Studies on mate preferences usually examine heterosexual attraction; comparatively little is known about preferences of individuals whose sexuality is aimed at the same sex. We examined preferences of two groups of androphilic individuals—homosexual men and heterosexual women—for male facial and vocal level of masculinity. Facial images of 58 men and vocal recordings of 30 men were rated by 51 heterosexual women and 33 homosexual men for their attractiveness and masculinity-femininity. In both groups of raters, ratings of vocal attractiveness and masculinity were positively correlated, but there was no overall preference for facial masculinity. After splitting raters according to their relationship status, sexual restrictiveness, and self-rated masculinity, we found significant preferences for masculine voices only in single homosexual men and coupled heterosexual women, while a preference for feminine male faces was found in coupled homosexual men. Furthermore, homosexual men describing themselves as relatively masculine significantly preferred masculine voices but also more feminine male faces. Our results demonstrate that conditional mate preferences are not restricted to heterosexual interactions, and homosexual men prefer a mixture of masculine and feminine traits in their potential male partners.

Promiscuity is related to masculine and feminine body traits in both men and women: Evidence from Brazilian and Czech samples

One of the possible explanations for human within-sex variation in promiscuity stems from conditional strategies dependent on the level of body sex-dimorphism. There is some evidence that masculine men and feminine women are more promiscuous than their sex-atypical counterparts, although mixed results persist. Moreover, another line of evidence shows that more promiscuous women are rather sex-atypical. We tested whether diverse sex-dimorphic body measures (2D:4D, WHR/WSR, handgrip strength, and height and weight) influence sociosexual desires, attitudes, promiscuous behavior, and age of first intercourse in a sex-typical or sex-atypical direction. Participants were 185 young adults, 51 men and 54 women from Brazil, and 40 men and 40 women from the Czech Republic. In men stronger handgrip and more feminine 2D:4D predicted higher sociosexual behaviors, desires, and lower age of the first sexual intercourse. While in women, sociosexual desires were predicted by lower handgrip strength and more feminine 2D:4D. It thus seems that it is rather a mixture of masculine and feminine traits in men, and feminine traits in women that increase their sociosexuality. Masculine traits (height) predicting female promiscuous behavior were specific for only one population. In conclusion, a mosaic combination of sex-typical but also sex-atypical independent body traits can lead to higher promiscuity, particularly in men. Limitations, implications, and future directions for research are considered. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Neotropical Behaviour.

Positive association between vocal and facial attractiveness in women but not in men: A cross-cultural study

Various species use multiple sensory modalities in the communication processes. In humans, female facial appearance and vocal display are correlated and it has been suggested that they serve as redundant markers indicating the bearers reproductive potential and/or residual fertility. In men, evidence for redundancy of facial and vocal attractiveness is ambiguous. We tested the redundancy/multiple signals hypothesis by correlating perceived facial and vocal attractiveness in men and women from two different populations, Brazil and the Czech Republic. We also investigated whether facial and vocal attractiveness are linked to facial morphology. Standardized facial pictures and vocal samples of 86 women (47 from Brazil) and 81 men (41 from Brazil), aged 18-35, were rated for attractiveness by opposite-sex raters. Facial and vocal attractiveness were found to positively correlate in women but not in men. We further applied geometric morphometrics and regressed facial shape coordinates on facial and vocal attractiveness ratings. In women, facial shape was linked to their facial attractiveness but there was no association between facial shape and vocal attractiveness. In men, none of these associations was significant. Having shown that women with more attractive faces possess also more attractive voices, we thus only partly supported the redundant signal hypothesis.

Further Steps Toward a Truly Integrative Theory of Sexuality

We welcome the paper by van Anders (2015) because it is important to reopen the discussion of the concept of sexual orientation. The aim of the target paper is to present a theory that creates a qualitative conceptual map of phenomenological diversity of presumably all possible combinations of subfactors of partnered sexuality. The main sub-factors presented are gender/sex, partner number, and eroticism and nurturance, though the theory is open for new components. As such, the theory reframes sexual orientation as one among many aspects of sexuality. TheSexualConfigurationsTheory (SCT) attempts to integrate the biological and sociocultural aspects influencing one’ssexualconfiguration.Themost important implicationof the theoryistomakethesexualdiversityvisibleforempiricalscience, becauseitcandecreasehomogenizationofpoorlydefinedgroups. Visibility of human sexual diversity is also important for clinical psychology, and for individual self-localization in the configuration map. Everyone has a sexual configuration, which assures all people that their sexuality, as queer as it canappear, exists, and can be mapped without prejudice. We think that the target paper is going in the right direction but that it still has a long way to go. An ideal truly integrative theory of sexuality is still needed: a theory that encompasses qualitative/individual aswell as quantitative/population research approaches; that inquires into mechanistic and moral aspects of sexuality; a theory that delves into genes, hormones, and neurocognitivenetworksaswell as identities, social scripts, andpower hierarchies; that semantically integrates nature and nurture; a theory that allows for cross-cultural as well as cross-species comparisons; and that conceptually separates current factors from developmental factors, from sociohistorical factors, from evolutionary ones, while equally considering them all. We recognize that the target paper is not focused on developing such an integrative theory.But because both socially and biologically oriented researchers study the same topic (sexuality) in thesamespecies (humans), itwouldbeuseful toworkona middle term enabling one to build a conceptual bridge between the fields. Admittedly, we speakmore from the biological side. Thus, we can contribute by stressing communalities, and offering corrections and expansions toward a common goal.

Underrepresentation of women in the senior levels of Brazilian science

Despite significant progress, there is still a gender gap in science all over the world, especially at senior levels. Some progressive countries are recognizing the need to address barriers to gender equality in order to retain their best scientists and innovators, and ensure research excellence and social and economic returns on the investment made by taxpayers each year on training women scientists. We investigated the gender distribution of: (i) the productivity scholarship (PS) holders of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq, N = 13,625), (ii) the members of the Brazilian Academy of Science (Academia Brasileira de Ciências, ABC, N = 899), and (iii) the amount of funding awarded for top quality research (“Universal” Call of CNPq, N = 3,836), between the years of 2013 and 2014. Our findings show evidence for gender imbalances in all the studied indicators of Brazilian science. We found that female scientists were more often represented among PS holders at the lower levels of the research ranking system (2). By contrast, male scientists were more often found at higher levels (1A and 1B) of PS holders, indicating the top scientific achievement, both in “Engineering, Exact Sciences, Earth Sciences”, and “Life Sciences”. This imbalance was not found in Humanities and Social Sciences. Only 14% of the ABC members were women. Humanities and Applied Social Sciences had a relatively low representation of women in the Academy (3.7%) compared to Engineering, Exact and Earth Sciences: 54.9% and Life Sciences: 41.4%. Finally, female scientists obtained significantly more funding at the lower level of the research ranking system (2), whereas male scientists obtained significantly more funding at the higher levels (1A and 1B). Our results show strong evidence of a gender imbalance in Brazilian science. We hope that our findings will be used to stimulate reforms that will result in greater equality in Brazilian science, and elsewhere.