Why do (some) women wear chokers? Wearing chokers is a function of short-term mating orientation and both male and female observers see them as such

Why do (some) women wear chokers? Laith Al-Shawaf, Heather Williquette. Human Behavior and Evolution Society 31st annual meeting. Boston 2019. http://tiny.cc/aa1w6y

Abstract: In a series of three studies, we generated and tested seven distinct hypotheses about why women wear choker necklaces and what they signify. Study 1 (n=102) showed that interest in wearing chokers and frequency of wearing chokers were both predicted by women’s sociosexuality, a stable individual difference variable that indexes a person’s dispositional orientation toward short-term mating. Study 2 (n=104) showed that male observers correctly use women’s chokers as a cue to their sociosexuality. Study 3 (n=100) showed that female observers also correctly use women’s chokers as a cue to their short-term mating orientation. These studies find clear support for the hypothesis that wearing chokers is a function of short-term mating orientation and no evidence for the other six hypotheses. These findings suggest two key conclusions: a) choker necklaces appear to be valid cues of sociosexual orientation and b) both male and female observers use them as such.