The smartphone is the closest device to us, above classmates, colleagues, flatmates; trust & preoccupation mediate the relationship between closeness to the smartphone & stress and coping

Smartphones as digital companions: Characterizing the relationship between users and their phones. Astrid Carolus et al. New Media & Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818817074

Abstract: Based on the idea of computers constituting social agents and referring to core characteristics of human–human relationships, this study introduces the concept of a digital companionship between smartphone users and their devices. Constituting characteristics (closeness, trust, preoccupation) and outcomes (stress, coping with stress) of social relationships were adapted to yield a model of human–smartphone relationships for empirical testing. A cross-national sample of participants (n = 1156) completed an online study, which included self-report measures as well as a newly developed instrument (Positioning Others and Devices [POD]) assessing the closeness to technical devices and social actors. Results showed the smartphone to be the closest device. Furthermore, structural equation modeling lent support for the theoretical model indicating that trust and preoccupation mediate the relationship between closeness to the smartphone and stress and coping. Findings support the concept of companionship as a fruitful approach to explain smartphone-related behaviors.

Keywords: Digital companion, human–smartphone relationship, mobile devices, relationship, smartphone

Previous research has established a left cheek bias in photos uploaded to social media; it seems that really left cheek poses garner more likes

Left cheek poses garner more likes: the effect of pose orientation on Instagram engagement. Annukka K. Lindell. Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition, https://doi.org/10.1080/1357650X.2018.1556278

ABSTRACT: In social media’s attention economy “likes” are currency; photos showing faces attract more “likes.” Previous research has established a left cheek bias in photos uploaded to social media, but whether left cheek poses induce more engagement than right cheek poses remains to be determined. The present study thus examined whether pose orientation influences the number of “likes” and comments garnered by photos uploaded to Instagram. The top 20 single-user Instagram accounts were identified, and the most recent 10 left and 10 right cheek images were selected, resulting in a total of 400 images. The number of “likes” and comments were tallied for each image, netting over 1 billion “likes” and 14 million comments for analysis. Results confirmed that pose orientation influences audience engagement: left cheek poses garner >10% more “likes” than right cheek poses. Gender did not influence “likes”. Comments were not affected by either pose orientation or gender, likely reflecting the different levels of effort and motivations involved in “liking” vs. commenting on an image. These data indicate that a seemingly inconsequential turn of the head profoundly impacts audience engagement: left cheek poses gained >330,000 more “likes”, offering clear implications for marketers and others in the social media economy.

KEYWORDS: Left, right, emotion, photo, portrait, social media, Instagram

Individuals high in religious fundamentalism engage more in monitoring for conflict between outcomes of their actions and standards of correct behavior; also, may share some characteristics with OCD patients: more negative affect, uncertainty, anxiety, & distress

Religious fundamentalism is associated with hyperactive performance monitoring: ERP evidence from correct and erroneous responses. Magdalena Senderecka et al. Biological Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.12.007

Highlights
•    Religious fundamentalism correlates with response-related brain activity.
•    High religious fundamentalists show increased ERN, Pe, and CRN amplitudes.
•    Religious fundamentalism does not correlate with behavioral performance.
•    Fundamentalism is associated with increased activity of the brain’s defensive system.
•    High religious fundamentalists may share some characteristics with OCD patients.

Abstract: The aim of the current study was to examine whether action monitoring is associated with religious fundamentalism. Participants performed a stop-signal task that required response inhibition to a simple auditory tone. The level of their religious fundamentalism was measured on a scale. Analysis with mixed-effects linear models revealed significantly larger error-related negativity, correct-related negativity, and post-error positivity components in individuals scoring higher on religious fundamentalism, pointing to their increased engagement in response monitoring. However, it was not accompanied by improved behavioral performance. The electrophysiological results of our study suggest that individuals high in religious fundamentalism engage more in monitoring for conflict between outcomes of their actions and standards of correct behavior. Our findings also point to a possible association between a fundamentalist mindset and higher levels of negative affect, uncertainty, anxiety, and distress, as measured by response-related brain activity.

Personal medicine affected health in the second half of the twentieth century than in the preceding 150 years; medical care productivity decreases over time: spending increased faster than life expectancy, although the ratio stabilized in the past two decades

Two Hundred Years of Health and Medical Care: The Importance of Medical Care for Life Expectancy Gains. Maryaline Catillon, David Cutler, Thomas Getzen. NBER Working Paper No. 25330, Dec 2018. https://www.nber.org/papers/w25330

Using two hundred years of national and Massachusetts data on medical care and health, we examine how central medical care is to life expectancy gains. While common theories about medical care cost growth stress growing demand, our analysis highlights the importance of supply side factors, including the major public investments in research, workforce training and hospital construction that fueled a surge in spending over the 1955-1975 span. There is a stronger case that personal medicine affected health in the second half of the twentieth century than in the preceding 150 years. Finally, we consider whether medical care productivity decreases over time, and find that spending increased faster than life expectancy, although the ratio stabilized in the past two decades.

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Vulgata: Two hundred years of health and medical care Maryaline Catillon, David M. Cutler, Thomas E. Getzen. Feb 09 2019. https://voxeu.org/article/two-hundred-years-health-and-medical-care

The Simon Abundance Index, A New Way to Measure Availability of Resources: People as the “ultimate resource,” making other resources more plentiful

The Simon Abundance Index: A New Way to Measure Availability of Resources. Gale L. Pooley and Marian L. Tupy. Cato Policy Analysis No. 857, Dec 4, 2018. https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/simon-abundance-index-new-way-measure-availability-resources

Are we running out of resources? That’s been a hotly debated question since the publication of Paul Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb in 1968. The Stanford University biologist warned that population growth would result in the exhaustion of resources and a global catastrophe. University of Maryland economist Julian Simon, in contrast, argued that humans would innovate their way out of resource shortages. He believed that people were the “ultimate resource” that would make other resources more plentiful.

[...] Using the latest price data for 50 foundational commodities covering energy, food, materials, and metals, we propose a new way of measuring resource availability based on four concepts.

First, the time-price of commodities allows us to measure the cost of resources in terms of human labor. We find that, in terms of global average hourly income, commodity prices fell by 64.7 percent between 1980 and 2017. Second, the price elasticity of population (PEP) allows us to measure sensitivity of resource availability to population growth. We find that the time-price of commodities declined by 0.934 percent for every 1 percent increase in the world’s population over the same time period. Third, we develop the Simon Abundance Framework, which uses the PEP values to distinguish between different degrees of resource abundance, from decreasing abundance at one end to superabundance at the other end. Considering that the time-price of commodities decreased at a faster proportional rate than population increased, we find that humanity is experiencing superabundance. Fourth, we create the Simon Abundance Index, which uses the timeprice of commodities and change in global population to estimate overall resource abundance. We find that the planet’s resources became 379.6 percent more abundant between 1980 and 2017.

On the basis of our analysis of the relationship between resource availability and population growth, we forecast that the time-price of commodities could fall by a further 29 percent over the next 37 years. Much will depend on policies and institutions that nations pursue. For the time-price of commodities to decline and resource abundance to increase, it is necessary for market incentives and the price mechanism to endure. When prices of commodities temporarily increase, people have an incentive to use resources more efficiently, increase their supply, and develop cheaper substitutes.

The perceptions of sexual orientation are based on acoustic cues shared by speakers of the same group; & the belief that members of the same sexual orientation group share similar acoustic patterns is accurate to some degree

Investigating the common set of acoustic parameters in sexual orientation groups: A voice averaging approach. Sven Kachel et al. PLOS, Dec 10, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208686

Abstract: While the perception of sexual orientation in voices often relies on stereotypes, it is unclear whether speech stereotypes and accurate perceptions of sexual orientation are each based on acoustic cues common to speakers of a given group. We ask if the stereotypical belief, that members of the same sexual orientation group share similar acoustic patterns, is accurate to some degree. To address this issue, we are the first to use a novel voice morphing technique to create voice averages from voices that represent extremes of a given sexual orientation group either in terms of actual or perceived sexual orientation. Importantly, averaging preserves only those acoustic cues shared by the original speakers. 144 German listeners judged the sexual orientation of twelve natural-sounding sentence stimuli, each representing an average of five original utterances. Half of the averages were based on targets’ self-ratings of sexual orientation: On a 7-point Kinsey-like scale, we selected targets who were most typical for a certain sexual orientation group according to their self-identifications. The other half were based on extreme ratings by others (i.e., on speech-related sexual-orientation stereotypes). Listeners judged sexual orientation from the voice averages with above-chance accuracy suggesting 1) that the perception of actual and stereotypical sexual orientation, respectively, are based on acoustic cues shared by speakers of the same group, and 2) that the stereotypical belief that members of the same sexual orientation group share similar acoustic patterns is accurate to some degree. Mean fundamental frequency and other common acoustic parameters showed systematic variation depending on speaker gender and sexual orientation. Effects of sexual orientation were more pronounced for stereotypical voice averages than for those based on speakers’ self-ratings, suggesting that sexual-orientation stereotypes exaggerate even those differences present in the most salient groups of speakers. Implications of our findings for stereotyping and discrimination are discussed.

A 10% increase in the income of relevant others is associated with 6-8 minutes decrease in a person's weekly amount of sleep on average; this effect is strong among the relatively deprived, i.e., upward comparers

Relative Concerns and Sleep Behavior. Alpaslan Akay, Peter Martinsson, Hilda Ralsmark. Economics & Human Biology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2018.12.002

Highlights
•    There is a negative association between relative concerns and quantity and quality of sleep
•    The sleep loss associated to relative concerns is about 6-8 minutes/week on average
•    The loss is stronger among relatively deprived, i.e., upward comparers, with 10-12 minutes/week
•    The relationship is heterogenous among people with different working hours and leisure activities
•    The association is also stronger among unhealthy individuals with higher stress

Abstract: We investigate the relationship between relative concerns with respect to income and the quantity and quality of sleep using a 6-year panel dataset on the sleep behavior of people in Germany. We find a substantial negative association between relative income and number of hours of sleep and satisfaction with sleep, i.e., sleep quality, whereas there is no particular association between absolute level of income and sleep quantity and quality. A 10-percent increase in the income of relevant others is associated with 6-8 minutes decrease in a person's weekly amount of sleep on average, yet this effect is particularly strong among the relatively deprived, i.e., upward comparers, as this group shows a corresponding decrease in sleeping time of 10-12 minutes/week. These findings are highly robust to several specification checks, including measures of relative concerns, reference group, income inequality, and local price differences. The heterogeneity analysis reveals that the relationship is mainly driven by people with relatively fewer working hours, a higher demand for household production and leisure activities, and lower physical health and well-being.

Evaluations of Sexually Active Friends and Acquaintances: Women were evaluated more negatively as their number of sexual partners increased, whereas number of partners was not related to evaluations of men

The Sexual Double Standard in the Real World: Evaluations of Sexually Active Friends and Acquaintances. Michael J. Marks, Tara M. Young & Yuliana Zaikman. Social Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000362

Abstract. The sexual double standard (SDS) has traditionally been studied by examining evaluations of hypothetical targets. Although much knowledge has been gained regarding the SDS by using this methodology, the literature thus far has suffered from a lack of ecological validity. The goal of the present study was to determine whether the SDS emerged in evaluations of participants’ real-life friends and acquaintances. Participants (n = 4,455) evaluated a single, randomly assigned male or female friend or acquaintance whose sexual history they were familiar with. Women were evaluated more negatively as their number of sexual partners increased, whereas number of partners was not related to evaluations of men. The SDS was not moderated by the closeness of the relationship between the participant and the target person.

Keywords: sexual double standard, interpersonal relationship type, friends vs. acquaintances, gender roles, gender norms

The impact of immersion on the perception of pornography with virtual reality > Viewing pornographic videos via VR technology had a stronger effect on psychophysiological reactions as well as subjective experience than using the conventional display

The impact of immersion on the perception of pornography: A virtual reality study. Sofia Simon, Tobias Greitemeyer. Computers in Human Behavior, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.12.018

Highlights
•    Immersion influenced the perception of pornographic video material
•    Virtual Reality technology (VR) increased presence and arousal
•    Presence in part accounted for the impact of VR on arousal

Abstract: The present study investigated the effects of varying degrees of immersion on the perception of pornographic video material. Concretely, we compared conventional desktop with Virtual Reality (VR) technology, with the latter embedding the observer in a virtual environment. Differences in the participant’s reaction and evaluation between both display modes were explored. Sixty male participants were alternately shown sexually explicit video material on a two-dimensional desktop monitor and a three-dimensional, high-immersive VR head-mounted display (HMD). During the two video sequences, physical arousal was continuously measured as skin conductance response, whereas subjective sexual arousal was measured using a slider. Questionnaire measures of subjective sexual arousal, presence, and sexual presence were also employed. Results showed that viewing pornographic video material via VR technology had a stronger effect on psychophysiological reactions as well as subjective experience than using the conventional desktop display. It thus appears that experiencing pornographic video stimuli in high-immersive virtual environments increases the experience of presence as well as sexual-related perception.

James Bond outnumbers the British men at least fivefold when it comes to the number of sexual partners over a lifetime; nevertheless, over time casual sex is becoming less frequent for 007

(Un)safe sex in James Bond films: what chance for sex education? Lara DA Zegers, Richard HC Zegers. Scottish Medical Journal, https://doi.org/10.1177/0036933018809601

Abstract

Background and aims: Many women in Bond films make love to James Bond (alias 007). Our objective was to quantify the practice of (un)safe sex in Bond films.

Methods and results: All 24 Bond films were watched together by the authors and the following data were recorded: if the women had sex with 007, whether the women consumed any alcohol before they had sex, whether contraceptives were mentioned and/or used by 007 or the women and whether the women survived the film. Bond had sexual relations with a total of 58 different women. Twenty-two percent of the women had consumed alcohol. In none of the films was any type of contraception mentioned or used. A total of 28% women did not survive the film.

Conclusion: If he were real, Bond outnumbers the British men at least fivefold when it comes to the number of sexual partners over a lifetime. Nevertheless, over time casual sex is becoming less frequent for 007. Sexually transmitted diseases, safe sex and (unwanted) pregnancies seem not to exist in the films. Some suggestions were made to promote safe sex in future Bond films as movies can play an important role in sex education.

Keywords: 007, Bond (James), condom, safe sex, sexually transmitted disease

Women found the men with the low financial status more attractive, & were only more likely to consider him for a one-night stand (with no behavior showing a dating preference for wealthy men)

Hunter, Hannah & Reid, Geneva & Bourgeois, Catherine & Fisher, Maryanne & Benoit, Taylor. (2018). Hi, my name is wealthy: Women's dating behaviors in regards to perceived mate's wealth.

Abstract: It has been cross-culturally documented that women exhibit a preference for mates who possess resources or traits that signal resource accrual. The present experiment tests whether women’s willingness to date men is influenced by their perceived wealth.  Online dating profiles were created to present photographs of men and information about their current bank account status. Across two versions of the study, the male faces were presented with alternating high and low bank account balances. It was hypothesized that women who viewed men with high bank account values would evaluate them as more desirable than women who viewed men with low bank account values. That is, they would be more likely to engage with him in an online conversation, meet with him for a casual coffee, accept an invitation of a date, consider him for a one-night stand, consider him for a short-term relationship, or consider him for a long-term relationship as is the criteria of being more desirable. It was also hypothesized that women would rate the men with high bank account balances as more physically attractive than the men with the low bank account balances. The results do not support the hypotheses. Women found the men with the low financial status more attractive, and were only more likely to consider him for a one-night stand (with no behavior showing a dating preference for wealthy men).  They also showed more interest in having a one-night stand with men with low financial status, as compared to forming a long-term relationship.

Keywords: dating, wealth, physical attractiveness, mate preferences, men

Attractiveness of Primate Faces as Seen by Human Respondents: The least human-like prosimians were scored as the most attractive group; seems related to “uncanny valley” empirical rule

Judging Others by Your Own Standards: Attractiveness of Primate Faces as Seen by Human Respondents. Silvie Rádlová, Eva Landová and Daniel Frynta. Front Psychol Dec 11 2018, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02439

Abstract: The aspects of facial attractiveness have been widely studied, especially within the context of evolutionary psychology, which proposes that aesthetic judgements of human faces are shaped by biologically based standards of beauty reflecting the mate quality. However, the faces of primates, who are very similar to us yet still considered non-human, remain neglected. In this paper, we aimed to study the facial attractiveness of non-human primates as judged by human respondents. We asked 286 Czech respondents to score photos of 107 primate species according to their perceived “beauty.” Then, we analyzed factors affecting the scores including morphology, colors, and human-likeness. We found that the three main primate groups were each scored using different cues. The proportions of inner facial features and distinctiveness are cues widely reported to affect human facial attractiveness. Interestingly, we found that these factors also affected the attractiveness scores of primate faces, but only within the Catarrhines, i.e., the primate group most similar to humans. Within this group, human-likeness positively affected the attractiveness scores, and facial extremities such as a prolonged nose or exaggerated cheeks were considered the least attractive. On the contrary, the least human-like prosimians were scored as the most attractive group. The results are discussed in the context of the “uncanny valley,” the widely discussed empirical rule.

No Evidence That Experiencing Physical Warmth Promotes Interpersonal Warmth: Two Failures to Replicate Williams and Bargh (2008)

Chabris, Christopher, Patrick R. Heck, Jaclyn Mandart, Daniel J. Benjamin, and Daniel J. Simons. 2018. “No Evidence That Experiencing Physical Warmth Promotes Interpersonal Warmth: Two Failures to Replicate Williams and Bargh (2008).” PsyArXiv. December 10. doi:10.1027/1864-9335/a000361

Abstract: Williams and Bargh (2008) reported that holding a hot cup of coffee caused participants to judge a person’s personality as warmer, and that holding a therapeutic heat pad caused participants to choose rewards for other people rather than for themselves. These experiments featured large effects (r = .28 and .31), small sample sizes (41 and 53 participants), and barely statistically significant results. We attempted to replicate both experiments in field settings with more than triple the sample sizes (128 and 177) and double-blind procedures, but found near-zero effects (r = –.03 and .02). In both cases, Bayesian analyses suggest there is substantially more evidence for the null hypothesis of no effect than for the original physical warmth priming hypothesis

Female violence was more often directed towards their close environment (i.e. their children) & driven by relational frustration; also received lower punishments compared to males & were more often considered to be diminished accountable for their offenses due to a mental illness

Gender differences in violent offending: results from a multicentre comparison study in Dutch forensic psychiatry. Vivienne de Vogel, Eva de Spa. Psychology, Crime & Law, https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2018.1556267

ABSTRACT: The past two decades, a disproportionate growth of females entering the criminal justice system and forensic mental health services has been observed worldwide. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the background of women who are convicted for violent offenses. What is their criminal history, what are their motives for offending and in which way do they differ from men convicted for violent offenses? In this study, criminal histories and the offenses for which they were admitted to forensic care were analyzed of 218 women and 218 men who have been treated between 1984 and 2014 with a mandatory treatment order in one of four Dutch forensic psychiatric settings admitting both men and women. It is concluded that there are important differences in violent offending between male and female patients. Most importantly, female violence was more often directed towards their close environment, like their children, and driven by relational frustration. Furthermore, female patients received lower punishments compared to male patients and were more often considered to be diminished accountable for their offenses due to a mental illness.

KEYWORDS: Gender, violence, forensic, criminal history

Big relaxation of views about cannabis: Decrease in religious affiliation, a decline in punitiveness, and a shift in media framing all contributed to changing attitudes

How and why have attitudes about cannabis legalization changed so much? Jacob Felson, Amy Adamczyk, Christopher Thomas. Social Science Research, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.12.011

Abstract: Since the late 1990s public opinion about cannabis legalization has become drastically more liberal, and some states have begun to legalize cannabis for recreational use. Why have attitudes changed so much? Prior research has considered a few of the reasons for this change, but this is the first comprehensive and empirically-based study to consider the wide range of potential causes for how and why this happened. We use data from the General Social Survey, National Study of Drug Use and Health, and word searches from the New York Times. We find that attitudes largely liberalized via intracohort changes. Most Americans developed more liberal views, regardless of their race and ethnicity, gender, education, religious or political affiliation, or religious engagement. Changes in cannabis use have had minimal effects on attitudes, and legalization of cannabis has not prompted attitude change in neighboring states. As to root causes, evidence suggests that a decrease in religious affiliation, a decline in punitiveness, and a shift in media framing all contributed to changing attitudes.

Bavarian data: Women earn less in majority groups when their supervisor is of the same sex

Same-Sex Employees and Supervisors: The Effect of Homophily and Group Composition on Wage Differences. Christina Klug. Zeitschrift für Soziologie, Volume 47, Issue 4, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/zfsoz-2018-0116

Abstract: This article analyzes wage differences according to whether or not employees and their supervisors are of the same sex. The mechanism of homophily predicts that having supervisors of the same sex has a positive effect on wages. Additionally, we introduce four conflicting theories that consider group composition as a moderating factor. The hypotheses are tested with data from the Bavarian Graduate Panel via fixed-effect panel regressions. Results show that relative group sizes must be considered in order to see wage differences. These wage benefits emerge in minority and majority groups for male academics, but women earn less in majority groups when their supervisor is of the same sex.

Keywords: Homophily; Group Composition; Wage Differences; Supervisors; Employees

Rolf Degen‏ summarizing: People were willing to sell football tickets at a lower price to those who shared their political leanings, with partisanship beating team preference

Grand Old (Tailgate) Party? Partisan Discrimination in Apolitical Settings. Andrew M. Engelhardt, Stephen M. Utych. Political Behavior, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11109-018-09519-4

Abstract: Recent work in political science demonstrates that the American public is strongly divided on partisan lines. Levels of affective polarization are so great, it seems, that partisanship even shapes behavior in apolitical settings. However, this literature does not account for other salient identity dimensions on which people make decisions in apolitical settings, potentially stacking the deck in favor of partisanship. We address this limitation with a pair of experiments studying price discrimination among college football fans. We find that partisan discrimination exists, even when the decision context explicitly calls attention to another social identity. But, importantly, this appears to function mostly as in-group favoritism rather than out-group hostility.

Keywords: Polarization Partisanship Social identity theory Experiments

Fear of death: Nature, development and moderating factors

Menzies, Ross G and Menzies, Rachel E. Fear of death: Nature, development and moderating factors [online]. In: Menzies, RE (Editor); Menzies, RG (Editor); Iverach, L (Editor). Curing the Dread of Death Theory, Research and Practice. Samford Valley, QLD: Australian Academic Press, 2018: 21-39. https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=911350014779621;res=IELHSS

Abstract: How do we come to a mature view of death? Does it emerge in stages and, if so, what do these involve? Does anxiety arise as soon as a child can conceptualise death, or does it only appear with a fully developed, adult understanding of the concept? And what do we regard as an adult conception of death? Slaughter (2005) argues that the defining characteristic is to recognise death as a biological event caused by the failure of body systems. In contrast, young children may claim that the 'bogey man' or some other punishing agent is the cause of death. But would all adults pass Slaughter's (2005) test of death comprehension? After all, as Hoffman, Johnson, Foster, and Wright (2010) point out, adults can't agree on when life begins let alone why we take our last breath. Some will maintain that God has called a person home, and that God is the ultimate cause of death (and its creator, punishing us for the sins in the Garden of Eden). Clearly, death is a complex notion and religious and spiritual positions complicate the matter considerably.

Moralizing of Income Inequality: More liberal ideology was associated with less tolerance for diverging opinions on the issue in one’s social circle

O'Donnell, Michael and Chen, Serena, Political Ideology, the Moralizing of Income Inequality, and Its Social Consequences (September 22, 2018). http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3253666

Abstract: Income inequality is at its highest level in decades and is a key political and social issue in the U.S. today. However, there is a stark partisan divide on whether and how to address income inequality. We propose one reason for this: ideological differences in viewing the issue of income inequality in moral terms. Across five studies, involving more than 3,000 participants, conservative relative to liberal ideology was associated with a disinclination to see inequality as a moral issue and a dampened tendency to see it as morally wrong. Moreover, more liberal ideology was associated with less tolerance for diverging opinions on the issue in one’s social circle. Finally, although conservatives were reliably disinclined to moralize inequality, we found that they can be induced to view it as a more serious issue and express support for inequality-reducing political policies.

Keywords: Income Inequality, Morality, Political Ideology, Social Class

Women lowered both voice pitch parameters toward men who were most desired by other women & whom they also personally preferred

Voice pitch modulation in human mate choice. Katarzyna Pisanski et al. REBY Proceedings, http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/80518/1/__smbhome.uscs.susx.ac.uk_sc328_Desktop_Papers%20for%20SRO_REBY_Proceedings_B_NOV_2018_accepted_version.pdf

Abstract: Inter-individual differences in human fundamental frequency (F0, perceived as voice pitch) predict mate quality, reproductive success, and affect listeners’ social attributions. Although humans can readily and volitionally manipulate their vocal apparatus and resultant voice pitch, for instance in the production of speech sounds and singing, little is known about whether humans exploit this capacity to adjust the nonverbal dimensions of their voices during social (including sexual) interactions. Here, we recorded full-length conversations of thirty adult men and women taking part in real speed dating events, and tested whether their voice pitch (mean, range, and variability) changed with their personal mate choice preferences and the overall desirability of each dating partner. Within-individual analyses indicated that men lowered the minimum pitch of their voices when interacting with women who were overall highly desired by other men. Men also lowered their mean voice pitch on dates with women they selected as potential mates, particularly those who indicated a mutual preference (matches). Interestingly, although women spoke with a higher and more variable voice pitch toward men they selected as potential mates, women lowered both voice pitch parameters toward men who were most desired by other women and whom they also personally preferred. Between-individual analyses indicated that men in turn preferred women with lower-pitched voices, wherein women’s minimum voice pitch explained up to 55% of the variance in men’s mate preferences. These results, derived in an ecologically valid setting, show that individual and group-level mate preferences can interact to affect vocal behaviour, and support the hypothesis that human voice modulation functions in nonverbal communication to elicit favourable judgments and behaviours from others, including potential mates.

Keywords: mate choice, sexual selection , speed dating, nonverbal communication, fundamental frequency, vocal control

Life satisfaction favors reproduction. The universal positive effect of life satisfaction on childbearing in contemporary low fertility countries

Life satisfaction favors reproduction. The universal positive effect of life satisfaction on childbearing in contemporary low fertility countries. Letizia Mencarini, Daniele Vignoli, Tugba Zeydanli, Jungho Kim. PLOS Dec 05, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206202

Abstract: Do people with higher life satisfaction have more children? Having children requires considerable energy and investment on the part of parents. However, even in countries where contraceptives are easily available and widely used, where having children is optional and most of time the result of an intended action, parenthood has not gone “out of fashion”. This paper tests the hypothesis that higher life satisfaction fosters reproductive behavior. We argue that people satisfied with their overall life feel better prepared to start the monumental task of childrearing. If, it is suggested, life satisfaction facilitates fertility, then this positive link should be observable in contemporary low fertility societies. The hypothesis is tested by taking overall life satisfaction as a determinant of fertility behavior using long longitudinal data available for developed countries: namely for Australia, Germany, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We find that higher levels of subjective well-being are, indeed, associated with a higher probability of having children in all the countries considered. We, therefore, conclude that life satisfaction favors reproduction, at least in low fertility societies.

"Those who use Twitter are more likely to believe they have an understanding of the political issues facing our country"

Siegel, Ruby. 2017. “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Social Media: Understanding the Relationship Between Facebook, Twitter, and Political Understanding.” SocArXiv. December 15. doi:10.31235/osf.io/y4xts

Abstract: Social media is ubiquitous and holds a significant place in modern society. Social media feeds are inundated with political content and are used by politicians and citizens alike to post political commentary. Neither mass media nor politics are new areas of study in sociology, but the entanglement of the two is proving to be of interest, as some scholarship argues that social media is driving changes in how politics works in the United States. We must consider how the citizenry consumes and processes political information in the modern era in view of the interplay between social media and current events. This study examines how membership and/or regular use of Facebook, and membership and/or regular use of Twitter affects perceived political understanding. I propose that, respectively, Facebook and Twitter use will increase perception of political understanding. Analysis of data from the 2016 General Social Survey reveals that Twitter membership and/or regular use is correlated with political understanding; meaning that those who use Twitter are more likely to believe they have an understanding of the political issues facing our country. The data confirms that the relationship between social media and political understanding must be taken seriously, and warrants deeper exploration. There is a need for future research that explores the kinds of content individuals consume on social media and the time they spend on these sites in order to develop a more robust understanding of exactly how social media use affects political understanding.

Facial attractiveness has been linked to the averageness of a face, & more tentatively to a speaker’s vocal attractiveness, via the “honest signal” hypothesis, holding that attractiveness signals good genes; no link

Zäske, Romi, Stefan R. Schweinberger, and Verena G. Skuk. 2018. “Attractiveness and Distinctiveness in Voices and Faces of Young Adults.” PsyArXiv. July 9. doi:10.31234/osf.io/2avu3

Abstract: Facial attractiveness has been linked to the averageness (or typicality) of a face. More tentatively, it has also been linked to a speaker’s vocal attractiveness, via the “honest signal” hypothesis, holding that attractiveness signals good genes. In four experiments, we assessed ratings for attractiveness and two common measures of distinctiveness (“distinctiveness-in-the-crowd”- DITC and “deviation-based distinctiveness”-DEV) for faces and voices (vowels or sentences) from 64 young adult speakers (32 female). Consistent and strong negative correlations between attractiveness and DEV generally supported the averageness account of attractiveness for both voices and faces. By contrast, indicating that both measures of distinctiveness reflect different constructs, correlations between attractiveness and DITC were numerically positive for faces (though small and non-significant), and significant for voices in sentence stimuli. As the only exception, voice ratings based on vowels exhibited a moderate but significant negative correlation between attractiveness and DITC. Between faces and voices, distinctiveness ratings were uncorrelated. Remarkably, and at variance with the honest signal hypothesis, vocal and facial attractiveness were uncorrelated, with the exception of a moderate positive correlation for vowels. Overall, while our findings strongly support an averageness account of attractiveness for both domains, they provide little evidence for an honest signal account of facial and vocal attractiveness in complex naturalistic speech. Although our findings for vowels do not rule out the tentative notion that more primitive vocalizations can provide relevant clues to genetic fitness, researchers should carefully consider the nature of voice samples, and the degree to which these are representative of human vocal communication.