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→More psychopathic men tend to receive higher attractiveness ratings from women: Added a lengthly discussion piece on women's greater attraction to psychopathic men
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Brazil & Forth conducted two studies that examined women's preferences for psychopathic males. | Brazil & Forth conducted two studies that examined women's preferences for psychopathic males. | ||
Forty-six men were photographed from the waist up and rated by (N = 11) individuals blind to the purpose of the study. | |||
The men were then requested to complete the ''Self-Report Psychopathy'' scale, used to measure the four-facet structure of psychopathy. | The men were then requested to complete the ''Self-Report Psychopathy'' scale, used to measure the four-facet structure of psychopathy. | ||
The four facets of psychopathy, according to this inventory, are defined as: ''interpersonal'' (manipulative and exploitative behaviors), ''affective'' (lack of remorse and empathy, cruelty to others), ''lifestyle'' (parasitic behavior, lack of clear life goals, irresponsibility), and ''antisocial'' (overt violent or criminal behaviors). | The four facets of psychopathy, according to this inventory, are defined as: ''interpersonal'' (manipulative and exploitative behaviors), ''affective'' (lack of remorse and empathy, cruelty to others), ''lifestyle'' (parasitic behavior, lack of clear life goals, irresponsibility), and ''antisocial'' (overt violent or criminal behaviors). | ||
The subjects completed additional self-report inventories to measure their level of social intelligence and socio-sexual orientation (a measurement of an individual's openness to casual sex) | The subjects completed additional self-report inventories to measure their level of social intelligence and socio-sexual orientation (a measurement of an individual's openness to casual sex). | ||
The first study had males participate in a simulated dating scenario with a female confederate ( | The first study had males participate in a simulated dating scenario with a female confederate (introduced as a female volunteer). After initial prompting by the female confederate, the conversations were allowed to proceed naturally between the participants and the confederate for 90-120 seconds. | ||
It was found that men who reported having sex were generally higher in levels of psychopathic traits, as measured by the self report psychopathy inventory (M = 169.33, SD = 22.65 for the men who had sex vs M = 142.08, SD = 19.84 for those not having sex). The various facets of psychopathy (apart from antisocial tendencies) were found to be generally related to greater social processing capability (ability to "read" other's intentions and emotional states). | It was found that men who reported having sex were generally higher in levels of psychopathic traits, as measured by the self-report psychopathy inventory (M = 169.33, SD = 22.65 for the men who had sex vs. M = 142.08, SD = 19.84 for those not having sex). The various facets of psychopathy (apart from antisocial tendencies) were found to be generally related to greater social processing capability (ability to "read" other's intentions and emotional states). | ||
Study 2 tested examined women's response to men varying in levels of psychopathy. | Study 2 tested examined women's response to men varying in levels of psychopathy. One hundred eight women viewed the interactions between the male participants from study 1 and the female confederate. The women then rated the men on how desirable they would be to date. After rating the videos, the participants were then instructed to leave a pretend voicemail message for the men, in the context of them requesting a date with the men. | ||
The men were sorted into three different groups of physical attractive based on the | The men were sorted into three different groups of physical attractive based on the judgment of the previously mentioned independent raters (women N = 7, men N = 4): significantly below average attractiveness, somewhat below average attractiveness, and average attractiveness, to control for the effects of physical attractiveness on the women's attraction to the men. The researchers then used software to analyze the vocal pitch of the women who left the voice messages to the males, vocal pitch being considered an objective, subconscious, measurement of female sexual attraction based on prior research. | ||
It was found that women nearly always had a higher vocal pitch when leaving a message for a more psychopathic man vs a less psychopathic man of the same general level of physical attractiveness. | It was found that women nearly always had a higher vocal pitch when leaving a message for a more psychopathic man vs. a less psychopathic man of the same general level of physical attractiveness. | ||
Further analysis of the data suggested that the affective traits of psychopathy such as | Further analysis of the data suggested that the affective traits of psychopathy, such as superficial charm, callousness, and lack of empathy, were the most desired by women. In contrast, the more overtly violent antisocial traits were generally unfavored. The authors also noted that psychopathy's affective traits were strongly linked to sexual sadism and intimate partner violence in men. They noted this has concerning implications on the [[romance|romantic]] [[relationship]]s these men would be expected to have relative ease at initiating, compared to less psychopathic men. | ||
<span style="font-size:125%">'''Discussion:'''</span> | |||
This study provides some support for the 'exploitation hypothesis' of women's attraction to Dark Triad traits in men, as the women in the study were generally averse to men displaying overtly antisocial traits, evaluating these men more unfavorably in a romantic context. | |||
This suggests that the fake pro-social, glib, superficially charming aspect of psychopathy is what the women found most attractive. | |||
However, the women in the study also responded more favorably to the men with higher levels of affective psychopathy (i.e., those who demonstrated lower levels of empathy and callous behavior) on an innate, subconscious level (higher vocal pitch when leaving a voice message for them). This suggests that women may also strongly favor some of the more overtly socially undesirable psychopathy aspects in a romantic context. | |||
The 'lifestyle' aspects of psychopathy were also evaluated favorably by the women in the study, especially when this evaluation depended on the women's conscious, subjective rating of the men. These 'psychopathic lifestyle' traits include lack of clear life goals, socially parasitic behavior, and irresponsibility, not characteristics that would make these men good providers or prone to commit to long term relationships. The women's preference for psychopathy's lifestyle aspects may stem from these traits being associated with (at least on the surface) a fun-loving, laid-back or adventurous nature, and a general lack of social inhibition. Effectively personality traits that would keep the women constantly emotionally stimulated and prevent her from being bored in the relationship. As women were generally dependent on men for provision throughout their evolutionary history. It could be that women only care about traits that would make men good providers for long-term relationships, perhaps even evaluating them negatively in shorter-term relationships. It could also be that these provider traits were not directly sexually selected at all, and women themselves did not choose these traits throughout history. However, their parents likely selected these traits in men (with these traits being associated with socio-economic success and reliability). Historically, a substantial portion of marriages were arranged by women's parents. | |||
The lack of a strong female preference for the overtly antisocial aspects of psychopathy, such as aggressive behavior, indicates that these traits may have been evolutionarily selected by allowing ancestral men with these traits to prevail in male-male contests, rather than through a direct female preference for such characteristics. | |||
One would suspect men prone to using violence or the threat of it to be more successful in deterring potential male rivals (such as mate-poachers). | |||
These violent tendencies would also be expected to aid men in ascending social hierarchies based primarily on dominance rather than prestige, by allowing them to survive and acquire resources and higher social status that would have assisted them in attracting women (directly or indirectly) and being able to pass on their genes. | |||
This study seemingly indicates a female preference for men that are unsuited towards longer-term relationships. This preference, no matter how slight it may be, seems to provide some support to arguments that many modern women are making maladaptive mate choices due to an [[evolutionary mismatch]] between historical and contemporary mating contexts. Of course, one could argue this also applies to men as their mate choices were also often constrained in the past, though the consequences of possible spousal abandonment would be far less harsh for them. | |||
<span style="font-size:125%">'''Quotes:'''</span> | <span style="font-size:125%">'''Quotes:'''</span> | ||