Heterosexual women's exposure to a same-sex peer who constituted a sexual rival (straight/bisexual) led to more spreading of reputation-damaging information vs. reputation-enhancing info, compared with exposure to a noncompetitor (lesbian target)

Bakolas, N. K. M., & Park, J. H. (2022). Female intrasexual competition is affected by the sexual orientation of the target and the ovulatory cycle. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, Feb 2022. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000287

Abstract: Research suggests that women use indirect aggression strategies to compete with same-sex peers and improve their mating prospects. One such tactic involves strategically transmitting reputation-damaging information as opposed to reputation-enhancing information, to lessen the appeal of sexual rivals. The present study further examined whether this strategic information transmission constitutes an intrasexual competition strategy, by comparing denigration of same-sex peers who constitute sexual competitors or noncompetitors as determined by their sexual orientation. This study also explored the impact of the ovulatory cycle on this strategy, following research suggesting that hormone fluctuation drives subtle behavioral changes near ovulation, amplifying other forms of intrasexual competition between women. Results indicated that among women identifying as straight, exposure to a same-sex peer who constituted a sexual rival (straight/bisexual target) led to greater transmission of reputation-damaging information relative to reputation-enhancing information, compared with exposure to a noncompetitor (lesbian target). The ovulatory cycle was found to be associated with denigration, but this did not depend on the sexuality of the target. Participants in the estimated high-estrogen phase showed greater denigration overall than participants in the low-estrogen phase, regardless of the target’s sexuality.