The preference for music genres did not contribute to the happiness of any country; happiness increased with lesser Homicide rates and higher Substance abuse

Kapoor, Ishaan, Junmoni Borgohain, and Manas K. Mandal. 2020. “Can Music Genre Determine the Happiness of a Country?.” PsyArXiv. November 22. doi:10.31234/osf.io/f8eur

Abstract: Music not only serves as an important source in regulating moods but also transcends itself in impacting the happiness of individuals. However, it is not well documented that explores what specific music genre(s) are preferred in countries, whether specific preferences affect happiness, and if moderators such as Suicide, Homicide, Substance abuse and Alcohol abuse interact with genres to determine happiness. To examine this, data were collected from secondary sources from Our World in Data repository and World Happiness Report and Google trends. It was found that the preference for music genres did not contribute to the happiness of any country. However, music genres such as Rap & RnB predicted Homicide, and EDM was associated with Substance abuse. At the same time, genres did not qualify significantly for explaining the variance observed in other moderating variables such as Suicide, Alcohol abuse and Homicide. Regression analysis revealed that happiness increased with lesser Homicide rates and higher Substance abuse

Does Self-rated Attractiveness Predict Women’s Preferences for Facial Masculinity? Data from an Arab Sample

Alharbi, Sarah A., Iris J. Holzleitner, Anthony J. Lee, Selahattin A. Saribay, and Benedict C. Jones. 2020. “Does Self-rated Attractiveness Predict Women’s Preferences for Facial Masculinity? Data from an Arab Sample.” PsyArXiv. November 18. doi:10.31234/osf.io/de4yu

Abstract: Because more attractive women may be better able to attract and/or retain masculine mates, many researchers have proposed that women who consider themselves to be more physically attractive will show stronger preferences for men displaying masculine facial characteristics. Empirical evidence for this putative association between women’s self-rated attractiveness and preference for facial masculinity has come almost entirely from studies of Western women. To investigate whether this pattern of results also occurs in a sample of non-Western women, we investigated the relationship between self-rated attractiveness and facial-masculinity preferences in a sample of Arab women (N = 281). By contrast with previous findings for Western women’s self-rated attractiveness, we observed no compelling evidence that Arab women who considered themselves to be more attractive showed stronger preferences for masculine men. This result suggests that associations between self-rated attractiveness and masculinity preferences might be somewhat culture specific, potentially reflecting cultural differences in typical mating strategies.