Fear of crime and preference for aggressive-formidable same-sex and opposite-sex friends

Justina Meskelyte,Minna Lyons

doi:10.1007/s12144-020-00679-3

Abstract

Previous research has found that when faced with dangerous environments, women may have an evolved preference for physically strong and aggressive men. This phenomenon has been named as the Bodyguard hypothesis. The aim of the present studies was to explore whether the same principle exists in non-romantic male friend selection. In Study 1, (n = 118), an on-line sample of British women was assessed for objective crime rates in their childhood and current environment, subjective vulnerability to crime, and preference for aggressive and formidable opposite-sex friends. Women’s subjective fear of crime predicted their preference for aggressive-formidable ideal male friends, as well as aggressive-formidable actual male friends. In Study 2 (n = 228), an internet sample of both sexes was assessed for their subjective fear of crime, as well as their preference for aggressive-formidability and other characteristics in same and opposite-sex friends. Fear of crime was not correlated with characteristics (intelligence, funniness, kindness) that were unrelated to aggressive-formidability. There was a small positive correlation between fear of crime and preference for aggressive-formidable friends in both sexes. The correlation between fear of crime and preference for ideal male friend’s aggression-formidability was the only statistically significant one, and none of the correlations differed significantly from each other. Together, these two studies provide some tentative evidence for the Bodyguard hypothesis in preferred friendship characteristics. Environmental influence on friendship selection is an under-investigated area of research, benefiting from future research replicating the methodology from studies on romantic partner characteristics.

Highlights

Opposite-sex friendships (OSF’s) may be defined as a “voluntary, cooperative, non-romantic alliance between members of the opposite sex” (Bleske-Rechek et al 2012, p.570)
Fear of crime was significantly correlated with higher aggressive-formidability ratings of an ideal friend and an actual male friend
In order to investigate whether fear of crime is related to preference for characteristics unrelated to formidability, we ran Pearson’s correlations between fear of crime, and actual and ideal male and female friend intelligence, kindness, and funniness separately for both sexes

Summary

Introduction

Opposite-sex friendships (OSF’s) may be defined as a “voluntary, cooperative, non-romantic alliance between members of the opposite sex” (Bleske-Rechek et al 2012, p.570). They are relatively common in humans (Monsour 2002) and in non-human primates (e.g., baboons; Goffe et al 2016), the motives for pursuing OSFs have not been extensively researched. A close bond with an opposite-sex individual could benefit men by providing them sexual access to a female friend (Bleske-Rechek and Buss 2001). Our aim is to investigate the Bodyguard hypothesis in relation to women’s choice for opposite-sex friend characteristics that could be beneficial in providing protection

Objectives

Results

Conclusion