Short-term Partners Research Articles

Mutual mate choice drives the desirability of altruism in relationships

Although previous research has found that altruism is an important trait in human mate choice, much of this has concentrated on female preferences only. Subsequently, the current study explored how both men and women desire altruistic partners who varied in physical attractiveness for both short and long term romantic relationships. A sample of 136 women and 53 men viewed profiles of members of the opposite sex of either high or low physical attractiveness, alongside scenarios that described them as either being altruistic or not. Participants then rated each targets’ desirability as both a short and long term partner. As hypothesised, altruism was rated more desirable, particularly for long term relationships, by both men and women. However there were inconsistent findings when physical attractiveness was accounted for, which did not support the hypotheses nor directly replicate previous findings. Overall it was concluded that although the study provided strong support for the desirability of altruism being due to mutual mate choice, the additional effects of examining other mate choice traits such as attractiveness shows much is still to be known.

Self-esteem as an adaptive sociometer of mating success: Evaluating evidence of sex-specific psychological design across 10 world regions

According to an evolutionary-adaptive version of sociometer theory, because men, more than women, have faced the adaptive problem of obtaining large numbers of willing short-term mating partners, positive associations between self-esteem and number of past sexual partners should be stronger among men than women. We correlated self-esteem with number of past sexual partners in a sample of more than 16,000 people across 10 major regions of the world. Results largely supported our prediction. This amply powered research investigation provided a limited, but revealing, test of an evolutionary-adaptive sociometer theory of self-esteem. For men, successfully accessing more sexual partners, regardless of personal desire or the mores of wider culture, was generally associated with higher self-esteem. For women, the links between numbers of sexual partners and self-esteem were much more dependent on culture.

Is smart sexy? Examining the role of relative intelligence in mate preferences

There has been a recent surge of research on the role of intelligence in mate preferences. To advance this area of research, in two online studies (N = 743), we manipulated relative, as opposed to absolute, intelligence and examined desirability in long-term and short-term relationships. In Study 1, we also examined the role of mate value towards understanding differences in desirability and, in Study 2, we also manipulated target's level of physical attractiveness. The sexes found less intelligent partners less desirable, a more intelligent partner was no more desirable than partner who was equal in intelligence, and intelligence was particularly valued as a long-term mate. In addition, mate value was correlated with rejecting less intelligent mates and desiring more intelligent ones in women only. And, last, we found that once men and women found sufficient rates of attractiveness for their short-term partners, they care about the intelligence of their partner.

Birds of odd feather flock together? Assortative partner preferences, and attractiveness of schizotypy in long and short term partners

Although schizotypy has received much research interest, studies have largely ignored attractiveness and assortative mating for this trait. In an on-line study, participants (N = 170) rated high and low schizotypy vignettes for long and short term attractiveness. They also filled in the O-LIFE measure of schizotypy (Mason et al., 2005). For Unusual Experiences, and Cognitive Disorganisation, high vignettes received significantly lower ratings than the low vignettes in both short and long term mating context. In comparison to the low vignettes, high Impulsive Nonconformity vignettes had higher ratings as short term partners. We also found assortative preferences for Introvertive Anhedonia and Unusual Experiences. The findings support the idea that some of the schizotypy sub-traits could be part of an adaptive fast life history strategy.

What people prefer and what they think they prefer in short- and long-term partners. The effects of the phase of the menstrual cycle, hormonal contraception, pregnancy, and the marital and the parenthood status on partner preferences

Abstract The issue with most studies concerned with mate selection preferences in humans is that they rely on declarations and rational actions of experimental subjects, which are affected by their pre-conceived opinions and prejudices. Moreover, current research suggests that subcortical structures and processes, rather than the neocortex, play the principal role in actual partner choice behaviour. Consequently, we have only limited information on how relevant our current knowledge is in relation to real-life human ethology. To address these issues, we surveyed 2718 women and 4073 men between the ages of 16–50 and compared their declared and observed preferences for various properties in short-term and long-term partners. We found differences between what the subjects declared to prefer and what they preferred in reality: for example, men declared that wealth was the second least desirable property out of eleven in short-term partners, but we observed that in reality, they considered wealth the third most important factor after charisma and sense of humour. Similarly, while women declared that dominance and masculinity were desirable properties in short-term partners, in the observational part of the study, they showed little preference for these traits. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of the phase of the menstrual cycle, hormonal contraception, pregnancy, and partnership and parenthood status on these preferences. We found some support for the good parents hypothesis and no support for the good genes and the immunocompetence handicap hypotheses when observed, rather than declared preferences were considered. We also detected that hormonal contraception, and parenthood and partnership status influenced declared preferences in considerable ways, but had only a small, if any, impact on observed preferences. We suggest interpreting the results of studies reliant on declarations and rational actions of experimental subjects with great caution.

The roles of altruism, heroism, and physical attractiveness in female mate choice

The role of prosocial behaviour in female mate choice has been extensively explored, focusing on the desirability of altruism in potential mates, as well as altruism being a mating signal. However, little research has focused on the desirability of heroism and altruism in potential partners. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of attractiveness on the desirability of prosocial behavior has only recently been explored, and to our knowledge, has not been explored in relation to the desirability of heroism in a romantic partner. We explored the effect of prosociality and attractiveness on female desirability ratings (n = 198), and whether desirability was influenced by whether women were seeking a short-term or long-term relationship. We find that women are attracted to men who display heroism and altruism, and this preference is higher when the male is attractive compared to unattractive. Furthermore, preferences for prosocial traits were higher when seeking a long-term compared to a short-term partner. Our findings add to the literature on prosocial behaviour and matechoice. Data and materials [Open Science Framework Project A76P8].

The Effect of Partner Serostatus and Relationship Duration on HIV Medication Adherence.

High adherence rates to antiretroviral medications are necessary for people living with HIV/AIDS. The current study focuses on relationship-level predictors of HIV medication adherence by testing whether adherence rates differ by dyadic serostatus (seroconcordant vs. serodiscordant couples) among individuals with HIV in romantic relationships. Results showed a significant interaction between dyadic serostatus and relationship duration on adherence, such that individuals in long-term serodiscordant relationships reported better adherence than short-term serodiscordant relationships or seroconcordant partners in long-term relationships. Future research is needed to understand what relationship dynamics explain differences in adherence rates based on dyadic serostatus.

Attentional and evaluative biases help people maintain relationships by avoiding infidelity.

Two longitudinal studies of 233 newlywed couples suggest that automatic attentional and evaluative biases regarding attractive relationship alternatives can help people maintain relationships by avoiding infidelity. Both studies assessed participants' tendency to automatically disengage attention from photos of attractive, opposite sex individuals; one study assessed participants' tendency to devalue those individuals by comparing their attractiveness evaluations to evaluations made by single people, and both studies assessed infidelity and relationship status multiple times for approximately three years. Several sources of devaluation emerged, but only participants' history of short-term sex predicted both biases; having more short-term sexual partners was associated with being slower to disengage attention from attractive alternatives, and, among men, evaluating such individuals more positively. In turn, both processes exerted indirect effects on relationship dissolution by predicting infidelity; being 100 ms faster to disengage attention from attractive alternatives or rating them 2 scale points lower in attractiveness was associated with a decrease in the odds of infidelity of approximately 50%; the effect of devaluation on infidelity was stronger among participants who evidenced steeper declines in marital satisfaction. These associations emerged because unfaithful individuals took longer to disengage attention from attractive alternatives compared with other social targets and did not differ from singles in their evaluations of those alternatives. Among several other predictors of infidelity, partner attractiveness was associated with a decrease in the odds of infidelity among men but not women. These findings suggest a role for basic psychological processes in predicting infidelity, highlight the critical role of automatic processes in relationship functioning, and suggest novel ways to promote relationship success. (PsycINFO Database Record

Integrating Pregnancy Prevention Into an HIV Counseling and Testing Program in Pediatric Primary Care

PurposeCertified health educator (CHE)-based HIV counseling and testing typically focus on HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention only. A quality improvement initiative examined integrating assessment of reproductive life plans, counseling about pregnancy prevention, and contraception referral into a CHE-based HIV testing program. MethodsBetween February 2014 and January 2017, in one urban pediatric primary care clinic serving patients aged 0–25, CHEs assessed sexual history, HIV risk, short-term (i.e., the next 6–12 months) pregnancy desire, and current contraception method and satisfaction among patients aged 13–25 who had ever had vaginal sex, using a standardized questionnaire. Data were analyzed using a de-identified administrative dataset that also tracked referrals to initiate contraception and actual method initiation. ResultsOf 1,211 patients, most (96%) reported no short-term pregnancy or partner pregnancy desire. Use of less effective or no contraception, as well as method dissatisfaction, was common. A high proportion of female patients referred to new methods opted for more effective methods (62%) and initiated these methods (76%); a high proportion of male patients opted for receipt of condoms (67%). Patients reporting short-term pregnancy desire reported higher rates of previous pregnancy and STIs. ConclusionsProgram findings highlight the potential benefit of integrating assessment for and counseling about pregnancy prevention in a CHE-based HIV testing program. This can more effectively address the needs of patients with concomitant risks of STI/HIV and unintended pregnancy, and link patients who do not desire pregnancy to more effective methods.

Sensation-seeking in women does not affect their preference for Dark Triad male faces

Women (N = 356) aged 16–68 years were recruited via online social networking sites and research participation websites. Participants were presented with 15 facial composite pairs (each pair including a high and low Dark Triad trait facial morph), and were asked to identify the most attractive individual either in the context of a short-term (n = 171) or long-term relationship (n = 185). Women also completed the Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS-V, Zuckerman, 1994), containing boredom susceptibility, disinhibition, experience-seeking, thrill- and adventure-seeking subscales. Results indicate that women are averse to faces with high levels of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy for both short- and long-term romantic relationships. Sensation-seeking does not predict preference for Dark Triad traits as a short-term or long-term partner. Findings replicate previous research indicating that women dislike male faces high on Dark Triad traits for both short- and long-term relationships and are consistent with research suggesting that the aversion to men high on Dark Triad traits is resistant to individual variation.

Fathers\u2019 eye colour sways daughters\u2019 choice of both long- and short-term partners

In several species, mate choice is influenced by parental features through sexual imprinting, but in humans evidence is scarce and open to alternative explanations. We examined whether daughters’ preference for mates with light vs dark eyes is affected by the eye colour of parents. In an online study, over one thousand women rated the attractiveness of men as potential partners for either a long- or a short-term relationship. Each male face was shown twice, with light (blue or green) and with dark (brown or dark brown) eyes. Having a light-eyed father increased the preference for light-eyed men in both relationship contexts. Having light eyes increased this preference too, but only when men were regarded as potential long-term companions. Asymmetrically, in real life, father’s eye colour was the only predictor of partner’s eye colour; own colour was irrelevant. Mother’s eye colour never mattered, affecting neither preferences nor real-life choices. The effect of paternal eye colour was modulated by the quality of the relationship between father and daughter, suggesting (flexible) sexual imprinting rather than a simple inheritance of maternal preferences. Our data provide evidence that in humans, as in birds and sheep, visual experience of parental features shapes later sexual preferences.

Executive control and faithfulness: only long-term romantic relationships require prefrontal control.

Individuals in the early stages of a romantic relationship generally express intense passionate love toward their partners. This observation allows us to hypothesize that the regulation of interest in extra-pair relationships by executive control, which is supported by the function of the prefrontal cortex, is less required in individuals in the early stages of a relationship than it is in those who are in a long-term relationship. To test this hypothesis, we asked male participants in romantic relationships to perform a go/no-go task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which is a well-validated task that can measure right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) activity implicated in executive control. Subsequently, the participants engaged in a date-rating task in which they rated how much they wanted to date unfamiliar females. We found that individuals with higher right VLPFC activity better regulated their interest in dates with unfamiliar females. Importantly, this relationship was found only in individuals with long-term partners, but not in those with short-term partners, indicating that the active regulation of interest in extra-pair relationships is required only in individuals in a long-term relationship. Our findings extend previous findings on executive control in the maintenance of monogamous relationships by highlighting the role of the VLPFC, which varies according to the stage of the romantic relationship.

Sexual relationships and self-esteem: Why do Women Get the Short-End of the Stick?

My study will investigate sex differences in the relationship between number of sexual partners and self-esteem. Previous research has found a moderate positive relationship between number of sexual partners and self-esteem in men, while finding a strong negative relationship in women. Women who engage in more short-term sexual relationships are left feeling vulnerable, depressed, and have lower scores of self-esteem. Men on the other hand, appear to have an ego boost with the more short-term sexual partners they have. Why is this? My study, using an evolutionary psychological perspective, will investigate the relationship between number of sexual partners and self-esteem in hopes of piecing together why men and women are affected so differently.

A drunk heart speaks a sober mind: Alcohol does not influence the selection of short-term partners with dark triad traits

Previous research has found that women dislike facial morphs of high dark triad (i.e., psychopathic, Machiavellian, and narcissistic) men. In this study, we tested the influence of alcohol on mate choice and perceptions of danger in dark triad faces. Women (N=96) were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: control; alcohol; or placebo. In two alternative forced-choice (2-AFC) tasks, participants were first asked to choose between high and low morphs as short-term partners, and then to identify the face they found more dangerous. Analyses indicate that women were averse to male faces with high levels of psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism for short-term relationships. Women also perceived men whose faces displayed high levels of psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism to be dangerous. Preference for short-term partners with high or low levels of each dark triad trait and perceived danger did not differ across the experimental conditions. Findings are consistent with previous research indicating that women dislike male faces high on dark triad traits. Findings further suggest that faces high on each dark triad trait are perceived to be dangerous and perceptions of dark triad traits are not influenced by alcohol consumption.

Put a (Limbal) Ring on It: Women Perceive Men's Limbal Rings as a Health Cue in Short-Term Mating Domains.

Limbal rings are dark annuli encircling the iris that fluctuate in visibility based on health and age. Research also indicates their presence augments facial attractiveness. Given individuals' prioritization of health cues in short-term mates, those with limbal rings may be implicated as ideal short-term mates. Three studies tested whether limbal rings serve as veridical health cues, specifically the extent to which this cue enhances a person's value as a short-term mating partner. In Study 1, targets with limbal rings were rated as healthier, an effect that was stronger for female participants and male targets. In Study 2, temporally activated short-term mating motives led women to report a heightened preference for targets with limbal rings. In Study 3, women rated targets with limbal rings as more desirable short-term mates. Results provide evidence for limbal rings as veridical cues to health, particularly in relevant mating domains.

Misattribution of musical arousal increases sexual attraction towards opposite-sex faces in females.

Several theories about the origins of music have emphasized its biological and social functions, including in courtship. Music may act as a courtship display due to its capacity to vary in complexity and emotional content. Support for music’s reproductive function comes from the recent finding that only women in the fertile phase of the reproductive cycle prefer composers of complex melodies to composers of simple ones as short-term sexual partners, which is also in line with the ovulatory shift hypothesis. However, the precise mechanisms by which music may influence sexual attraction are unknown, specifically how music may interact with visual attractiveness cues and affect perception and behaviour in both genders. Using a crossmodal priming paradigm, we examined whether listening to music influences ratings of facial attractiveness and dating desirability of opposite-sex faces. We also tested whether misattribution of arousal or pleasantness underlies these effects, and explored whether sex differences and menstrual cycle phase may be moderators. Our sample comprised 64 women in the fertile or infertile phase (no hormonal contraception use) and 32 men, carefully matched for mood, relationship status, and musical preferences. Musical primes (25 s) varied in arousal and pleasantness, and targets were photos of faces with neutral expressions (2 s). Group-wise analyses indicated that women, but not men, gave significantly higher ratings of facial attractiveness and dating desirability after having listened to music than in the silent control condition. High-arousing, complex music yielded the largest effects, suggesting that music may affect human courtship behaviour through induced arousal, which calls for further studies on the mechanisms by which music affects sexual attraction in real-life social contexts.

Dark Triad predicts self-promoting mate attraction behaviors

The Dark Triad is a cluster of aversive traits that includes Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism. Individuals who score higher on these traits also report more sexual partners, suggesting that the Dark Triad may provide advantages to attracting short-term partners. We investigated the associations between the Dark Triad traits and self-promotion mate attraction tactics in a short-term mating context. We hypothesized that, in this mating context, psychopathy would predict the performance frequency of self-promotion behaviors in men (Hypothesis 1), narcissism would predict these behaviors in both men (Hypothesis 2) and women (Hypothesis 3), and that the relationship between narcissism and the performance frequency of self-promotion behaviors would be stronger in women than in men (Hypothesis 4). Participants were 225 Brazilian undergraduate students, aged between 18 and 45years (M=21.8; SD=4.80; 58.2% women). Supporting Hypothesis 1, psychopathy positively predicted the performance frequency of self-promotion behaviors in men. Narcissism was positively associated with the performance frequency of self-promotion behaviors in both men (supporting Hypothesis 2) and women (supporting Hypothesis 3), but with similar strength (inconsistent with Hypothesis 4). We situate these results concerning mate attraction within an evolutionary framework and discuss their theoretical and applied utility.

Is there a Role for Genetic Counselors in Prenatal Paternity Testing? - an Assessment Based on Audit of 13years of Clinical Experience in South Australia.

The role of genetic counselors in prenatal paternity testing has not been widely studied in the genetic counseling literature. In South Australia, the genetic counselors of the State's public sector clinical genetics service are the primary contact point for women seeking information and testing, also coordinating the testing process. This has provided the opportunity to review all prenatal paternity testing performed in the State over a 13year period and to consider the role played by the genetic counselor. We explored the reasons why women requested prenatal paternity testing and whether the genetic counselor was an appropriate health professional to facilitate this testing for women. The study had two parts, an audit of the clinical genetics files of 160 women who requested prenatal paternity testing between March 2001 and March 2014, and qualitative interviews of genetic counselors, clinical geneticists, obstetricians and social workers with involvement in this area. The audit determined that in 69.9% of cases the long-term partner was the father of the pregnancy, for 23.7% the short-term or other partner was the father and for 6.4% the paternity results were not known by the genetic counselor. For 45.5% of women whose long-term partner was excluded as the father, the women chose to have a termination of pregnancy. The results of the qualitative interviews yielded five major themes: accessibility of testing, role of the genetic counselor, social and relationship issues, decision making in pregnancy and emotional issues. We conclude that the genetic counselor is an appropriate health professional to facilitate prenatal paternity testing. Genetic counselors did not view their role as significantly different from a request for prenatal testing for another indication.

Good Enough for An Affair. Self–Enhancement of Attractiveness, Interest in Potential Mates and Popularity as A Mate

Using data from the Berlin Speed Dating Study, we tested rival hypotheses concerning the effects of self–enhancement of attractiveness on dating outcomes. Three hundred eighty–two participants took part in one of the 17 speed–dating sessions. After each speed–dating interaction, participants indicated how interesting they found the respective person as a long–term and short–term partner. Using social relations analyses, we computed perceiver effects (being more or less choosy) and target effects (being rated as more or less interesting) of long–term and short–term partner ratings. Self–enhancement was operationalized as the discrepancy between self–rated attractiveness and four components of actual attractiveness (observer–rated facial and vocal attractiveness, height and body mass index). Results indicated that self–enhancers were less choosy with respect to their interest for short–term partners, which was especially true for men, but more choosy with respect to long–term partners. With regard to popularity as a mate, potential partners indicated that they found self–enhancers more interesting as short–term partners but not as long–term partners. As self–enhancement is a key component of narcissism, these results are consistent with findings that narcissists perceive many sexual affairs as an achievement, while preferring selected ‘trophy’ long–term partners, and narcissists have a charming appeal for short–term, but not lasting, social relationships. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology

P04.20 Incident sexually transmitted infection and post-infection partner change

Introduction Sex partner change is necessary to maintain STI within a population. However, most people change partners relatively infrequently, and the timing of partner changes relative to incident STI is poorly understood. Methods 272 participants without STI at enrollment (18–29 years of age; 126 (46%) men/146 (54%) women) from a high STI population completed a 12-week study of daily reports of partner-specific sexual behaviours. None reported commercial sex work. Weekly self-obtained vaginal or urine samples were tested (and treated, if positive) at the end of 12-weeks for C trachomatis (CT), N gonorrhoeae (GC), and T vaginalis (TV) using commercially available NAAT. Survival analysis techniques were used to describe time to first partner change following first NAAT+. Results 15, 12, and 23 participants acquired an incident CT+, GC+, or TV+ NAAT. Partner change after the first NAAT+ test was seen for 7 (47%), 6 (50%), and 3 (13%) participants with CT+, GC+, or TV+ NAAT, respectively. Median time to partner change after first NAAT+ 7.6 and 4.6 weeks following CT+ or GC+, respectively. Among 231 participants with no incident NAAT+ during 12 weeks of followup, 89 (39%) changed partners. Conclusion Persons with incident STI have higher rates of partner change than those without incident STI. Rapid partner change is common following a new CT or GC infection, but less common for TV. Interventions focused on short-term partner change could be especially effective approaches to CT and GC control efforts. Disclosure of interest statement This research was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The authors have no relevant conflict of interest to disclose.