Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-mp689 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T02:05:49.770Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Extending parasite-stress theory to variation in human mate preferences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2012

Lisa M. DeBruine ,
Anthony C. Little  and
Benedict C. Jones
Lisa M. DeBruine
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 3FX, Scotland, United Kingdom. l.debruine@abdn.ac.ukhttp://facelab.org/debruineben.jones@abdn.ac.ukhttp://facelab.org/bcjones
Anthony C. Little
Affiliation:
School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA Scotland, United Kingdom. anthony.little@stir.ac.ukhttp://alittlelab.com
Benedict C. Jones
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 3FX, Scotland, United Kingdom. l.debruine@abdn.ac.ukhttp://facelab.org/debruineben.jones@abdn.ac.ukhttp://facelab.org/bcjones
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In this commentary we suggest that Fincher & Thornhill's (F&T's) parasite-stress theory of social behaviors and attitudes can be extended to mating behaviors and preferences. We discuss evidence from prior correlational and experimental studies that support this claim. We also reanalyze data from two of those studies using F&T's new parasite stress measures.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 35 , Issue 2 , April 2012 , pp. 86 - 87
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brooks, R., Scott, I. M., Maklakov, A. A., Kasumovic, M. M., Clark, A. P. & Penton-Voak, I. S. (2011) National income inequality predicts women's preferences for masculinised faces better than health does. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 278:810–12.Google Scholar
DeBruine, L. M., Jones, B. C., Crawford, J. R., Welling, L. L. M. & Little, A. C. (2010) The health of a nation predicts their mate preferences: Cross-cultural variation in women's preferences for masculinized male faces. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 277(1692):2405–10.Google ScholarPubMed
DeBruine, L. M., Jones, B. C., Little, A. C., Crawford, J. R. & Welling, L. L. M. (2011) Further evidence for regional variation in women's masculinity preferences. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 278(1707):813–14.Google Scholar
Folstad, I. & Karter, A. J. (1992) Parasites, bright males and the immunocompetence handicap. American Naturalist 139:603–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gangestad, S. W. & Buss, D. M. (1993) Pathogen prevalence and human mate preferences. Ethology and Sociobiology 14:89–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gangestad, S. W., Haselton, M. G. & Buss, D. M. (2006a) Evolutionary foundations of cultural variation: Evoked culture and mate preferences. Psychological Inquiry 17:75–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamilton, W. D. & Zuk, M. (1982) Heritable true fitness and bright birds: A role for parasites? Science 218:384–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, A. J. & Zietsch, B. P. (2011) Experimental evidence that women's mate preferences are directly influenced by cues of pathogen prevalence and resource scarcity. Biology Letters 7(6):892–95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Little, A. C., DeBruine, L. M. & Jones, B. C. (2011) Exposure to visual cues of pathogen contagion changes preferences for masculinity and symmetry in opposite-sex faces. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 278:2032–39.Google ScholarPubMed
Low, B. S. (1990) Marriage systems and pathogen stress in human societies. American Zoologist 30:325–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mortensen, C. R., Becker, D. V., Ackerman, J. M., Neuberg, S. L. & Kenrick, D. T. (2010) Infection breeds reticence: the effects of disease salience on self-perceptions of personality and behavioral avoidance tendencies. Psychological Science 21:440–47.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rhodes, G., Chan, J., Zebrowitz, L. A. & Simmons, L. W. (2003) Does sexual dimorphism in human faces signal health? Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 270:S93–S95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thornhill, R. & Gangestad, S. W. (1999) Facial attractiveness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 3:452–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thornhill, R. & Gangestad, S. W. (2006) Facial sexual dimorphism, developmental stability and susceptibility to disease in men and women. Evolution and Human Behavior 27:131–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar