Why do women regret casual sex more than men do? Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair et al. Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 127, 1 June 2018, Pages 61–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.01.044
Highlights
• Six proximate factors related to casual sex regret examined.
• Worry, disgust, and pressure predicted more regret.
• Sexual gratification, sexual competency of partner, and taking initiative predicted less sexual regret.
• Most predictors had a stronger impact on women's casual sex regret.
• Predictors of casual sex regret were not moderated by nation.
Abstract
Sex differences in sexual regret are found to be robust across nations. Participants in Norway (N = 547) and the United States (N = 216) reported their level of regret for their most recent casual sexual experience. Participants also reported on proximate factors hypothesized to predict casual sex regret: negative emotions (worry), feeling pressured to have sex, low sexual gratification, partner's sexual competence, and to what extent they initiated the sexual encounter.
Results suggest that greater feelings of worry, experiencing disgust, and feeling pressured to have sex predicted more regret for casual sex. In contrast, experiencing higher levels of sexual gratification, finding the partner to be sexually competent, and being the one taking the initiative predicted less sexual regret. Predictors of casual sex regret were not moderated by nation. However, relative to men, most of these predictors had a stronger impact on women's likelihood of regretting their most recent casual sex encounter. Discussion focuses on disgust, the key predictor of sexual regret, addresses limitations of the current study, and suggests future lines of research.
Keywords: Casual Sex; Regret; Disgust; Worry; Pressure; Gratification; Initiative; Sex Differences
Check also Majority Rules: Gender Composition and Sexual Norms and Behavior in High Schools. Kristen Harknett & Stephen Cranney. Population Research and Policy Review, August 2017, Pages 469-500, http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2017/08/majority-rules-gender-composition-and.html
And Sexual regret in US and Norway: Effects of culture and individual differences in religiosity and mating strategy. By Mons Bendixen et al. Personality and Individual Differences, October 1 2017, Pages 246–251, http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2017/06/sexual-regret-in-us-and-norway-effects.html
Bipartisan Alliance, a Society for the Study of the US Constitution, and of Human Nature, where Republicans and Democrats meet.
Monday, February 12, 2018
The Global Spatial Distribution of Economic Activity: Nature, History, and the Role of Trade
The Global Spatial Distribution of Economic Activity: Nature, History, and the Role of Trade. J. Vernon Henderson, Adam Storeygard, Tim L. Squires, David N. Weil. NBER Working Paper No. 22145. http://www.nber.org/papers/w22145
Abstract: We study the distribution of economic activity, as proxied by lights at night, across 250,000 grid cells of average area 560 square kilometers. We first document that nearly half of the variation can be explained by a parsimonious set of physical geography attributes. A full set of country indicators only explains a further 10%. When we divide geographic characteristics into two groups, those primarily important for agriculture and those primarily important for trade, we find that the agriculture variables have relatively more explanatory power in countries that developed early and the trade variables have relatively more in countries that developed late, despite the fact that the latter group of countries are far more dependent on agriculture today. We explain this apparent puzzle in a model in which two technological shocks occur, one increasing agricultural productivity and the other decreasing transportation costs, and in which agglomeration economies lead to persistence in urban locations. In countries that developed early, structural transformation due to rising agricultural productivity began at a time when transport costs were still relatively high, so urban agglomerations were localized in agricultural regions. When transport costs fell, these local agglomerations persisted. In late developing countries, transport costs fell well before structural transformation. To exploit urban scale economies, manufacturing agglomerated in relatively few, often coastal, locations. With structural transformation, these initial coastal locations grew, without formation of more cities in the agricultural interior.
Abstract: We study the distribution of economic activity, as proxied by lights at night, across 250,000 grid cells of average area 560 square kilometers. We first document that nearly half of the variation can be explained by a parsimonious set of physical geography attributes. A full set of country indicators only explains a further 10%. When we divide geographic characteristics into two groups, those primarily important for agriculture and those primarily important for trade, we find that the agriculture variables have relatively more explanatory power in countries that developed early and the trade variables have relatively more in countries that developed late, despite the fact that the latter group of countries are far more dependent on agriculture today. We explain this apparent puzzle in a model in which two technological shocks occur, one increasing agricultural productivity and the other decreasing transportation costs, and in which agglomeration economies lead to persistence in urban locations. In countries that developed early, structural transformation due to rising agricultural productivity began at a time when transport costs were still relatively high, so urban agglomerations were localized in agricultural regions. When transport costs fell, these local agglomerations persisted. In late developing countries, transport costs fell well before structural transformation. To exploit urban scale economies, manufacturing agglomerated in relatively few, often coastal, locations. With structural transformation, these initial coastal locations grew, without formation of more cities in the agricultural interior.
Cues to paternity: Do partner fidelity and offspring resemblance predict daughter-directed sexual aversions?
Cues to paternity: Do partner fidelity and offspring resemblance predict daughter-directed sexual aversions? Joseph Billingsley et al. Evolution and Human Behavior, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.02.001
Abstract: Despite the profound influence of relatedness on mating and cooperative behavior in humans, the cues men use to assess paternity and guide offspring-directed behavior have yet to be fully resolved. According to leading theories of kin detection, kinship cues should influence both sexual and altruistic motivations because of fitness consequences associated with inbreeding and welfare tradeoff decisions, respectively. Prior work with paternity assessment, however, has generally evaluated candidate cues solely by demonstrating associations with altruism. Here we (i) replicate past work that found effects of phenotypic resemblance and perceived partner fidelity on offspring investment; and (ii) evaluate whether both phenotypic resemblance and perceived partner fidelity meet the more stringent criteria suggested by theory—that is, whether they also predict inbreeding aversions. We report on two studies, one from a population-based sample of Finnish fathers (N = 390), the other from a Mechanical Turk sample (N = 700), and furnish evidence in strong support of perceived partner fidelity as a cue to paternity. Support for resemblance as a cue to paternity was decidedly weaker. We discuss a non-kin-based role that resemblance might play in altruistic decision-making, consider whether men might use additional kinship cues to meet the computational challenges associated with paternity assessment, and provide suggestions for future research.
Keywords: Kin detection; Paternity uncertainty; Partner fidelity; Facial resemblance; Phenotypic resemblance
Abstract: Despite the profound influence of relatedness on mating and cooperative behavior in humans, the cues men use to assess paternity and guide offspring-directed behavior have yet to be fully resolved. According to leading theories of kin detection, kinship cues should influence both sexual and altruistic motivations because of fitness consequences associated with inbreeding and welfare tradeoff decisions, respectively. Prior work with paternity assessment, however, has generally evaluated candidate cues solely by demonstrating associations with altruism. Here we (i) replicate past work that found effects of phenotypic resemblance and perceived partner fidelity on offspring investment; and (ii) evaluate whether both phenotypic resemblance and perceived partner fidelity meet the more stringent criteria suggested by theory—that is, whether they also predict inbreeding aversions. We report on two studies, one from a population-based sample of Finnish fathers (N = 390), the other from a Mechanical Turk sample (N = 700), and furnish evidence in strong support of perceived partner fidelity as a cue to paternity. Support for resemblance as a cue to paternity was decidedly weaker. We discuss a non-kin-based role that resemblance might play in altruistic decision-making, consider whether men might use additional kinship cues to meet the computational challenges associated with paternity assessment, and provide suggestions for future research.
Keywords: Kin detection; Paternity uncertainty; Partner fidelity; Facial resemblance; Phenotypic resemblance
Having a best friend in middle school who is more intelligent is prospectively associated with greater adolescent intelligence at the start of high school
Meldrum, Ryan, Nicholas Kavish, and Brian Boutwell 2018. “On the Longitudinal Association Between Peer and Adolescent Intelligence: Can Our Friends Make Us Smarter?”. PsyArXiv. February 10. psyarxiv.com/tvj9z
Abstract: For decades now scholars have examined various aspects concerning the development of intelligence across the lifespan. Little research, however, has considered the potential for peers to influence intellectual growth over time. To advance this area of research, we use data collected on 715 adolescents and their best friends who participated in the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development to examine the longitudinal association between best friend and adolescent intelligence. The results of our analyses indicate that, even after controlling for prior levels of intelligence and a number of other potential selection factors, having a best friend in middle school who is more intelligent is prospectively associated with greater adolescent intelligence at the start of high school.
Abstract: For decades now scholars have examined various aspects concerning the development of intelligence across the lifespan. Little research, however, has considered the potential for peers to influence intellectual growth over time. To advance this area of research, we use data collected on 715 adolescents and their best friends who participated in the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development to examine the longitudinal association between best friend and adolescent intelligence. The results of our analyses indicate that, even after controlling for prior levels of intelligence and a number of other potential selection factors, having a best friend in middle school who is more intelligent is prospectively associated with greater adolescent intelligence at the start of high school.
Immoral targets are seen as less competent because their immoral actions led them to be viewed as low in social intelligence
Unethical and Inept? The Influence of Moral Information on Perceptions of Competence. Jennifer E. Stellar, Robb Willer. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2018, Vol. 114, No. 2, 195–210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000097
Abstract: While moral character heavily influences global evaluations of others (Goodwin, Piazza, & Rozin, 2014), its causal effect on perceptions of others’ competence (i.e., one’s knowledge, skills, and abilities) is less clear. We found that people readily use information about another’s morality when judging their competence, despite holding folk intuitions that these domains are independent. Across 6 studies (n = 1,567), including 2 preregistered experiments, participants judged targets who committed hypothetical transgressions (Studies 1 and 3), cheated on lab tasks (Study 2), acted selfishly in economic games (Study 4), and received low morality ratings from coworkers (Study 5 and 6) as less competent than control or moral targets. These findings were specific to morality and were not the result of incidentally manipulating impressions of warmth (Study 4), nor were they fully explained by a general halo effect (Studies 2 and 3). We hypothesized that immoral targets are seen as less competent because their immoral actions led them to be viewed as low in social intelligence. Studies 4 and 5 supported this prediction, demonstrating that social intelligence was a more reliable mediator than perceptions of self-control or general intelligence. An experimental test of this mediation argument found that presenting targets as highly socially intelligent eliminated the negative effect of immoral information on judgments of competence (Study 6). These results suggest that information about a person’s moral character readily influences perceptions of their competence.
Keywords: morality, competence, social intelligence, social perception
Supplemental materials: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000097.supp
Abstract: While moral character heavily influences global evaluations of others (Goodwin, Piazza, & Rozin, 2014), its causal effect on perceptions of others’ competence (i.e., one’s knowledge, skills, and abilities) is less clear. We found that people readily use information about another’s morality when judging their competence, despite holding folk intuitions that these domains are independent. Across 6 studies (n = 1,567), including 2 preregistered experiments, participants judged targets who committed hypothetical transgressions (Studies 1 and 3), cheated on lab tasks (Study 2), acted selfishly in economic games (Study 4), and received low morality ratings from coworkers (Study 5 and 6) as less competent than control or moral targets. These findings were specific to morality and were not the result of incidentally manipulating impressions of warmth (Study 4), nor were they fully explained by a general halo effect (Studies 2 and 3). We hypothesized that immoral targets are seen as less competent because their immoral actions led them to be viewed as low in social intelligence. Studies 4 and 5 supported this prediction, demonstrating that social intelligence was a more reliable mediator than perceptions of self-control or general intelligence. An experimental test of this mediation argument found that presenting targets as highly socially intelligent eliminated the negative effect of immoral information on judgments of competence (Study 6). These results suggest that information about a person’s moral character readily influences perceptions of their competence.
Keywords: morality, competence, social intelligence, social perception
Supplemental materials: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000097.supp
A meta-analysis of the relationship between intelligence and visual “taste” measures
Myszkowski, N., Çelik, P., & Storme, M. (2018). A meta-analysis of the relationship between intelligence and visual “taste” measures. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 12(1), 24-33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/aca0000099
Abstract: What makes individuals experts in judging aesthetic value is actively researched in a variety of ways. In the visual domain, one classical paradigm—used in “T” (for Taste) tests (Eysenck, 1983)—consists in comparing one’s evaluative judgments of beauty with a standard judgment—provided by consensual or expert agreement. The association between general intelligence (g) and performance in “T” tests has been investigated since over 70 years (Eysenck, 1940; Myszkowski, Storme, Zenasni, & Lubart, 2014), but has led to a variety results, from negative weak to positive strong correlations. We aimed at clearing the resulting confusion through a meta-analysis of the correlations observed in the literature (k = 23, N = 1,531). We found a significant positive weak to moderate correlation between g and “T” (ρ = .30, 95% CI (confidence interval) = [.23, .36], z = 9.00, p < .001), suggesting that common cognitive processes are involved in both g and “T”. Reinforcing this conclusion, no publication bias was found through the regression test, and none of the tested moderators—year of publication, gender, age, “T” measure, and g measure—had a significant effect on the correlation.
Abstract: What makes individuals experts in judging aesthetic value is actively researched in a variety of ways. In the visual domain, one classical paradigm—used in “T” (for Taste) tests (Eysenck, 1983)—consists in comparing one’s evaluative judgments of beauty with a standard judgment—provided by consensual or expert agreement. The association between general intelligence (g) and performance in “T” tests has been investigated since over 70 years (Eysenck, 1940; Myszkowski, Storme, Zenasni, & Lubart, 2014), but has led to a variety results, from negative weak to positive strong correlations. We aimed at clearing the resulting confusion through a meta-analysis of the correlations observed in the literature (k = 23, N = 1,531). We found a significant positive weak to moderate correlation between g and “T” (ρ = .30, 95% CI (confidence interval) = [.23, .36], z = 9.00, p < .001), suggesting that common cognitive processes are involved in both g and “T”. Reinforcing this conclusion, no publication bias was found through the regression test, and none of the tested moderators—year of publication, gender, age, “T” measure, and g measure—had a significant effect on the correlation.