Does physical attractiveness buy happiness? Women’s mating motivation and happiness. Ahra Ko, Eunkook M. Suh. Motivation and Emotion, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11031-018-9717-z
Abstract: Given the centrality of physical attractiveness in women’s mate value, we predicted that mating motive salience would increase the weight of physical attractiveness in women’s happiness. At an individual difference level, women with chronically high levels of mating motivation weighed physical attractiveness more heavily in their happiness than others (Study 1). When mating motivation were experimentally primed, happiness hinged more on physical attractiveness in the mating than in the control condition (Study 2). Finally, when compared across the ovulatory cycle, the importance of physical attractiveness in women’s happiness was accentuated during the high-fertility phase (Study 3). Results provide converging evidence that mating motivation increases the importance attached to and sensitivity towards physical attractiveness in appraising happiness among women. The current work suggests a novel evolutionary function of happiness, namely, to signal progress toward adaptively important goals.
Friday, August 3, 2018
Both nonfiscal (external and internal imbalances) & fiscal variables help predict crises among advanced & emerging economies, performing well in out-of-sample forecasting & in predicting the most recent crises, a weakness of EWS in general
Predicting Fiscal Crises. Svetlana Cerovic ; Kerstin Gerling ; Andrew Hodge ; Paulo Medas. IMF Working Paper No. 18/181, August 3, 2018. http://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2018/08/03/Predicting-Fiscal-Crises-46098
Summary: This paper identifies leading indicators of fiscal crises based on a large sample of countries at different stages of development over 1970-2015. Our results are robust to different methodologies and sample periods. Previous literature on early warning sistems (EWS) for fiscal crises is scarce and based on small samples of advanced and emerging markets, raising doubts about the robustness of the results. Using a larger sample, our analysis shows that both nonfiscal (external and internal imbalances) and fiscal variables help predict crises among advanced and emerging economies. Our models performed well in out-of-sample forecasting and in predicting the most recent crises, a weakness of EWS in general. We also build EWS for low income countries, which had been overlooked in the literature.
Summary: This paper identifies leading indicators of fiscal crises based on a large sample of countries at different stages of development over 1970-2015. Our results are robust to different methodologies and sample periods. Previous literature on early warning sistems (EWS) for fiscal crises is scarce and based on small samples of advanced and emerging markets, raising doubts about the robustness of the results. Using a larger sample, our analysis shows that both nonfiscal (external and internal imbalances) and fiscal variables help predict crises among advanced and emerging economies. Our models performed well in out-of-sample forecasting and in predicting the most recent crises, a weakness of EWS in general. We also build EWS for low income countries, which had been overlooked in the literature.
40‐ and especially 50‐year‐old women did appear significantly younger when wearing makeup, 30‐year‐old women looked no different in age with or without makeup, & 20‐year‐old women looked older with makeup
Differential effects of makeup on perceived age. Richard Russell et al. British Journal of Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12337
Abstract: Makeup accentuates three youth‐related visual features – skin homogeneity, facial contrast, and facial feature size. By manipulating these visual features, makeup should make faces appear younger. We tested this hypothesis in an experiment in which participants estimated the age of carefully controlled photographs of faces with and without makeup. We found that 40‐ and especially 50‐year‐old women did appear significantly younger when wearing makeup. Contrary to our hypothesis, 30‐year‐old women looked no different in age with or without makeup, while 20‐year‐old women looked older with makeup. Two further studies replicated these results, finding that makeup made middle‐aged women look younger, but made young women look older. Seeking to better understand why makeup makes young women look older, we ran a final study and found evidence that people associate makeup use with adulthood. By activating associations with adulthood, makeup may provide an upward bias on age estimations of women who are not clearly adult. We propose that makeup affects social perceptions through bottom‐up routes, by modifying visual cues such as facial contrast, facial feature size, and skin homogeneity, and also through top‐down routes, by activating social representations and norms associated with makeup use.
Abstract: Makeup accentuates three youth‐related visual features – skin homogeneity, facial contrast, and facial feature size. By manipulating these visual features, makeup should make faces appear younger. We tested this hypothesis in an experiment in which participants estimated the age of carefully controlled photographs of faces with and without makeup. We found that 40‐ and especially 50‐year‐old women did appear significantly younger when wearing makeup. Contrary to our hypothesis, 30‐year‐old women looked no different in age with or without makeup, while 20‐year‐old women looked older with makeup. Two further studies replicated these results, finding that makeup made middle‐aged women look younger, but made young women look older. Seeking to better understand why makeup makes young women look older, we ran a final study and found evidence that people associate makeup use with adulthood. By activating associations with adulthood, makeup may provide an upward bias on age estimations of women who are not clearly adult. We propose that makeup affects social perceptions through bottom‐up routes, by modifying visual cues such as facial contrast, facial feature size, and skin homogeneity, and also through top‐down routes, by activating social representations and norms associated with makeup use.
Frequent consumption of fast foods (≥2 times/week) was only weakly associated with increased odds of being obese; some evidence suggests healthy food interventions may even exacerbate obesity
Evolutionary considerations on social status, eating behavior, and obesity. Ann E.Caldwell, R. DrewSayer. Appetite, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.07.028
Abstract: Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is consistently related to higher obesity risk, especially in women living in developed countries such as the United States and Western Europe. Prevailing theories to describe this relationship have focused primarily on proximate level factors such as the generally poorer food environment (e.g. relative lack of healthy food options and higher concentrations of fast food restaurants) found in lower vs. higher SES neighborhoods and the higher financial costs associated with purchasing healthy, nutrient-dense foods compared to unhealthy, energy-dense foods. These factors are hypothesized to preclude the purchase of these foods by lower SES individuals. Unfortunately, public health interventions aimed at improving the food environment of lower SES communities and to provide financial resources for purchasing healthy foods have had limited success in reducing overall energy intake and body weight. Some evidence suggests these interventions may even exacerbate obesity. More recent hypotheses have shifted the focus to ultimate (or adaptive) factors that view increased energy intake and accrual of body fat among individuals of lower social status as adaptive strategies to protect against potential prolonged food scarcity. The purpose of this review is integrate past research at the proximate and ultimate levels with a consideration of how social status and SES during development (in utero through adolescence) may moderate the relationships between social status, eating behavior, and obesity. Utilizing an evolutionary framework that incorporates life history theory can lead to more integrative and thorough interpretations of past research and allow researchers to better elucidate the complex set of environmental, physiological, psychological, and behavioral factors that influence obesity risk among individuals of lower social status.
---
Regardless of SES, frequent consumption of fast foods (≥2 times/week) was only weakly associated with increased odds of being obese (OR=1.35, p=0.06), and the relationship between neighborhood access to fast food and its consumption was weak and only borderline-significant. Another observational study of over 8000 participants found that higher net wealth (total assets minus total debt) was associated with slightly less overall fast food consumption, but that higher income (rather than “wealth”) was associated with a greater number of fast food meals in the past 7 days (Zagorsky & Smith, 2017). However, the authors noted that the associations were weak and unlikely to have a large public health impact. As an example, a $1 million increase in net wealth was associated with consuming only 0.7 less fast food meals per week.
Abstract: Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is consistently related to higher obesity risk, especially in women living in developed countries such as the United States and Western Europe. Prevailing theories to describe this relationship have focused primarily on proximate level factors such as the generally poorer food environment (e.g. relative lack of healthy food options and higher concentrations of fast food restaurants) found in lower vs. higher SES neighborhoods and the higher financial costs associated with purchasing healthy, nutrient-dense foods compared to unhealthy, energy-dense foods. These factors are hypothesized to preclude the purchase of these foods by lower SES individuals. Unfortunately, public health interventions aimed at improving the food environment of lower SES communities and to provide financial resources for purchasing healthy foods have had limited success in reducing overall energy intake and body weight. Some evidence suggests these interventions may even exacerbate obesity. More recent hypotheses have shifted the focus to ultimate (or adaptive) factors that view increased energy intake and accrual of body fat among individuals of lower social status as adaptive strategies to protect against potential prolonged food scarcity. The purpose of this review is integrate past research at the proximate and ultimate levels with a consideration of how social status and SES during development (in utero through adolescence) may moderate the relationships between social status, eating behavior, and obesity. Utilizing an evolutionary framework that incorporates life history theory can lead to more integrative and thorough interpretations of past research and allow researchers to better elucidate the complex set of environmental, physiological, psychological, and behavioral factors that influence obesity risk among individuals of lower social status.
---
Regardless of SES, frequent consumption of fast foods (≥2 times/week) was only weakly associated with increased odds of being obese (OR=1.35, p=0.06), and the relationship between neighborhood access to fast food and its consumption was weak and only borderline-significant. Another observational study of over 8000 participants found that higher net wealth (total assets minus total debt) was associated with slightly less overall fast food consumption, but that higher income (rather than “wealth”) was associated with a greater number of fast food meals in the past 7 days (Zagorsky & Smith, 2017). However, the authors noted that the associations were weak and unlikely to have a large public health impact. As an example, a $1 million increase in net wealth was associated with consuming only 0.7 less fast food meals per week.
Conversations between co‐witnesses in the immediate aftermath of witnessed events and co‐witness retellings of witnessed events often impair both the quality and quantity of information reported subsequently
Memory at the Sharp End: The Costs of Remembering With Others in Forensic Contexts. Lorraine Hope, Fiona Gabbert. Topics in Cognitive Science, https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12357
Abstract: In many applied contexts where accurate and reliable information informs operational decision‐making, emergency response resource allocation, efficient investigation, judicial process, and, ultimately, the delivery of justice, the costs of unfettered conversational remembering can be high. To date, research has demonstrated that conversations between co‐witnesses in the immediate aftermath of witnessed events and co‐witness retellings of witnessed events often impair both the quality and quantity of information reported subsequently. Given the largely negative impact of conversational remembering on the recall of both individual witnesses and groups of witnesses in this context, this review explores the reasons why these costs occur, the conditions under which costs are exacerbated, and how, in practical terms, the costs can be reduced in order to maximize the accuracy and completeness of witness accounts.
Abstract: In many applied contexts where accurate and reliable information informs operational decision‐making, emergency response resource allocation, efficient investigation, judicial process, and, ultimately, the delivery of justice, the costs of unfettered conversational remembering can be high. To date, research has demonstrated that conversations between co‐witnesses in the immediate aftermath of witnessed events and co‐witness retellings of witnessed events often impair both the quality and quantity of information reported subsequently. Given the largely negative impact of conversational remembering on the recall of both individual witnesses and groups of witnesses in this context, this review explores the reasons why these costs occur, the conditions under which costs are exacerbated, and how, in practical terms, the costs can be reduced in order to maximize the accuracy and completeness of witness accounts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
