Manpal Singh Bhogal

Gender differences in weight loss; evidence from a NHS weight management service

Provides evidence that men lose more weight than women when enrolled on a weight loss intervention. • Men lose more weight than women from their initial assessment up to 12-months. • Men maintain their weight and continue to lose more weight postintervention compared to women.

Physical Attractiveness and Altruism in Two Modified Dictator Games

ABSTRACT Several studies find that male individuals are more altruistic toward attractive women, suggesting altruism may serve as a courtship display. Many studies exploring this phenomenon have used vignettes and facial images. We tested the sexual selection hypothesis as an explanation for altruistic behavior, where players played the dictator game with “live” participants. Two studies were conducted (Study 1, n = 212; Study 2, n = 188) where we manipulated stakes and anonymity between participants to explore the relationship between the dictator’s allocations and their perceived attractiveness of the recipient. We found no relationship between attractiveness and altruism. Dictators were consistently fair when allocating stakes, irrespective of the recipients’ attractiveness.

A Research Note on the Influence of Relationship Length and Sex on Preferences for Altruistic and Cooperative Mates

Previous literature suggests that altruism may have evolved as a sexually selectable trait. Recent research suggests that women seek altruistic traits for long-term, not short-term relationships, as altruism can serve as an honest signal of one’s character. We tested this hypothesis by asking 102 participants to complete a modified version of Buss’s Mate Preferences Questionnaire. We found that women placed higher importance on altruism in a mate compared to men, and this preference was greater when seeking a long-term mate, compared to a short-term mate. We also found that although women placed greater importance on cooperativeness in a mate compared to men, this preference was not influenced by whether they were seeking a short-term or a long-term mate. We successfully replicate previous literature exploring the role of altruism in mate choice.

The Challenges in Researching the Relationship Between Physical Attractiveness and Altruism Using Economic Games

This case study is based on a portion of my PhD research exploring the relationship between physical attractiveness and altruistic behavior. Much of the previous literature exploring these variables has been conducted via computer simulations, using facial images and vignettes. I conducted three studies exploring the relationship between physical attractiveness and altruistic behavior among real people in a laboratory setting using economic games. It was hypothesized that people would be more altruistic toward those they considered attractive. The findings yielded consistent null results. This case study reports the factors that influenced my findings and the decisions made when designing each study.

The Influence of Aggressiveness on Rape-Myth Acceptance among University Students

The detrimental effects of rape are well established. In order to support victims of rape in reporting sexual assault, the factors which predict rape myths need to be investigated. Aggression has been linked to sexual violence, but little is known about the role of aggressive behaviour in rape-myth acceptance. The present study aimed to investigate whether rape myths could be predicted by verbal aggression, physical aggression, hostility, anger or sex in a sample of 121 participants. A regression analysis found that an individuals sex and self-reported physical aggression significantly predicted rape-myth acceptance.