We hypothesize that the effectivity of sirens as warning signals has been enhanced by natural sensory predisposition of humans to get alerted by howling of wolves; wolves reply to technical sirens with howling too

Wolf Howling and Emergency Sirens: A Hypothesis of Natural and Technical Convergence of Aposematic Signals. Diana Kořanová, Lucie Němcová, Richard Policht, Vlastimil Hart, Sabine Begall & Hynek Burda. Acta Biotheoretica (2020). Sep 2 2020. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10441-020-09389-6

Abstract: Acoustic signals serving intraspecific communication by predators are perceived by potential prey as warning signals. We analysed the acoustic characteristics of howling of wolves and found a striking similarity to the warning sounds of technical sirens. We hypothesize that the effectivity of sirens as warning signals has been enhanced by natural sensory predisposition of humans to get alerted by howling of wolves, with which they have a long history of coexistence. Psychoacoustic similarity of both stimuli seems to be supported by the fact that wolves and dogs perceive the sound of technical sirens as a relevant releasing supernormal stimulus and reply to it with howling. Inspiration by naturally occurring acoustic aposematic signals might become an interesting example of biomimetics in designing new warning sound systems.

Intelligence has been declared as a necessary, but not sufficient condition for creativity, which was subsequently translated into the so-called threshold hypothesis (after some point, intelligence is not related to creativity)

Weiss, Selina, Diana Steger, Ulrich Schroeders, and Oliver Wilhelm. 2020. “Creativity and Intelligence: An Investigation of the Threshold Hypothesis.” PsyArXiv. September 2. doi:10.31234/osf.io/89bv5

Abstract: Intelligence has been declared as a necessary, but not sufficient condition for creativity, which was subsequently translated into the so-called threshold hypothesis. This hypothesis predicts a change in the correlation between creativity and intelligence at around 1.33 standard deviations above population mean. Closer inspection of previous results—that report different thresholds or no threshold at all—suggests that a divergence is mostly due to the use of suboptimal data-analytical procedures. We apply and compare three methods that allow a continuous consideration of intelligence (e.g., local structural equation models that allows a latent variable analysis). Based on two multivariate studies (N1 = 456; N2 = 438) we examine the threshold of the creativity-intelligence relation with: a) scatterplots and heteroscedasticity analysis, b) segmented regression analysis, and c) local structural equation models. In sum, we found no evidence for the threshold hypothesis of creativity across different analytical approaches in both studies. Given the problematic history of the threshold hypothesis and its unequivocal rejection with appropriate multivariate methods we recommend to abandon the threshold once and for all.

People with disagreeable personalities (selfish, combative, and manipulative) do not have an advantage in pursuing power at work

People with disagreeable personalities (selfish, combative, and manipulative) do not have an advantage in pursuing power at work. Cameron Anderson, Daron L. Sharps, Christopher J. Soto, and Oliver P. John. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 31, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2005088117

Significance: Are disagreeable individuals more likely to attain power than agreeable individuals? This question is important because highly disagreeable individuals in positions of power can do a lot of damage. For example, CEOs who are nasty and bullying create cultures of abuse and tend to lead their organizations to fail. In two longitudinal prospective studies, we found that disagreeableness did not predict the attainment of power. Selfish, deceitful, and aggressive individuals were no more likely to attain power than were generous, trustworthy, and nice individuals. Why not? Disagreeable individuals were intimidating, which would have elevated their power, but they also had poorer interpersonal relationships at work, which offset any possible power advantage their behavior might have provided.

Abstract: Does being disagreeable—that is, behaving in aggressive, selfish, and manipulative ways—help people attain power? This question has long captivated philosophers, scholars, and laypeople alike, and yet prior empirical findings have been inconclusive. In the current research, we conducted two preregistered prospective longitudinal studies in which we measured participants’ disagreeableness prior to entering the labor market and then assessed the power they attained in the context of their work organization ∼14 y later when their professional careers had unfolded. Both studies found disagreeable individuals did not attain higher power as opposed to extraverted individuals who did gain higher power in their organizations. Furthermore, the null relationship between disagreeableness and power was not moderated by individual differences, such as gender or ethnicity, or by contextual variables, such as organizational culture. What can account for this null relationship? A close examination of behavior patterns in the workplace found that disagreeable individuals engaged in two distinct patterns of behavior that offset each other’s effects on power attainment: They engaged in more dominant-aggressive behavior, which positively predicted attaining higher power, but also engaged in less communal and generous behavior, which predicted attaining less power. These two effects, when combined, appeared to cancel each other out and led to a null correlation between disagreeableness and power.

Keywords: disagreeablenesspowerextraversionhierarchy

Less sexual functioning problems with frequent pornography use, more functioning problems with problematic pornography use

Are sexual functioning problems associated with frequent pornography use and/or problematic pornography use? Results from a large community survey including males and females. Beáta Bőthe et al. Addictive Behaviors, Volume 112, January 2021, 106603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106603

Highlights
• PPU had positive, moderate links to sexual function problems in males and females.
• FPU had negative, weak links to sexual function problems in males and females.
• FPU and PPU should be discussed separately concerning its links to sexual outcomes.

Abstract: There is much debate regarding whether pornography use has positive or negative associations with sexuality-related measures such as sexual functioning problems. The present study aimed to examine differential correlates between quantity (frequency of pornography use–FPU) and severity (problematic pornography use–PPU) of pornography use with respect to sexual functioning problems among both males and females. Multi-group structural equation modeling was conducted to investigate hypothesized associations between PPU, FPU, and sexual functioning problems among males and females (N = 14,581 participants; females = 4,352; 29.8%; Mage=33.6 years, SDage=11.0), controlling for age, sexual orientation, relationship status, and masturbation frequency. The hypothesized model had excellent fit to the data (CFI = 0.962, TLI = 0.961, RMSEA = 0.057 [95% CI = 0.056-0.057]). Similar associations were identified in both genders, with all pathways being statistically significant (p < .001). PPU had positive, moderate associations (βmales=0.37, βfemales=0.38), while FPU had negative, weak associations with sexual functioning problems (βmales=-0.17, βfemales=-0.17). Although FPU and PPU had a positive, moderate association, they should be assessed and discussed separately when examining potential associations with sexuality-related outcomes. Given that PPU was positively and moderately and FPU negatively and weakly associated with problems in sexual functioning, it is important to consider both PPU and FPU in relation to sexual functioning problems.

Keywords: Pornography use frequencyProblematic pornography useSexual dysfunctionSexual functioning problemsSexual problems

4. Discussion

Given seemingly inconsistent results concerning associations between pornography use and sexual outcomes (Grubbs and Gola, 2019, Vaillancourt-Morel et al., 2019), the aim of the present study was to examine potentially different roles for FPU and PPU with respect to relationships with sexual functioning problems among males and females. FPU had a weak, negative association with sexual functioning problems, and PPU had a moderate, positive association with sexual functioning problems. Although most studies of PPU have investigated males (Bőthe et al., 2020, Dwulit and Rzymski, 2019, Gola et al., 2016, Kraus and Rosenberg, 2014, Kraus et al., 2017)—especially when associations between PPU and sexual functioning problems have been examined (Grubbs and Gola, 2019, Landripet and Štulhofer, 2015, Prause and Pfaus, 2015, Wéry and Billieux, 2016)—the present results suggest that similar associations may be identified among females concerning associations between PPU, FPU, and sexual functioning problems. Implications are discussed below.

4.1. Differences between the quantity and severity of pornography use

Similarities and differences between FPU and PPU is an understudied field within behavioral addictions and problematic sexual behaviors (Gola et al., 2016, Grubbs et al., 2018, Grubbs et al., 2018). The results of the present study corroborate recent findings (Bőthe et al., 2020, Gola et al., 2016, Grubbs et al., 2018, Grubbs et al., 2018) suggesting that FPU and PPU are distinct yet related patterns of pornography consumption. In the present largescale cross-sectional study, although FPU and PPU were positively and moderately related, their associations with sexual functioning problems were in opposite directions. Therefore, the results suggest that FPU and PPU represent related yet distinct aspects of pornography use not only in the case of treatment-seeking populations (Gola et al., 2016) but also in community samples, particularly as they relate to sexual functioning problems.

These findings resonate with the “high engagement versus problematic engagement” model of potentially addictive behaviors (Billieux et al., 2019, Charlton and Danforth, 2007, Charlton, 2002). According to this model, some characteristics should be considered as “core” symptoms of problematic behaviors, while others represent “peripheral” symptoms that may be present in both frequent but non-problematic use and in problematic use, such as FPU (Billieux et al., 2019, Bőthe et al., 2020, Charlton and Danforth, 2007, Charlton, 2002). In other words, individuals may experience FPU but not necessarily PPU. In contrast, individuals with PPU may also report core and peripheral symptoms (including FPU) (Bőthe et al., 2020). As found here and elsewhere (Billieux et al., 2019, Charlton and Danforth, 2007, Charlton, 2002), when only FPU was present (i.e., a peripheral symptom), no major adverse consequences may be observed. However, when PPU is present (i.e., both core and peripheral symptoms), it is more likely that adverse and harmful consequences will be observed. Similar observations have been reported regarding other online behaviors with respect to measures of quantity/frequency and problematic use, such as internet use (Chak & Leung, 2004), Facebook use (Koc & Gulyagci, 2013), online gaming (Király et al., 2017, Orosz et al., 2018), and problematic television series watching (Tóth-Király et al., 2017, Tóth‐Király et al., 2019).

Taking findings together, while quantities of the aforementioned activities were often unrelated to maladaptive states and conditions, problematic engagement in these online behaviors has been related to maladaptive or harmful measures. Therefore, thorough examinations are needed when effects of potentially problematic online behaviors are investigated, taking into consideration not only the quantity of behaviors but also quality levels of engagement.

4.2. Differentiated roles for quantity and severity of pornography use in sexual functioning problems among males and females

While FPU had a weak, negative association with sexual functioning problems, PPU had a positive and moderate association, suggesting that FPU may be associated with fewer sexual functioning problems in some cases (Landripet & Štulhofer, 2015). Nevertheless, males reported using pornography significantly more frequently, and reported higher levels of PPU, compared to females. However, females reported significantly higher levels of sexual functioning problems than males.

Differentiated relationships with FPU and PPU may relate to several underlying biopsychosocial factors. Speculatively, FPU may stem from stronger sexual desire and relate to lower levels of sexual functioning problems, perhaps due to variety in pornographic material that could lead to easier and quicker responses to different offline sexual stimuli (Prause & Pfaus, 2015). FPU may facilitate sexual thoughts, which, in turn, may lead to quicker sexual responses in and thus not lead to sexual functioning problems assessed here (Watson & Smith, 2012). Another possible explanation concerning the negative association between FPU and sexual functioning problems could reflect familiarity generated from viewing pornographic materials (Griffiths, 2000, Kohut et al., 2017, Watson and Smith, 2012), whereby individuals with FPU may feel more sexual comfort when engaging in offline sexual activities because given pornography-related familiarity with sexual activities (Kohut et al., 2017). Based on qualitative analysis of males and females, the most frequently reported effect of pornography use was “no negative impacts”, followed by using pornography as an information source, for sexual experimentation, and for sexual comfort. Thus, higher levels of sexual comfort and self-acceptance, and lower levels of anxiety, shame, and guilt concerning sexual behaviors may be related to FPU. Increased arousal and orgasm response, interest in sex, and more acceptance towards different sexual activities and more sexual experimentation were also reported as positive effects of pornography use (Kohut et al., 2017). Alternate explanations include that individuals with poor sexual functioning may be less likely to engage in FPU, individuals may not be fully aware of pornography-use-related sexual problems and some sexual problems may not have been captured by the assessment instrument. Nevertheless, FPU explained only a very small amount of the variance related to sexual functioning problems in the present study, indicating that other factors are likely to play a more important role in the development and maintenance of sexual functioning (McCabe et al., 2016).

PPU may be associated with increased masturbation and pornography “binges” (i.e., using pornography multiple times or hours per day), based on results from a ten-week long diary study with treatment-seeking males (Wordecha et al., 2018). Therefore, males who excessively view pornographic materials may be more likely to be in a refractory period when trying to engage in sexual activities with their partner, potentially leading to sexual functioning problems (Ley et al., 2014). For some, sexual intercourse with one’s partner may not be as stimulating as online pornographic material (e.g., it may not provide as much novelty as online pornography). Furthermore, clinical and case reports suggest that pornography use may alter arousal templates (Brand, Blycker, & Potenza, 2019). These potential impacts should be considered in future studies. Additional possible explanations exist. For example, among men seeking treatment for compulsive sexual behaviors, severity of PPU was associated positively with sexual anxiety and negatively with sexual satisfaction (Kowalewska, Kraus, Lew-Starowicz, Gustavsson, & Gola, 2019); as these factors may impact sexual dysfunction, further study is warranted.

As males and females with compulsive-pornography-use profiles (likely PPU) reported lower levels of sexual functioning problems than individuals with a highly distressed non-compulsive profile (Vaillancourt-Morel et al., 2017), stress may impact sexual functioning problems (McCabe et al., 2016). Stress reduction and emotion regulation are frequently reported motivations in PPU, and interventions involving training in emotion regulation (e.g., mindfulness) may be effective in reducing PPU (Bőthe et al., 2020, Levin et al., 2012, Wéry and Billieux, 2016, Sniewski and Farvid, 2019). Individuals experiencing high levels of stress may engage in PPU, leading to sexual functioning problems, which, in turn, could result in further stress. Further studies should examine this possibility and relationships between stress, PPU and sexual functioning problems generally.

In sum, different mechanisms may underlie FPU and PPU. Such mechanisms may both directly and indirectly relate to sexual functioning problems in complex manners. When assessing relationships between pornography use and sexual functioning problems, future research should consider both FPU and PPU and other aspects of pornography and specific aspects of sexual functioning problems.

4.3. Limitations and future studies

Study findings should be considered alongside limitations. Self-report methods have biases (e.g., underreporting and overreporting). Causality cannot be inferred from cross-sectional studies. The internal consistency of the SFS was less than optimal (perhaps related to diversity of the 4 domains assessed), and this may have affected findings, as could have the limited number of domains and lack of specificity. For example, context specificity is not detailed in the SFS (e.g., partnered versus solitary sexual activities), and individuals with hypersexuality have reported sexual functioning problems during partnered sex but not during pornography use (Voon et al., 2014).

Moral incongruence and religiosity were not assessed, which may limit generalizability. Moral incongruence and religiosity may relate to PPU (Grubbs and Perry, 2019, Grubbs et al., 2019, Grubbs et al., 2020, Grubbs et al., 2020, Lewczuk et al., 2020), with individuals with higher levels of morality and religiosity perhaps showing stronger associations between FPU and PPU than those with lower levels of morality and religiosity (Grubbs, Lee, Hoagland, Kraus, & Perry, 2020). As such, future studies should include assessments of moral incongruence in relation to pornography content (e.g., aggressive sexual behaviors often targeted towards women (Bridges, Wosnitzer, Scharrer, Sun, & Liberman, 2010), particularly Black women (Fritz, Malic, Paul, & Zhou, 2020), and rape, incest and other pornography genres (Rothman, Kaczmarsky, Burke, Jansen, & Baughman, 2015)and other domains in which people may experience morality-related conflicts. The present study examined a general, community sample. Given that stronger associations may be present between FPU and PPU in treatment-seeking and clinical populations (Bőthe et al., 2018, Bőthe et al., 2020, Brand et al., 2011, Gola et al., 2016, Gola et al., 2017, Grubbs et al., 2015, Grubbs et al., 2019, Lewczuk et al., 2017, Twohig et al., 2009, Voon et al., 2014), the findings of the present study concerning the associations between FPU, PPU, and sexual functioning problems may not generalize to treatment-seeking or clinical populations.

Longer-term longitudinal studies are needed to examine further the nature of the relationships and how they may change over time among both males (Grubbs & Gola, 2019) and females. Individuals who may have developed sexual functioning problems that could have been related to prior pornography viewing (before past-year) may potentially contribute to weakening relationships between FPU and sexual functioning problems. Also, individuals with sexual functioning problems may fear performance failure. Consequently, they may choose online pornography viewing instead of engaging in offline sexual behaviors with their partners (Miner et al., 2016). Additionally, while quantity and FPU are typically related, they are not equivalent and may relate differently to clinically relevant aspects of pornography use (e.g., when trying to abstain; (Fernandez, Tee, & Fernandez, 2017). Qualitatively analyzing narratives of the development and maintenance of one's PPU (Wordecha et al., 2018) and sexual functioning problems may be fruitful in identifying possible mediator and moderator variables such as moral incongruence (Brand et al., 2019, Grubbs and Perry, 2019), accessibility of pornography (Rissel et al., 2017), and other factors (Vaillancourt-Morel et al., 2019).

Pleasant sleep paralysis was found to be a fairly common experience (23%); episodes were emotionally complex, with pleasant episodes often involving some admixture of fear

Could sleep paralysis be pleasant? Monika Kliková  Brian A. Sharpless  Jitka Bušková. Journal of Sleep Research, August 31 2020. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13154

Abstract: Sleep paralysis is an inability to move at sleep onset or upon awakening. It is often a distressing experience that can be associated with significant clinical consequences. Few studies have focussed on pleasant sleep paralysis episodes. The present study aimed to determine the relative prevalence of pleasant episodes of sleep paralysis as well as variables that may make them more likely to occur. Participants (N = 172) with recurrent episodes of sleep paralysis completed a battery of questionnaires investigating sleep paralysis episodes, trauma symptoms, life satisfaction, and Big Five personality traits. Pleasant sleep paralysis was found to be a fairly common experience (i.e. 23%). Episodes were emotionally complex, with pleasant episodes often involving some admixture of fear. In terms of hallucinations, pleasant episodes were more likely to involve vestibular‐motor sensations (i.e. illusory body movements) and some individuals reported an ability to induce these hallucinations. Contrary to expectation, neither lower trauma symptomatology nor higher levels of reported life satisfaction predicted pleasant sleep paralysis. However, the ability to lucid dream and higher levels of trait openness to new experiences appeared to make pleasant episodes more likely. Clinical implications are discussed.

Being more happy (more positive affect) was associated with heavy alcohol use

Daily associations between affect and alcohol use among adults: The importance of affective arousal. Dusti R. Jones et al. Addictive Behaviors, September 1 2020, 106623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106623

Abstract
Objective: Little is known about whether level of affective arousal (i.e., high vs. low) is associated with alcohol use and whether this relationship differs by valence (i.e., positive vs. negative affect) among adults.

Methods. Participants were n=93 self-reported current drinkers (ages 25-65) who reported positive (PA) and negative affect (NA) seven times a day and alcohol use once a day for seven consecutive days. For each individual, mean levels of high arousal PA (e.g., excited), low arousal PA (e.g., satisfied), high arousal NA (e.g., frustrated), and low arousal NA (e.g., sad) were computed for each day.

Results. Alcohol use was reported on 30% of person-days, with an average of 2.3 drinks consumed on drinking days. Heavy episodic drinking (4+/5+ drinks for women/men) occurred on 4% of days. After covarying for age, gender, and weekday, days with higher-than-usual levels of high arousal PA were associated with a 52% increase in the odds of consuming any alcohol and a 105% increase in the odds of engaging in heavy episodic drinking. Individuals reporting more low arousal PA on average had a 77% increase in the odds of heavy episodic drinking. No significant associations between high or low arousal NA and alcohol use were found.

Conclusions. Greater PA, but not NA, was associated with heavy alcohol use at both the within- and between-person levels, perhaps attributable to social and enhancement drinking motives. Results differed by arousal, highlighting the importance of considering a wide range of affective states when examining alcohol use behavior.

Keywords: positive affectnegative affectaffective arousalalcohol use

Men’s decision to augment their masculinity via full beardedness occurs under conditions characterised by stronger inter-sexual and intra-sexual selection (competition)

Cross-Cultural Variation in Men’s Beardedness. Barnaby J. W. Dixson & Anthony J. Lee. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology (2020). Sep 1 2020. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40750-020-00150-4

Abstract
Objectives To test whether cross-cultural variation in men’s facial hair conforms to patterns predicted by processes of inter-sexual and intra-sexual selection.

Methods Data were taken from the PEW Research Center’s World’s Muslims’ project that collected information from 14,032 men from 25 countries. An Independent Factor Analysis was used to analyse how suites of demographic factors predict men’s beardedness.

Results Analyses replicated those from past research using the PEW data, showing that beardedness was more frequent under prevailing conditions of lower health and higher economic disparity.

Conclusions These findings contribute to evidence that men’s decision to augment their masculinity via full beardedness occurs under conditions characterised by stronger inter-sexual and intra-sexual selection.

Check also Mothers are sensitive to men's beards as a potential cue of paternal investment. Barnaby J. W. Dixson, Siobhan Kennedy-Costantini, Anthony J. Lee, Nicole L. Nelson. Hormones and Behavior, Volume 113, July 2019, Pages 55-66. https://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2019/05/preferences-for-beards-when-judging.html

The belief that “my side” sees the world objectively while the “other side” sees it through the lens of its biases (the “objectivity illusion”), was strong & persistent among Trump and Clinton supporters before the election

The objectivity illusion and voter polarization in the 2016 presidential election. Michael C. Schwalbe, Geoffrey L. Cohen, and Lee D. Ross. Proceedings of the Royal Society, September 1, 2020 117 (35) 21218-21229; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1912301117

Significance: Political polarization increasingly threatens democratic institutions. The belief that “my side” sees the world objectively while the “other side” sees it through the lens of its biases contributes to this political polarization and accompanying animus and distrust. This conviction, known as the “objectivity illusion,” was strong and persistent among Trump and Clinton supporters in the weeks before the 2016 presidential election. We show that the objectivity illusion predicts subsequent bias and polarization, including heightened partisanship over the presidential debates. A follow-up study showed that both groups impugned the objectivity of a putative blog author supporting the opposition candidate and saw supporters of that opposing candidate as evil.

Abstract: Two studies conducted during the 2016 presidential campaign examined the dynamics of the objectivity illusion, the belief that the views of “my side” are objective while the views of the opposing side are the product of bias. In the first, a three-stage longitudinal study spanning the presidential debates, supporters of the two candidates exhibited a large and generally symmetrical tendency to rate supporters of the candidate they personally favored as more influenced by appropriate (i.e., “normative”) considerations, and less influenced by various sources of bias than supporters of the opposing candidate. This study broke new ground by demonstrating that the degree to which partisans displayed the objectivity illusion predicted subsequent bias in their perception of debate performance and polarization in their political attitudes over time, as well as closed-mindedness and antipathy toward political adversaries. These associations, furthermore, remained significant even after controlling for baseline levels of partisanship. A second study conducted 2 d before the election showed similar perceptions of objectivity versus bias in ratings of blog authors favoring the candidate participants personally supported or opposed. These ratings were again associated with polarization and, additionally, with the willingness to characterize supporters of the opposing candidate as evil and likely to commit acts of terrorism. At a time of particular political division and distrust in America, these findings point to the exacerbating role played by the illusion of objectivity.

Keywords: intergroup conflictpolarizationcognitive biaspolitical psychology

Liking for foods high in salt and fat is associated with a lower diet quality but liking for foods high in sugar is not

Liking for foods high in salt and fat is associated with a lower diet quality but liking for foods high in sugar is not – Results from the Predise study. Elise Carbonneau et al. Food Quality and Preference, September 1 2020, 104073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.104073

Highlights
• Liking for sweet foods is not associated with Canadian Healthy Eating Index (C-HEI).
• Liking for salty foods is associated with lower consumption of healthy foods.
• Liking for salty foods is inversely associated with C-HEI in men.
• Liking for salty foods is inversely associated with C-HEI in less educated women.

Abstract: The research aimed at examining how liking for foods high in salt and fat and for foods high in sugar are associated with overall diet quality and how these associations differ according to individual characteristics (i.e., sex, age, education, income, nutrition knowledge, and energy reporting status) in French-speaking adults from the Province of Quebec, Canada. As part of the web-based cross-sectional PREDISE study, 1096 men and women completed online questionnaires. The Food Liking Questionnaire assessed reported liking for a variety of salty foods (high in salt and fat) and sweet foods (high in sugar and either high-fat or low-fat) on a scale from 1 to 9. The Canadian Healthy Eating Index (C-HEI) was computed based on data collected using 24-hour food recalls. Women (vs. men) reported lower liking for salty foods (5.97±1.34 vs. 6.58±1.16, p<0.0001) and for sweet foods (5.52±1.36 vs. 5.71±1.25, p=0.015). Multiple linear regressions showed that liking for sweet foods was not associated with C-HEI (B=-0.10, p=0.78). Given a significant sex interaction in the association between liking for salty foods and C-HEI (p interaction=0.0218), subsequent analyses were stratified by sex. Multiple linear regressions supported that liking for salty foods was more strongly inversely associated with C-HEI in men (B=-3.37, p<0.0001) than women (B=-1.46, p=0.0035). In conclusion, a strong liking for salty foods may interfere with healthy eating, especially in men. Building on these results, future studies should investigate the potential of interventions designed to improve the healthiness of food habits in individuals with strong liking for these foods.

Keywords: Food likingsalty foodssweet foodsdiet qualityHealthy Eating IndexPREDISE study

Rolf Degen summarizing... A majority of laypersons mistakenly believe that people can be trained to become highly accurate judges of truth and deception ("truth wizards")

The psychology of confessions: A comparison of expert and lay opinions. Fabiana Alceste  Timothy J. Luke  Allison D. Redlich  Johanna Hellgren  Aria D. Amrom  Saul M. Kassin. Applied Cognitive Psychology, August 16 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3735

Summary: Despite a body of confessions research that is generally accepted in the scientific community, courts often exclude experts on the ground that such testimony would not assist the jury, which can use its common sense. To examine whether laypeople know the contents of expert testimony on confessions, we asked 151 lay participants to indicate their beliefs about 30 confession‐related statements used in a recent survey of 87 confession experts (Kassin et al., American Psychologist, 2018, 73, 63–80). Participants agreed with experts on only 10 of the 30 propositions, suggesting that much of the psychology of confessions is not common knowledge and that expert testimony can assist the trier of fact.

Testosterone administration increases the audience effect & further buttress the social status hypothesis (which posits that testosterone promotes status-seeking behaviour in a context-dependent manner)

Exogenous testosterone increases the audience effect in healthy males: Evidence for the social status hypothesis. Yin Wu et al. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences, July 2020. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.0976

Abstract: Several studies have implicated testosterone in the modulation of altruistic behaviours instrumental to advancing social status. Independent studies have also shown that people tend to behave more altruistically when being watched (i.e. audience effect). To date, little is known about whether testosterone could modulate the audience effect. In the current study, we tested the effect of testosterone on altruistic behaviour using a donation task, wherein participants were asked to either accept or reject a monetary transfer to a charity organization accompanying a personal cost either in the presence or absence of an observer. We administered testosterone gel or placebo to healthy young men (n = 140) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, mixed design. Our results showed that participants were more likely to accept the monetary transfer to the charity when being observed compared to when they completed the task alone. More importantly, this audience effect was amplified among people receiving testosterone versus placebo. Our findings suggest that testosterone administration increases the audience effect and further buttress the social status hypothesis, according to which testosterone promotes status-seeking behaviour in a context-dependent manner.


Electronic supplementary material: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5046800

Women show pre-copulatory mating preferences for human leucocyte antigen-dissimilar men; a possibility is that the ultimate mating bias towards HLA-dissimilar partners could occur after copulation, at the gamete level

Post-copulatory genetic matchmaking: HLA-dependent effects of cervical mucus on human sperm function. Annalaura Jokiniemi, Martina Magris, Jarmo Ritari, Liisa Kuusipalo, Tuulia Lundgren, Jukka Partanen and Jukka Kekäläinen. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences, August 2020. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.1682

Abstract: Several studies have demonstrated that women show pre-copulatory mating preferences for human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-dissimilar men. A fascinating, yet unexplored, possibility is that the ultimate mating bias towards HLA-dissimilar partners could occur after copulation, at the gamete level. Here, we explored this possibility by investigating whether the selection towards HLA-dissimilar partners occurs in the cervical mucus. After combining sperm and cervical mucus from multiple males and females (full factorial design), we found that sperm performance (swimming velocity, hyperactivation, and viability) was strongly influenced by the male–female combination. This indicates that sperm fertilization capability may be dependent on the compatibility between cervical mucus (female) and sperm (male). We also found that sperm viability was associated with partners' HLA dissimilarity, indicating that cervical mucus may selectively facilitate later gamete fusion between immunogenetically compatible partners. Together, these results provide novel insights into the female-mediated sperm selection (cryptic female choice) in humans and indicate that processes occurring after copulation may contribute to the mating bias towards HLA-dissimilar partners. Finally, by showing that sperm performance in cervical mucus is influenced by partners' genetic compatibility, the present findings may promote a deeper understanding of infertility.

4. Discussion

Our results show that along with sperm intrinsic quality (male effect) and cervical mucus identity (female effect), sperm performance was also strongly dependent on male–female combination (interaction), explaining 8.5–32.3% of the total variation in measured sperm traits. In other words, females had a stronger effect on the sperm of some males than the others. We also observed that both the number of different HLA alleles and the Grantham pairwise amino acid distance of HLA alleles affected sperm viability: sperm had higher survival rates in HLA-dissimilar male–female combinations than in more similar combinations. Conversely, we found that HLA-allele sharing did not affect sperm motility, but the Grantham distance was negatively associated with sperm swimming velocity and hyperactivation in one of the three time points (180 min). In other words, sperm motility was higher in male–female combinations that had low HLA amino acidic divergence in comparison to more dissimilar combinations. However, the observed effect was male-dependent, indicating that the effect of the Grantham distance on sperm motility varies across males. None of the measured sperm traits was associated with male–female genome-wide similarity. Although all the male subjects were diagnosed as normozoospermic it is possible that reproductive physiology of the study subjects may partly differ from that of the average male and/or female population. Consequently, some caution should be applied to generalize our findings and future research should ideally aim to test whether the same mechanisms are widespread in the human population.

The female reproductive tract allows only a minute subset of spermatozoa to reach the site of fertilization [49,75,76], but the mechanisms and function of this stringent sperm selection have remained ambiguous. It has been suggested that the functional incompatibility between cervical mucus and sperm could play an important role in the process [62,66], but to the best of our knowledge none of the earlier studies have experimentally tested this possibility. The present results demonstrate that the chemical composition of the cervical mucus may selectively maintain sperm viability of HLA-dissimilar males, indicating that cervical mucus could mediate post-copulatory choice towards the sperm of immunologically compatible males. Furthermore, given that sperm performance in cervical mucus predicts fertilization success [62], these results raise the novel possibility that immunological compatibility between sperm and cervical mucus plays an important role in determining the reproductive success of the partners. While previous studies have reported an effect of MHC-dissimilarity on egg-sperm fusion [6,17–19,21], to our knowledge, this is the first study to show that MHC-based cryptic female choice could be mediated by fluids of the female reproductive tract in mammals.

Earlier studies have demonstrated that cervical mucus is capable of conserving sperm function [62] and it has been hypothesized that cervical crypts could serve as sperm reservoirs [77], where sperm motility is restrained to enhance longevity, such as in the sperm storage sites of the oviduct [78,79]. Besides demonstrating that cervical mucus likely preserves sperm viability of HLA-dissimilar males, we also found evidence that cervical mucus may simultaneously restrict sperm motility of these males. This could indicate that one key function of cervical mucus is to selectively store the sperm of immunologically compatible males, possibly for later use in fertilization. Alternatively, our results raise the intriguing possibility that females (via cervical mucus) may reduce the survival of sperm of (overly) HLA-similar males on the one hand and slow down the sperm of (overly) HLA-dissimilar ones on the other. Such a search for intermediate MHC dissimilarity may facilitate ‘production' of intermediately heterozygous offspring at MHC loci, which, according to the optimal MHC-heterozygosity hypothesis, may have better immunocompetence than more heterozygous individuals [80]. In fact, while highly heterozygous individuals at MHC loci are able to present more antigens to the immune system, they are likely to have smaller T-cell repertoires following thymic selection [80]. Supporting the optimal heterozygosity hypothesis, Jacob et al. [81] showed that women prefer the body odour of men with whom they share few HLA alleles over the more similar and dissimilar men [36]. However, since observed sperm motility associations were present only at one time point and were not consistent across males, further studies are required to investigate the relative importance of these alternative functions of cervical mucus. Furthermore, since performed cervical mucus dilution likely altered sperm motility patterns, we encourage future studies to confirm whether our results can be replicated in undiluted cervical mucus to fully account for its natural viscoelastic features.

The observed effects of partners' HLA dissimilarity on sperm function could potentially arise at least through two evolutionary mechanisms. First, as highlighted above, cervical mucus -mediated selection towards HLA-dissimilar males may represent an evolutionary strategy that ensures the ‘production' of offspring that have broad (or optimal) antigen recognition capability and thus better ability to fight against infections [82]. Supporting this possibility, pathogens have been widely assumed to be the strongest selective agent in human evolution (e.g. [9]). Alternatively, it is possible that HLA-associated sperm preferences represent a gamete-level inbreeding avoidance mechanism that prevents mating between close relatives [10]. In the present study, however, we found that overall (genome-wide) genetic similarity was not associated with sperm performance, indicating that observed findings are more likely to be a direct consequence of HLA-dependent sperm selection, instead of inbreeding avoidance based on HLA-independent cues. Although detailed molecular-level mechanisms behind our findings remain to be described, we envisage that sperm surface HLA molecules and/or HLA-linked olfactory receptors [83] may play an important role in the demonstrated sperm selection process.

Besides clarifying the mechanistic basis of female-induced sperm selection in humans, our findings may have novel implications for the deeper understanding of infertility and for the development of new contraceptives. Infertility affects about 15% of couples globally and currently remains unexplained in 30–40% of cases [84]. Furthermore, a reliable diagnosis of infertility is extremely challenging, and the accuracy of diagnoses is low when compared to several other areas of medicine [85,86]. According to current clinical practice, infertility problems are partitioned into male- and female-derived pathological factors and are thus thought to represent a disease of the reproductive system [87]. Our results indicate that this may represent an overly simplistic view, since it does not consider the fact that some male–female (or their gamete) combinations may be immunologically more compatible than others. Consequently, gamete-level incompatibility may reduce the probability of conception and may help to understand fertilization problems, especially in couples that are diagnosed with unexplained infertility.

In conclusion, our results show that chemical factors in the cervical mucus preferentially conserve sperm viability (and possibly constrain sperm motility) of HLA-dissimilar males. This indicates that one of the key functions of cervical mucus may be to selectively facilitate gamete fusion between immunogenetically compatible partners and this way facilitate optimization of offspring immunocompetence. Immunological mechanisms of sperm selection have remained virtually unexplored in mammals and internally fertilizing species, in general. The present results provide novel insights into MHC-based post-copulatory sperm selection in humans and may be potentially applied to many other species. Furthermore, a more pervasive integration of the demonstrated ‘gamete compatibility' concept into current infertility diagnostic guidelines may facilitate development of more personalized infertility diagnostics and increase accuracy of the diagnoses.

Positive relationship between intolerance & perceived homosexuality; The more a given gender-role violation is thought to implicate homosexuality, the more negatively/less positively people tend to react to the violation

Differential Reactions to Male and Female Gender-Role Violations: Testing the Sexual Orientation Hypothesis. Ursula A. Sanborn-Overby & Kimberly K. Powlishta. Archives of Sexual Behavior (2020). Aug 31 2020. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-020-01803-x

Abstract: Previous research has found that gender-atypical males are evaluated more negatively than gender-atypical females. According to the sexual orientation hypothesis, this asymmetry in evaluations occurs because the feminine characteristics taken on by males when they violate gender roles are more closely tied to perceived sexual orientation than are the masculine characteristics of gender-atypical females. The current series of studies were designed to confirm the existence and generality of the asymmetry phenomenon (Study 1), the preconditions for testing the sexual orientation hypothesis (Study 2), and then to test the hypothesis itself (Study 3). Study 1 found that, as predicted, adults (N = 195, females = 97) displayed more intolerance of males than of females committing gender-role violations across a wide variety of characteristics within multiple domains, although the existence of asymmetry varied somewhat depending on the domain. Study 2 revealed that, as predicted, adults (N = 196, females = 117) believed that gender-role violations indicate homosexuality more so for males than for females overall and across all four domains studied (occupation, activity, trait, and appearance). Study 3 directly tested the sexual orientation hypotheses by examining the relationship between intolerance of specific gender-role violations (scores from Study 1) and the perceived homosexuality associated with those violations (scores from Study 2). Overall, there was a positive relationship between intolerance and perceived homosexuality, indicating that the more a given gender-role violation is thought to implicate homosexuality, the more negatively/less positively people tend to react to the violation, consistent with the sexual orientation hypothesis.

We find a ‘good-looking giver’ effect–that more physically attractive people are more likely to engage in giving behaviors, and vice versa

The Good-looking Giver Effect: The Relationship Between Doing Good and Looking Good. Sara Konrath, Femida Handy. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, August 28, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764020950835

Abstract: Evidence exists that beautiful is seen as good: the halo effect wherein more physically attractive people are perceived to be good, and the reverse halo that good is seen as beautiful. Yet research has rarely examined the evidence linking the beautiful with the good, or the reverse, without the halo effect. We examine the relationship between physical attractiveness (beauty) and giving behaviors (good), where ratings of attractiveness are independent of giving behaviors. We use three U.S. datasets: (a) a nationally representative sample of older adults (NSHAP), (b) a nationally representative longitudinal study of adolescents (ADD Health), and (c) the 54-year Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), to present evidence that these two characteristics (attractiveness and giving) are indeed correlated without the halo effect. We find a ‘good-looking giver’ effect–that more physically attractive people are more likely to engage in giving behaviors, and vice versa. Thus, in ecologically valid real-world samples, people who do good are also likely to look good.

Keywords: physical attractiveness, halo effect, beauty, prosocial behavior, giving behaviors

Expressions of Sexual Deviance in Black Serial Killers: The number of Black serial killers has increased, but empirical studies have not focused on this unique population

Expressions of Sexual Deviance in Black Serial Killers. Lucia J. Weatherall. PhD Thesis, Walden Univ, 2020. https://search.proquest.com/openview/a63d166c2c056fc6a67b09ea54899371/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Abstract: The number of Black serial killers (BSKs) has increased, but empirical studies have not focused on this unique population, including their expressions of sexual deviance. The purpose of this case study was to understand the common socialization experiences and the expressions of sexual deviance in BSKs. Two conceptual frameworks were used to identify the concepts to explore: Bandura’s social learning theory of aggression and Agnew’s general strain theory. Data collected came from archival court and police records in Texas. A content-analysis approach was used to analyze the archival data, organized by criminal background, sexual deviance, familial data, and social development. The results identified rape and sadism as the primary expressions of sexual deviance in BSKs. The level of aggression and trauma experienced during childhood was consistent across all cases. The results, while limited by the lack of interviews with family and law enforcement, indicated that BSKs present a social problem and have an adaptive skill not hindered by mental impairments or limited education. The results suggested empirical research needs to explore aggression and strain on African American children, the possible connection to the lack of paternal involvement, and expressions of sexual deviance in BSKs. Future research on BSKs can help create an accurate profile to assist law enforcement agencies identify predators.

Implications

The unique and consistent findings offer a meaningful contribution to the forensic
psychology community and adding to the literature on BSKs. The common theme of
negative parental support (and associated strain) with childhood trauma indicates a
potential connection to aggression, sexual deviance, and serial murder as an adult. The
data confirmed the presence of aggression during social development of the 14 BSKs
either during childhood or expressed at an adult. I plan to use the result for presentations
to law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal level. Providing law
enforcement with additional data could assist with the pursuit and capture of this
population. I plan to give presentations, discussing the negative familial exposure and
strain during childhood, focused at the juvenile justice system.
Furthermore, the implications of this study can assist various law enforcement
agencies. Presentations can assist agencies with investigation practices and techniques to
help identify victims of BSKs, who would otherwise go unnoticed or unidentified as
victims of a serial killer. For example, law enforcement agencies should review the
procedures in place when responding to missing persons reports or deaths of the missingmissing
population. Far too often, agencies dismiss the reports as a voluntary choice
when the individual lives a transient lifestyle, allowing BSKs longer crime sprees. The
lack of a comprehensive investigations into the cause of deaths for the missing-missing,
as in Case #14, suggested a dismissive approach in providing closure for the victims and
their families. Law enforcement agencies, using systems to capture forensic evidence and
search DNA profiles compared to cold cases, increased the number of BSKs identified.
The lack of communication between law enforcement agencies in sexual assaults,
missing persons, and murders allowed BSKs to prey upon women, elderly, and the
missing-missing. Additional implication included increased communications between
jurisdictions, and sharing of information on criminal activities, to identify patterns more
quickly.

Conclusion

In summary, the purpose of the study described the expressions of sexual
deviance in BSKs. The study determined BSKs rape their victims as the most common
expression in sexual deviance. The study also suggested BSKs do not always murder the
victims they rape, and instead express sexual deviance through sadistic acts. The results
of the study determined BSKs remain out of the social spotlights and off the radar of law
enforcement agencies. The study suggested that BSKs prey upon all levels of society, and
across racial demographics. Although the missing-missing remain a vulnerable and easily
forgotten victims, BSKs kills women, children, and men. BSKs who committed murders
over extended time used various methods to kill their victims as an adaptive method to
avoid detection.
The results of the study suggested BSKs have a common pattern during
childhood. BSKs exposed to abuses, aggression, and violence within their families and
social development did not receive attention or a proper outlet. The underreporting of
psychological interventions of African American boys could result from the belief
systems that do not encourage weakness (Lester & White, 2014; Voison et al., 2013).
BSKs with a limited education or intellect demonstrated an adaptability to aid with their
criminal activities. The socially adaptive behaviors and criminally adaptive skills
demonstrated by BSKs with lower IQ suggested a level of planning, premeditation, and
deception. The finding conflicted with profiles on serial killers. This misconception
benefited the BSKs population as they continued to navigate below the radar; until DNA
matches (found by computers) caught up to them. The potential for a connection in
expressions of sexual deviance and a lack of paternal figures during childhood requires
the consideration of future studies.
The research on WSKs provided law enforcement agencies and researchers with a
vast pool of data to profile perpetrators and reduce the number of their victims.
Documentaries on WSKs (i.e. Ted Bundy, Jeffery Dahlmer, and Todd Kohlhepp)
provided intrigued audiences hours of information into their lives, motives, and victims.
Meanwhile, BSKs (like their White counterparts) also have the appearance of normalcy
(Arndt et al., 2004; Beasley, 2004; Hickey, 2015; Kraemer et al., 2004) and continued to
thrive undetected by law enforcement, family, friends, and co-workers. Case #11 lived a
normal life, working as a waiter and taking care of his family. His common-law wife
found it hard to believe she lived with a serial murderer; until DNA evidence linked him
to a series of rapes and murders near their home. Case #14 methodically and with malice
murdered almost 100 women, for almost four decades, across the United States.
Black men commit serial murder. BSKs present a social problem that requires
more research and law enforcement consideration. Empirical research needs to explore
the effects of exposure to aggression, violence, and strain during childhood on African
American. Additionally, studies on the expressions of sexual deviance in BSKs, and the
possible connection to paternal involvement. The results of the case study demonstrated
BSKs possess an adaptive skill, a flexibility with victim selection, and variation of
expressions in sexual deviance; not hindered by mental impairments or limited education.
Last, research on BSKs would allow for a more accurate profile to assist law enforcement
agencies. The social aggression and strain experienced during childhood manifest into
actions, including rape and sadistic violence. Additional research on BSKs would provide
beneficial information to develop interventions for at risk youths. Addressing the
aggression and strain experienced during childhood might provide a healthy outlet. Left
unaddressed we have a society at risk of finding a place on the carrousel of victims,
spinning in the mind of a predator.

Imagination, the Brain’s Default Mode Network, and Imaginative Verbal Artifacts

Carroll J. (2020) Imagination, the Brain’s Default Mode Network, and Imaginative Verbal Artifacts. In: Carroll J., Clasen M., Jonsson E. (eds) Evolutionary Perspectives on Imaginative Culture. Springer, August 29 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46190-4_2

Abstract: The purpose of this chapter is to explain how imaginative verbal artifacts are produced by the imagination and in turn influence the imagination. Assimilating recent neuroscientific research on the evolution of modern brain shape and on the brain’s default mode network, we can now say with confidence that the imagination is a neurological reality, that it is lodged in specific parts of the brain, that it consists of an identifiable set of components and processes, that these components and processes have adaptive functions, and that in fulfilling its functions imagination has been a major causal factor in making Homo sapiens the dominant species on earth. The first section of the chapter defines the main terms in this argument. The second section describes the evolution of modern brain shape and suggests the role imagination has played in producing the complex of behaviors that characterize neurologically modern Homo sapiens. The third section describes the current neuroscientific understanding of the brain’s default mode network—the neurological locus of imagination. The fourth section describes three core processes of imagination used in constructing imaginative verbal artifacts: simulation, mental time travel, and perspective taking (also known as “Theory of Mind” and “mentalizing”). The three processes are illustrated with reference to a modern American novel, Wallace Stegner’s Angle of Repose. The fifth section describes four specialized forms of imagination that deploy the core processes: dreaming, mind-wandering, autobiographical narratives, and counterfactual thinking. That section explains how these forms are involved in writing or reading literature and identifies a few literary works that illustrate them. The final section sums up the argument for the adaptive functions of literature.

Keywords: Imagination Globular brain Default mode network Literature Simulation Mental time travel Perspective taking Spontaneous thought Literary theory

The Role of Aesthetic Style in Alleviating Anxiety About the Future

Carney J. (2020) The Role of Aesthetic Style in Alleviating Anxiety About the Future. In: Carroll J., Clasen M., Jonsson E. (eds) Evolutionary Perspectives on Imaginative Culture. Springer, August 29 2020.  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46190-4_8

Abstract: Though few would dispute that aesthetic style is a vehicle for cognitive effects, there is little systematic work that views style from anything other than a historical perspective. This chapter will outline how style, broadly conceived, can be understood as an attempt to avoid anxiety by gaining predictive traction on the future. The central claim will be that style evolved as complexity reduction device, to the extent that it is a predictive scheme that balances explanatory simplicity against model accuracy. I shall show that every given style achieves this by saturating the perceptual environment with evidence for a particular model of the world. This account of style explains several features of its target phenomenon, including its normative character, its polemical nature, and its transitory duration. It also allows for style to be seen as continuous with other complexity reduction strategies on the part of biological agents more generally. The discussion will be supported by a historical appreciation of how style has been theorized in the past, but my overall framework will be provided by information theory.

Keywords: Anxiety Style Prediction Aesthetics Cognition Model building

Women's wellbeing and fertility in rural Tanzania: Overall, women's wellbeing was highest in husband-older marriages, but among women married to older men, spousal age gap was unrelated to wellbeing

Shared interests or sexual conflict? Spousal age gap, women's wellbeing and fertility in rural Tanzania. David W. Lawson et al. Evolution and Human Behavior, August 29 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.08.009

Highlights
• We explore whether husband-older spousal age gaps are costly or beneficial to women.
• Women frequently married older men than their stated ideal spousal age gaps.
• Spousal age gap was unrelated to the risk of divorce or to women's fertility.
• Overall, women's wellbeing was highest in husband-older marriages.
• However, among women married to older men, spousal age gap was unrelated to wellbeing.

Abstract: The marriage of older men to younger women is common across cultures. On one hand, husband-older marriage may serve the interests of both sexes, a conclusion broadly consistent with reported gender differences in mate preferences. On the other hand, men alone may benefit from such marriages at a cost to women if seniority enables men to exert dominance in conflicts of interest. Indeed, in public health large spousal age gaps are generally deemed “pathological”, both a cause and consequence of gender inequalities harmful to women. We investigate these alternative models of spousal age gap using data from a cross-sectional survey of women in Mwanza, northwestern Tanzania (n = 993). Consistent with the notion that spousal age gaps are a product of sexual conflict, women typically married with a larger age gap than stated ideals. However, adjusting for potential confounds, spousal age gap was not associated with fertility or the risk of divorce. Furthermore, women's mental health and autonomy in household decision-making was higher in husband-older marriages compared to rare cases of same-age or wife-older marriage. Beyond this comparison, the magnitude of spousal age gaps was unrelated to either measure of women's wellbeing among the overwhelming majority of marriages where the husband was older. Together these findings suggest husband-older marriage does not influence marital stability, relatively large spousal age gaps are neither especially costly nor beneficial to women, and that alternative sociodemographic factors are more important in driving variation in women's wellbeing and reproductive success in this context. Our results support neither a model of mutual benefits, nor a “pathological” conceptualization of spousal age gaps. We conclude by both encouraging evolutionary human scientists to engage more fully with models of sexual conflict in future studies of marriage and mating, and suggesting that public health scholars consider more neutral interpretations of spousal age differences.

Keywords: Spousal age differenceEmpowermentMental healthMarriageTanzaniaSexual conflict