The most off-putting flirting dealbreakers included having a slimy approach, bad hygiene, and not demonstrating exclusive interest

What constitutes bad flirting: An explorative study of dealbreakers. Menelaos Apostolou, Chrysovalanto Eleftheriou. Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 194, August 2022, 111665. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111665

Highlights

• Identified 69 acts and traits that people find off-putting in flirting

• Identified 11 broader flirting-dealbreakers

• Found that women and older participants were more sensitive to flirting-dealbreakers

Abstract: Flirting is essential for attracting mates yet, many people do poorly in it. Accordingly, the current research aimed to address the question what are dealbreakers in flirting. More specifically, by using open-ended questionnaires in a sample of 212 Greek-speaking participants, Study 1 identified 69 acts and traits that people find off-putting in flirting. Study 2, asked a sample of 734 Greek-speaking participants to rate how off-putting they found these traits in a partner. On the basis of participants' responses, these traits were classified into 11 broader flirting dealbreakers. The most off-putting ones, included having a slimy approach, bad hygiene, and not demonstrating exclusive interest. It was also found that women and older participants were more sensitive to almost all of the identified dealbreakers than men and younger participants.

Keywords: FlirtingFlirting dealbreakersMatingMate preferences

Time was remembered as passing more quickly during alcohol, cocaine and MDMA use, while marijuana was associated with a subjective slowing of time

The Influence of Recreational Drug Use on Experiences of the Passage of Time. Ruth S. Ogden and Joseph Faulkner. Sucht, Apr 13 2022. https://doi.org/10.1024/0939-5911/a000761

Abstract

Background: Laboratory research suggests that alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and MDMA influence the processing of time. Anecdotal reports of recreational drug use also often include descriptions of changes in the speed of the passage of time. Despite this, little is known about how and why recreational drug use influences the passage of time.

Aim: To examine retrospective self-reports of the passage of time during a previous instance of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine or MDMA use. To establish the effect of substance use frequency, substance dose, anxiety, depression and stress on the passage of time.

Methods: Using an online questionnaire, passage of time judgments were collected for the current day as well as recent instances of alcohol, cocaine, marijuana or MDMA use. Measures of affect, typical substance use frequency and substance use amount were taken.

Results: Time was remembered as passing significantly more quickly than normal during alcohol, cocaine and MDMA use. Marijuana was associated with time passing more slowly than normal. Regression analysis revealed that drug induced distortions to the passage of time use were not predicted by drug use frequency, dose, depression, anxiety or stress. Furthermore, comparison of recreational drug users and non-users did not indicate any long-term effects of drug use on the passage of time. 

Conclusions: The results suggest that whilst distortions to the passage of time are a common feature of drug use, their causes are complex.

Similar to animals, humans are endowed with ‘nutritional wisdom’, guiding them to instinctively choose foods that satisfy requirements for specific micronutrients

Micronutrients and food choice: A case of ‘nutritional wisdom’ in humans? Jeffrey M. Brunstrom, Mark Schatzker. Appetite, April 18 2022, 106055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2022.106055

Abstract: Many reports show that non-human animals have the ability to select foods based on their micronutrient composition. However, it is unclear whether humans also have this ability, and we have lacked appropriate methods to investigate this question. In response to this challenge, we developed an approach that derives evidence from patterns of choices across a range of food images. In two studies (Study 1, N = 45; Study 2, N = 83) adults selected one of two pairs of fruits and vegetables in a series of trials (N = 210). Consistent with variety seeking, they preferred ‘varied’ over ‘monotonous’ pairs (same-food pairs were less attractive). However, and even after controlling for explicit nutritional knowledge (Study 2) and food energy density (Study 1 and 2), we observed a significant tendency to select pairings that offered: i) greater total micronutrient intake and ii) greater ‘micronutrient complementarity’ (MC), i.e., a broader range of micronutrients. In a separate analysis, a similar pattern was observed in two-component meals (e.g., steak and fries) drawn from a large national nutrition survey in the UK (1086 records). Specifically, the MC of these meals was greater than would be predicted by chance (p < .0001) and when a meal provided an excess of micronutrients (>100% daily recommended amount) then this occurred less often than by chance (p < .0001), i.e., ‘micronutrient redundancy’ was avoided. Together, this work provides new evidence that micronutrient composition influences food choice (a form of ‘nutritional wisdom’) and it raises questions about whether nutritional requirements are otherwise met through dietary ‘variety seeking’. In turn, it also exposes the potential for a complexity in human dietary decision making that has not been recognised previously.

Keywords: Nutritional wisdomNutritionFood choiceMicronutrientSensory specific satietyVariety seeking

A higher pulse rate predicts lower life satisfaction, poorer health, and lower labor market status

Taking the Pulse of Nations: A Biometric Measure of Well-being. David G. Blanchflower, Alex Bryson. Economics & Human Biology, Apr 18 2022, 101141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2022.101141

Highlights

• We introduce a biometric measure of wellbeing – pulse – that has been little used.

• We show that its correlates are similar in a number of ways to those for happiness, and that it is highly correlated with wellbeing metrics, as well as self-assessed health.

• The probability of working at age 55 is negatively impacted by pulse rate a decade earlier. The pulse rate has an impact over and above chronic pain measured at age 42.

• General health at 55 is lower the higher the pulse rate at age 42, while those with higher pulse rates at 42 also express lower life satisfaction and more pessimism about the future at age 50.

• Taken together, these results suggest social scientists can learn a great deal by adding pulse rates to the metrics they use when evaluating people’s wellbeing.

Abstract: A growing literature identifies associations between subjective and biometric indicators of wellbeing. These associations, together with the ability of subjective wellbeing metrics to predict health and behavioral outcomes, have spawned increasing interest in wellbeing as an important concept in its own right. However, some social scientists continue to question the usefulness of wellbeing metrics. We contribute to this literature in three ways. First, we introduce a biometric measure of wellbeing – pulse – that hs been little used. Using nationally representative data on 165,000 individuals from the Health Survey for England and Scottish Health Surveys we show that its correlates are similar in a number of ways to those for happiness, and that it is highly correlated with wellbeing metrics, as well as self-assessed health. Second, we examine the determinants of pulse rates in mid-life (age 42) among the 9,000 members of the National Child Development Study, a birth cohort born in a single week in 1958 in Britain. Third, we track the impact of pulse measured in mid-life (age 42) on health and labor market outcomes at age 50 in 2008 and age 55 in 2013. The probability of working at age 55 is negatively impacted by pulse rate a decade earlier. The pulse rate has an impact over and above chronic pain measured at age 42. General health at 55 is lower the higher the pulse rate at age 42, while those with higher pulse rates at 42 also express lower life satisfaction and more pessimism about the future at age 50. Taken together, these results suggest social scientists can learn a great deal by adding pulse rates to the metrics they use when evaluating people’s wellbeing.

JEL Classification I10 J1

Keywords: pulsewellbeingmental healthgeneral healthlife satisfactionpaid worklife-coursebirth cohortNCDS