Are Women’s Mate Preferences for Altruism Also Influenced by Physical Attractiveness?

Altruism plays a role in mate choice, particularly in women’s preferences and in long-term (LT) relationships. 

The current study analyzed how these preferences interacted with another important mate choice variable, physical attractiveness. Here, female participants were presented with photographs of men of varying levels of physical attractiveness, alongside descriptions of them behaving either altruistically or not in different scenarios. 

The results showed women preferred altruistic men, particularly in LT relationships and that this interacted with physical attractiveness such that being both attractive and altruistic made a man more desirable than just the sum of the two desirable parts. 

Also, being altruistic made low attractive men more desirable but only for LT relationships. Finally, men who were just altruistic were rated more desirable than men who were just attractive, especially for LT relationships. 

Overall, these findings are discussed in terms of the role of altruism in mate choice, particularly in LT relationships and directions of future research.

Below: Graph of mean desirability ratings (±standard error [SE]) of men by level of attractiveness, level of altruism, and length of relationship.

Below:  Graph of proportional change in desirability from short-term to long-term (±standard error [SE]) of men by level of attractiveness and level of altruism

Below:  Graph of desirability ratings (±standard error [SE]) of men displaying either high altruism or high attractiveness only by different relationship lengths

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/CsBhtg

By:  Daniel Farrelly1, Paul Clemson2, Melissa Guthrie2

¹Institute of Health and Society, University of Worcester, Worcester, United Kingdom

²Department of Psychology, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, United Kingdom

Daniel Farrelly, Institute of Health and Society, University of Worcester, Worcester, United Kingdom. Email: d.farrelly@worc.ac.uk

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison Health

Attitudes and Acceptability on HIV Self-Testing among Key Populations: A Literature Review

HIV self-testing (HIVST) is a potential strategy to overcome disparities in access to and uptake of HIV testing, particularly among key populations (KP). A literature review was conducted on the acceptability, values and preferences among KP. Data was analyzed by country income World Bank classification, type of specimen collection, level of support offered and other qualitative aspects. Most studies identified were from high-income countries and among men who have sex with men (MSM) who found HIVST to be acceptable. In general, MSM were interested in HIVST because of its convenient and private nature. However, they had concerns about the lack of counseling, possible user error and accuracy. Data on the values and preferences of other KP groups regarding HIVST is limited. This should be a research priority, as HIVST is likely to become more widely available, including in resource-limited settings...

Privacy was more frequently reported as a benefit of HIVST in studies using an unsupervised approach (n = 5/6) [15, 30, 38, 45, 46] compared to those using a supervised approach (n = 2/6) [35, 37]. Although approach was not reported 71 % of MSM in Brazil, reported that HIVST would offer more privacy than HIV testing facilities [43]. In general, the benefits for HIVST described by participants across studies, remain similar; even when analyzed by country income, type of KP, participant education level, type of specimen collection, having performed an HIVST and type of approach...

Willingness to pay for a HIVST kit if sold was documented in 11 articles [16, 31, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 44–47]. Willingness to pay varied across population, country income settings, type of specimen collection, and type of approach. In HIC settings, study participants were willing to pay between ≤US$20 and ≥US$50 [16, 37,39, 42, 44–46]. In MIC settings, participants were generally willing to pay between (US$1 to US$20) [41,47]. A study from China reported that MSM were willing to pay US$6.50 (US$3–US$11), slightly more than female sex workers (FSW) who were willing to pay US$5 (US$2–US$8) [47]. In LIC settings, participants were willing to pay between US$0.54–US$4.35 [31]. According to this study in Kenya, MSM were willing to pay (US$3.35), slightly more than FSW who were willing to pay US$3.10 [31].

Participant willingness to pay in all supervised HIVST studies (n = 4/11) ranged between (≥US$1 to ≥US$20) [16, 37, 42, 44]. In 2/11 studies using an unsupervised approach, participants were willing to pay between (>US$20 to ≥US$50) [45, 46]. Reluctance to pay (range 5.2–11 %) was only reported in four studies where MSM and FSW participants have performed an HIVST, these studies examined both approaches and were in MIC and HIC settings [16, 35, 39, 47]; all but one used oral fluid-based HIV RDT [16, 35, 47]...

Below: Studies evaluating HIV self-testing acceptability

Below:  HIV self-testing experience among studies evaluating acceptability

Full article at: http://goo.gl/HC1MMi

By: Carmen Figueroa, Cheryl Johnson, Annette Verster, and Rachel Baggaley

Escuela Nacional de Salud Pública, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

HIV/AIDS Department, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

  

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv_insight

Correlated Preferences for Male Facial Masculinity and Partner Traits in Gay and Bisexual Men in China

Previous studies have documented the correlation between preferences for male facial masculinity and perceived masculinity: women who rate their male partner as more masculine tend to prefer more masculine faces. Men's self-rated masculinity predicts their female partner's preference for masculinity. 

This study examined the association between other trait preferences and preference for male facial masculinity among 556 gay and bisexual men across multiple cities in China. Participants were asked to choose the three most important traits in a romantic partner from a list of 23 traits. Each participant was then asked to choose a preferred face in each of 10 pairs of male faces presented sequentially, with each pair consisting of a masculinized and feminized version of the same base face. 

The results indicated that preferences for health and status-related traits were correlated with preferences for male facial masculinity in gay and bisexual men in China; individuals who were more health- or status-oriented in their preferences for a romantic partner preferred more masculine male faces than individuals with lower levels of these orientations. 

The findings have implications for the correlated preferences for facial masculinity and health- and status-related traits and may be related to perceived health and dominance/aggression of masculine faces based on a sample of non-Western gay and bisexual men.

Via: http://goo.gl/GS5RWC  Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/DV3uFp

By: Zheng L1, Zheng Y.

• 1Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China. 

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv_insight

Women's Preferences for Penis Size: A New Research Method Using Selection among 3D Models

Women’s preferences for penis size may affect men’s comfort with their own bodies and may have implications for sexual health. Studies of women’s penis size preferences typically have relied on their abstract ratings or selecting amongst 2D, flaccid images. This study used haptic stimuli to allow assessment of women’s size recall accuracy for the first time, as well as examine their preferences for erect penis sizes in different relationship contexts. Women (N = 75) selected amongst 33, 3D models. Women recalled model size accurately using this method, although they made more errors with respect to penis length than circumference. 

Women preferred a penis of slightly larger circumference and length for one-time (length = 6.4 inches/16.3 cm, circumference = 5.0 inches/12.7 cm) versus long-term (length = 6.3 inches/16.0 cm, circumference = 4.8 inches/12.2 cm) sexual partners. 

These first estimates of erect penis size preferences using 3D models suggest women accurately recall size and prefer penises only slightly larger than average.

Below:  Penile Models. A) Computer graphic representation of one of the ‘print files’ used to produce the 3D penis models. B) Examples of (4 of 33) 3D models showing length in inches. A and D represent the largest and smallest models in the set, respectively; B and C represent the two models (counterbalanced) used to test recall for size.

Read more at:  http://ht.ly/Sg7Bn

By: Nicole Prause,#1,* Jaymie Park,1,‡ Shannon Leung,1,‡ and Geoffrey Miller#2

1Department of Psychiatry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America

2Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico; Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America

2Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico; Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America

1Department of Psychiatry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America

2Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico; Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America

Knox College, UNITED STATES

#Contributed equally.

Men's Preferences for Female Facial Femininity Decline with Age

OBJECTIVES: Women tend to have a smaller chin, fuller lips, and rounder eyes than men, due in part to the effects of estrogen. These features associated with facial femininity have been found to be positively associated with fertility. Although young men in their 20s typically judge facial femininity as more attractive than facial masculinity, at all ages, men with higher sexual desire and testosterone levels tend to show a marked preference for feminine faces. In the current study, we extend this research using a large cross-national sample to test the hypothesis that facial femininity preferences will be stronger among younger men than among older men. We also tested whether these preferences are influenced by self-reported sexual openness, national health indices, and gross national income.

RESULTS: Facial femininity preferences decreased with age, being highest among men in their 30s and lowest among men in their 70s. This pattern was independent of men's sexual openness and cross-national variation in health and socioeconomic development.

DISCUSSION:Our study shows that men's preferences for facial femininity are age dependent. At the proximate level, differences in preferences could reflect age-related declines in testosterone levels. These age-related declines in preferences could benefit older men, who are less able to invest in mating effort, and thus may opt out of competition with younger men for mates with potentially higher fertility.

Via:  http://ht.ly/RP3Vr HT https://twitter.com/UNSW

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv_insight