The probability of shifting from an omnivore diet to a vegetarian or vegan diet over a one-year period was low, & veganism was the least stable dietary category; being men & conservatism predicted lower transitioning to no-meat diets

To meat, or not to meat: A longitudinal investigation of transitioning to and from plant-based diets. Taciano L. Milfont et al. Appetite, June 29 2021, 105584. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105584

Abstract: Concerns over potential negative effects of excessive meat consumption on both the environment and personal health, coupled with long-standing debates over animal rights, have motivated research on the prevalence and predictors of plant-based versus meat-based diets. Yet few studies have examined longitudinal trends in dietary behaviours using large national samples. We address this gap by examining the prevalence, predictors, and annual change in the self-reported dietary behaviour of a large national probability sample of New Zealand adults (categorised as omnivore, vegetarian, or vegan; Ns = 12,259–50,964). Consistent with our pre-registered hypotheses, omnivore was the most prevalent dietary category (94.1%). Moreover, higher levels of conservative ideologies (i.e., political conservatism, Right-Wing Authoritarianism, and Social Dominance Orientation), lower disgust sensitivity, and lower subjective health predicted having an omnivore (vs. vegetarian or vegan) diet. Longitudinal analyses further revealed that the probability of shifting from an omnivore diet to a vegetarian or vegan diet over a one-year period was low, and that veganism was the least stable dietary category. Both gender (men) and political conservatism predicted lower probabilities of transitioning from meat to no-meat diets over time.

Keywords: Dietary preferencesMeat eatingOmnivoreVegetarianismVeganismTransitionLongitudinal

A neural circuit for spirituality and religiosity derived from patients with brain lesions: There is a common brain circuit in a region previously implicated in fear conditioning, pain modulation, and altruistic behavior

A neural circuit for spirituality and religiosity derived from patients with brain lesions. Michael A. Ferguson et al. Biological Psychiatry, June 29 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.06.016

Abstract

Background: Over 80% of the global population consider themselves religious with even more identifying as spiritual, but the neural substrates of spirituality and religiosity remain unresolved.

Methods: In two independent brain lesion datasets (N1=88; N2=105), we apply lesion network mapping to test whether lesion locations associated with spiritual and religious belief map to a specific human brain circuit.

Results: We found that brain lesions associated with self-reported spirituality map to a brain circuit centered on the periaqueductal grey. Intersection of lesion locations with this same circuit aligned with self-reported religiosity in an independent dataset, as well as prior reports of lesions associated with hyper-religiosity. Lesion locations causing delusions and alien limb syndrome also intersected this circuit.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that spirituality and religiosity map to a common brain circuit centered on the periaqueductal grey, a brainstem region previously implicated in fear conditioning, pain modulation, and altruistic behavior.

I will present research and theory connecting the intersecting evolution of sex chromosomes, the placenta, and pregnancy, and how those combine to result in sex differences in many human diseases

Sex-biased genome evolution. Melissa Wilson. Human Behavior & Evolution Society HBES 2021, Jun-Jul 2021. https://www.hbes.com/hbes-2021-wilson/

Abstract: I will present research and theory connecting the intersecting evolution of sex chromosomes, the placenta, and pregnancy, and how those combine to result in sex differences in many human diseases . I will propose how changes in industrialized society (e.g., having fewer pregnancies, and potentially even that the age at first reproduction is later) may be exacerbating these sex differences. In particular, we hypothesize that, ancestrally, sex-specific immune modulation evolved to facilitate survival of the pregnant person in the presence of an invasive placenta and an immunologically challenging pregnancy – an idea we term the ‘pregnancy compensation hypothesis’ (PCH). Further, we propose that sex differences in immune function are mediated, at least in part, by the evolution of gene content and dosage on the sex chromosomes, and are regulated by reproductive hormones. Finally, we propose that changes in reproductive ecology in industrialized environments exacerbate these evolved sex differences, resulting in the increasing risk of autoimmune disease observed in females, and a counteracting reduction in diseases such as cancer that can be combated by heightened immune surveillance. The PCH generates a series of expectations that can be tested empirically and that may help to identify the mechanisms underlying sex differences in modern human diseases. I will also discuss how the potentially confounding observations of male-biased disease severity and death due to COVID-19, and the female-bias of severe response to the SARS-CoV2 vaccines are consistent with the PCH.

Favorite and least favorite colors are different in the digital age: Now Black, Pink Yarrow, and Blazing Yellow are the favorite ones, before they were the traditional red-green-blue

Exploring color attractiveness and its relevance to fashion. Kodzoman Duje, Hladnik Ales, Pavko Cuden Alenka, Cok Vanja. Color Research & Application, June 28 2021. https://doi.org/10.1002/col.22705

Abstract: Many studies have been conducted on the phenomenon of color preference, with the aim of identifying the key color preferences. Most of the previous studies have been placing blue in the most preferred position and green-yellow in the least preferred position. This study was conducted online and aims to showcase new color preference trends in the digital age. The colors selected for this study were based on the colors most frequently mentioned in previous color studies. Here, we show an evaluation using 14 Pantone colors as stimuli on the sample of (N = 146) participants based on pairwise adjectives (attractive-unattractive). Principal component analysis and other multivariate statistics were used to examine participants' color attractiveness. In addition, gender and age were examined to determine if they had an impact on color attractiveness ratings. Results show that participants tend to prefer distinctive colors (black, pink, yellow), but there are slight differences in preferences that could be related to the influence of gender and age.

5 CONCLUSION

This study examined color preferences in relation to attractiveness across all decades of the 20th century. Both ends of the preference spectrum (unattractive and attractive) were measured, and (N = 146) subjects were used. The study was conducted online with the goal of revealing color preference trends in the digital age. The following conclusions were indicated in the results, and can be used to guide future research:

• Three most unattractive colors were: Caramel Cafe (brown), Desert Sage (gray), and Sulfur Spring (green-yellow). These results are consistent with the findings of previous studies showing that we are repelled by colors associated with negative connotations because of experiences we have had with them.
• Three most attractive colors were: Black, Pink Yarrow, and Blazing Yellow. These results did not replicate previous findings, but provided new findings in the literature. Subjects did not report that their most preferred color combination matched those found in the literature (blue, red, or green). This is because the stability of preferences depends on the time period and era we live in—all influenced by age, gender, and likely education.
• Some differences in color perception were found depending on the age of the respondent. We found a statistically significant age difference in relation to Black, Caramel Cafe, and Ultra Violet. Caramel Cafe and Ultra Violet were perceived as the most attractive colors by far in the 45 to 54 age group, while the same age group rated black as the least attractive.
• Some differences were also found between the two genders in color preference. The study found statistically significant gender differences in relation to yellow, white and green-yellow. All three colors were perceived as more attractive by women than by men.
• Results from our study show that chromatic colors have been perceived as more attractive than achromatic, with exception for black.

Limitation of our study is that not all colors were included. Our results are limited to exploring attractiveness of colors that are defined to be trendy in season autumn/winter 2020/2021 in the fashion industry. Future research should focus more on the development of new technologies and digital influences regarding color preferences and their effects. Current sustainable ways of thinking should also be considered as it is evident that color preference trends are shifting due to positive sustainability trends.

Hadza with greater exposure to other cultures (schooling or participating in the market economy) shared more preferentially with campmates they ranked higher on generosity; the others showed no preference to sharing with generous campmates

Hadza hunter-gatherers with greater exposure to other cultures preferentially share with generous campmates. Kristopher M Smith. Human Behavior & Evolution Society HBES 2021, Jun-Jul 2021. https://osf.io/p9kmt

Abstract: Researchers hypothesize that we have an evolved partner choice psychology that tracks the cooperative reputations of others and motivates us to compete for access to cooperative partners, such as by sharing more with them. However, recent models and evidence suggest cultural institutions shape this partner choice psychology. Here we test Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania similarly share more with people perceived as cooperators and whether this is moderated by exposure to other cultures. Ninety-two Hadza ranked eight of their campmates on generosity and foraging ability and then played a game in which they could direct finite resources to those campmates. We found that Hadza with greater exposure to other cultures, such as via schooling or participating in the market economy, shared more preferentially with campmates they ranked higher on generosity, whereas Hadza with lower exposure showed no preference to sharing with generous campmates. However, this moderating effect was specific to generosity—regardless of exposure, Hadza did not share more preferentially with campmates ranked higher on foraging ability. These results suggest that cultural institutions shape Hadza partner choice psychology.

Hedonism is defined as valuing the personal experience of pleasure and comfort as a guiding principle in one’s life; There is no Temporal Relationship Between Hedonic Values And Life Satisfaction

There is no Temporal Relationship Between Hedonic Values And Life Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study Spanning 13 Years. Mohsen Joshanloo. Journal of Research in Personality, June 29 2021, 104125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2021.104125

Highlights

• The present study used a Dutch sample collected across 5 waves over 13 years.

• There is no longitudinal relationship between hedonism and life satisfaction.

• Hedonism declines over time.

Abstract: Hedonism is defined as valuing the personal experience of pleasure and comfort as a guiding principle in one’s life. Cross-sectional research shows null or weak positive associations between hedonism and life satisfaction. To examine the longitudinal associations between hedonism and life satisfaction, the present study used a nationally representative sample of Dutch adults (N = 7,199), collected across 5 waves during about 13 years. The lagged within-person associations between the 2 variables indicated that hedonism and life satisfaction are not longitudinally linked. The results also showed that whereas hedonism steadily decreased over time, life satisfaction showed a quadratic trend over the course of the study.

Keywords: hedonismlife satisfactionlongitudinalRI-CLPMgrowth

Sexual Language Use in U.S. College Students: Few terms were perceived as degrading or aggressive today (unlike 20 years ago); students believe that societal changes (sex education & #MeToo) are responsible for changes

Sexual Language Use in U.S. College Students Across Twenty Years. Sarah K. Murnen, Paige E. Bullock, Eleanor J. Tetreault, Sydney A. Matteson & Lauren Redman. Archives of Sexual Behavior, Jun 28 2021. https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-021-02022-8

Abstract: Study 1: Students (N = 256 women, 129 men, and 13 nonbinary individuals, 61.8% heterosexual) from the same college campus studied 20 years ago (Murnen, 2000) reported on terms they used to refer to male genitals, female genitals, and “having sex” either within the context of an intimate partnership, talking with friends of their gender, or talking with friends in a mixed-gender group. Terms for genitals were coded as degrading or not, and terms for sex as aggressive or not, based on the previous study. Whereas in the past almost three-quarters of men used a degrading term for female genitals, that amount decreased to about one-quarter in the present sample. On the other hand, among women there was a significant increase in the use of a degrading term for women’s genitals in the intimate partner context, particularly among sexual minority women. Degrading and aggressive language use was predicted by pornography use and endorsement of gender stereotyped sexual attitudes. Study 2: Interpretations of sexual terms were studied among 29 sexual minority women, 81 heterosexual women, 16 sexual minority men, and 54 heterosexual men. We found that few terms were perceived as degrading or aggressive today (unlike 20 years ago) and that students believe that societal changes such as sexual education and the #MeToo movement were perceived as responsible for changes in sexual language use.

Researchers seem surprised... Image Recognition Systems: Images of women received three times more annotations related to physical appearance; women in images are recognized at substantially lower rates in comparison with men

Schwemmer, Carsten, Carly Knight, Emily Bello-Pardo, Stan Oklobdzija, Martijn Schoonvelde, and Jeffrey W. Lockhart. 2018. “Diagnosing Gender Bias in Image Recognition Systems.” SocArXiv. September 21. doi:10.1177/2378023120967171

Abstract: Image recognition systems offer the promise to learn from images at scale without requiring expert knowledge. However, past research suggests that machine learning systems often produce biased output. In this article, we evaluate potential gender biases of commercial image recognition platforms using photographs of U.S. members of Congress and a large number of Twitter images posted by these politicians. Our crowdsourced validation shows that commercial image recognition systems can produce labels that are correct and biased at the same time as they selectively report a subset of many possible true labels. We find that images of women received three times more annotations related to physical appearance. Moreover, women in images are recognized at substantially lower rates in comparison with men. We discuss how encoded biases such as these affect the visibility of women, reinforce harmful gender stereotypes, and limit the validity of the insights that can be gathered from such data.

Why Has Personality Psychology Played an Outsized Role in the Credibility Revolution?

Atherton, Olivia E., PhD, Joanne M. Chung, Kelci Harris, Julia M. Rohrer, David M. Condon, Felix Cheung, Simine Vazire, et al. 2021. “Why Has Personality Psychology Played an Outsized Role in the Credibility Revolution?” PsyArXiv. June 28. doi:10.31234/osf.io/h45yn

Abstract: Personality is not the most popular subfield of psychology. But, in one way or another, personality psychologists have played an outsized role in the ongoing “credibility revolution” in psychology. Not only have individual personality psychologists taken on visible roles in the movement, but our field’s practices and norms have now become models for other fields to emulate (or, for those who share Baumeister’s (2016) skeptical view of the consequences of increasing rigor, a model for what to avoid). In this article we discuss some unique features of our field that may have placed us in an ideal position to be leaders in this movement. We do so from a subjective perspective, describing our impressions and opinions about possible explanations for personality psychology’s disproportionate role in the credibility revolution. We also discuss some ways in which personality psychology remains less-than-optimal, and how we can address these flaws.

Infants look longer at impossible or unlikely events than at possible events: Stable individual differences in infants’ responses to violations of intuitive physics

Stable individual differences in infants’ responses to violations of intuitive physics. Jasmin Perez and Lisa Feigenson. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences July 6, 2021 118 (27) e2103805118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2103805118

Abstract: Infants look longer at impossible or unlikely events than at possible events. While these responses to expectancy violations have been critical for understanding early cognition, interpreting them is challenging because infants’ responses are highly variable. This variability has been treated as an unavoidable nuisance inherent to infant research. Here we asked whether the variability contains signal in addition to noise: namely, whether some infants show consistently stronger responses to expectancy violations than others. Infants watched two unrelated physical events 6 mo apart; these events culminated in either an impossible or an expected outcome. We found that infants who exhibited the strongest looking response to an impossible event at 11 mo also exhibited the strongest response to an entirely different impossible event at 17 mo. Furthermore, violation-of-expectation responses in infancy predicted children’s explanation-based curiosity at 3 y old. In contrast, there was no longitudinal relation between infants’ responses to events with expected outcomes at 11 and 17 mo, nor any link with later curiosity; hence, infants’ responses do not merely reflect individual differences in attention but are specific to expectancy violations. Some children are better than others at detecting prediction errors—a trait that may be linked to later cognitive abilities.

Keywords: cognitive developmentinfantspredictionsurpriseindividual differences