Table 3 - uploaded by David Schmitt
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Means and standard deviations of sociosexuality across 48 nations of the International Sexuality Description Project (controlling for sex of participant) Nation Mean SD
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The Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI; Simpson & Gangestad 1991) is a self-report measure of individual differences in human mating strategies. Low SOI scores signify that a person is sociosexually restricted, or follows a more monogamous mating strategy. High SOI scores indicate that an individual is unrestricted, or has a more promiscuous ma...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... the SOI is apparently tapping aspects of human mating objec- tively connected to theoretically relevant physical attributes (Gangestad 2001;Schmitt 2002;, and it does so in ro- bust ways across a broad range of human cultures. Table 3 contains the estimated means and standard devia- tions of sociosexuality across the 48 nations of the ISDP. Es- timated means were obtained using a factorial ANCOVA with sociosexuality as the dependent variable, nation as the independent variable, and sex of participant as a covariate. ...
Context 2
... was entered as a covariate because some samples contained more men than women, whereas others contained more women than men, and it was ex- pected that sex would have a significant within-nation asso- ciation with sociosexuality. The estimated means in Table 3, therefore, represent the overall national level of sociosexu- ality within each of the ISDP samples after controlling for the confounding effects of sex-linked sociosexual variabil- ity. ...
Context 3
... evaluate the validity of the national SOI profiles pre- sented in Table 3, mean levels of sociosexuality were corre- lated with other measures completed by ISDP samples. For example, responses to the one month time interval of the Time Known measure were used to compute national Time Known averages for each nation (after controlling for sex within each nation). ...
Context 4
... national SOI scores to mate-poaching experi- ences also provided evidence that the national sociosexual- ity averages in Table 3 were valid. For example, the corre- lation between a nation's SOI and a nation's average frequency of making mate poaching attempts was positive, r(45) 0.54, p .001. ...
Context 5
... final avenue for evaluating the validity of SOI scores presented in Table 3 was to compare nation-level sociosex- uality with data from external sources. The World Values Study (WVS; Inglehart et al. 1998) is based on representa- tive samples from 43 countries, 27 of which overlap with the nations of the ISDP (Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Ger- many, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Ko- rea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States). ...
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Citations
... One potential explanation for this result may be that ejaculate adjustment operates differently in men pursuing a more long-term (versus short-term) mating strategy. Indeed, comparative primate literature suggests that ejaculate adjustment is designed to increase fertilization success in highly promiscuous species (Harcourt et al., 1995;Møller, 1988); however, mating practices vary more widely in humans than in other primate species when considering differences in sociosexuality (Schmitt, 2005) and within-species differences in life history strategy (and how life history strategy relates to ejaculate quality; Barbaro et al., 2019). Further, direct comparisons of ejaculate quality between men who frequently engage in short-term casual sex and men who pursue long-term mating arrangements have not been conducted, so it is possible that mechanisms related to sperm competition are more complex in humans than in other species. ...
Previous research suggests that human males, like males of many mammalian and avian species, adjust their ejaculate quality in accordance with sperm competition risk. Men who spend less time with their regular female partner since the couple’s last copulation produce ejaculates with more sperm at the couple’s next copulation (Baker & Bellis, 1993). We conducted a conceptual replication of this research to investigate whether sperm competition risk predicts ejaculate adjustment in human males using additional measures of sperm competition risk (e.g., perceptions of partner infidelity, presence of potential sexual rivals) and updated laser-optic semen analysis technology. We collected data from 34 heterosexual couples (age range 18–32 years) from a university population who completed self-report surveys on their relationship dynamics and provided six ejaculate samples (three copulatory and three masturbatory) across a 45-day period. Time spent together since the couple’s last copulation was not significantly associated with ejaculate quality. However, sperm concentration for copulatory ejaculates was higher for men who perceived more potential sexual rivals. Discussion situates the current results within the literature on human sperm competition and suggests several directions for future research.
... For those who accept, they do proceed to ensure attachments, intimacy and pleasure are attained through sexual activities, timely communication and commitments. For those who refute, they do restrict requests and conversations regarding relationship affairs (Hill., & Preston, 1966;Scheib, 2001;Schmitt, 2005;Little et al., 2007;Tang., Bensman., & Hatfield, 2012;Meston., & Stanton, 2017). ...
This study was done to examine the psychosocial effects of sexual partner seeking via social media accounts among adolescents; and assess whether sexual partner seeking matches with sexual orientations among adolescents using social media accounts in Dar es Salaam. Correlational research design and questionnaires were used to collect data among 264 adolescents in universities and 234 adolescents in secondary schools, who were sampled using stratified sampling technique. The obtained data were subjected to descriptive and correlational analysis and test using SPSS IBM Version 20 and presented in tables. The results indicate that sexual partner seeking via social media accounts has enhanced adolescents to be sexually overambitious to the extent of engaging in risky sexual debuts, disclosure of adolescents' privacy/secrecy, demoralization due to postage of naked pictures or their sex videos after breaking up with the partners, together with intimidations, cyber-sexual abuse and sexual insults after meeting with untrustworthy sexual partner seekers. They also indicate that sexual partner seeking is relative to sexual orientations of adolescents as driven by self-interests and sexual feelings. Therefore, it is concluded that sexual partner seeking via social media accounts is done under risky circumstances and affects the psychosocial wellbeing of adolescents. It is also recommended that more studies should be done in order to inform about coping mechanisms for the adolescents who encounter the psychosocial effects after meeting sexual partner seekers via social media accounts.
... For those who accept, they do proceed to ensure attachments, intimacy and pleasure are attained through sexual activities, timely communication and commitments. For those who refute, they do restrict requests and conversations regarding relationship affairs (Hill., & Preston, 1966;Scheib, 2001;Schmitt, 2005;Little et al., 2007;Tang., Bensman., & Hatfield, 2012;Meston., & Stanton, 2017). ...
This study was done to examine the psychosocial effects of sexual partner seeking via social media accounts among adolescents; and assess whether sexual partner seeking matches with sexual orientations among adolescents using social media accounts in Dar es Salaam. Correlational research design and questionnaires were used to collect data among 264 adolescents in universities and 234 adolescents in secondary schools, who were sampled using stratified sampling technique. The obtained data were subjected to descriptive and correlational analysis and test using SPSS IBM Version 20 and presented in tables. The results indicate that sexual partner seeking via social media accounts has enhanced adolescents to be sexually overambitious to the extent of engaging in risky sexual debuts, disclosure of adolescents’ privacy/secrecy, demoralization due to postage of naked pictures or their sex videos after breaking up with the partners, together with intimidations, cyber-sexual abuse and sexual insults after meeting with untrustworthy sexual partner seekers. They also indicate that sexual partner seeking is relative to sexual orientations of adolescents as driven by self-interests and sexual feelings. Therefore, it is concluded that sexual partner seeking via social media accounts is done under risky circumstances and affects the psychosocial wellbeing of adolescents. It is also recommended that more studies should be done in order to inform about coping mechanisms for the adolescents who encounter the psychosocial effects after meeting sexual partner seekers via social media accounts.
... Two of the most central individual differences in predicting mate preferences/aversions are mating strategies (Li, 2007) and mate value (Regan, 1998). Mating strategies (long-term and short-term) are usually captured with questions about people's interest in romantic/sexual relationships (Buss & Schmitt, 1993 or individual differences in how favorable someone feels about casual sex (Schmitt, 2005). Although sexual strategies theory has faced criticism (such as the oversimplification of human behavior into short-term and long-term strategies or the neglection of cultural, social, and individual variation; Fletcher et al., 2015;Schmitt, 2007), it remains an important approach to understanding human mating behavior. ...
While there is substantial research on what people want in their romantic and sexual partners, much of this work focuses on WEIRD, youthful samples, fails to consider the role of undesirable characteristics (i.e., things people do not want in partners) at all, or in conjunction with desirable characteristics (i.e., things people do want in partners), and may be overly reliant on psychometric approaches to pivotal variables in mating psychology like mate value and sociosexuality. In a nationally representative (online) sample of 2280 people from Czechia (aged between 18 and 50 years old), we examined linear and quadratic age, education, and self-perceived mate value (desirability) effects on the desired levels in mate choice of eight undesirable and seven desirable characteristics in men and women in relation to ostensible metrics of mate value. Self-perceived mate value alone explained little variance (men 1%, women 2%), while all mate value and mating strategy indicators together explained little variance of mate preferences and aversions (men 3%, women 5%). Desirable characteristics were better explained by mate value than undesirable ones. Our results are in line with evolutionary predictions suggesting that women are more demanding. Also, more qualities to offer correlate with more expectations in a partner.
... Historical LLMs might be also be used to test the historical generalizability of psychological phenomena observed across contemporary societies, including the importance of kin care vs. other fundamental social motives (14), the tendency of people to cooperate more with in-vs outgroup members (15), and sex differences in mating strategies and preferences (16). If replicated with historical LLMs, this would add weight to current claims regarding the evolutionary origins of these apparently universal tendencies. ...
... Factors such as the tendency to project one's own desires onto others, self-perceived attractiveness, sex drive, and sociosexualityone's openness to uncommitted sex (Penke and Asendorpf, 2008)have been identified as significant contributors (Shotland and Craig, 1988;Koenig et al., 2007;Perilloux et al., 2012;Lee et al., 2020;Samara et al., 2021). Several of these mechanisms are associated with androgens and have themselves been posited to be the result of sexual selection on males for pluralistic mating (Baumeister et al., 2001;Schmitt, 2005;Lippa, 2009;Howell et al., 2012;Roth et al., 2021), and in the context of SMB, have been variably invoked as a potential proximate explanation for the observed sex difference (Koenig et al., 2007;Roth et al., 2021;Samara et al., 2021). ...
The sexual misperception bias is a cognitive bias in which men tend to overestimate sexual interest from women, potentially shaped by evolutionary mating strategies. Testosterone, often linked to mating behaviors, might play a role in sustaining sexual overperceptions. To explore this possibility, we conducted a placebo-controlled study with 190 heterosexual men, administering either 11 mg of testosterone or a placebo. Participants interacted with an attractive female confederate, while naïve raters assessed the confederate’s affiliative behaviors. Our findings suggest that exogenous testosterone did not broadly impact sexual overperception. However, we found that affiliative behavior from the confederate was positively correlated with perceived sexual interest among testosterone-treated, but not placebo-treated men. In addition, we found that this effect among testosterone-treated men was contingent on their self-perceived attractiveness. Specifically, the confederate’s affiliative behaviors were positively correlated with perceived sexual interest, but only for testosterone-treated men with average or above average self-perceived attractiveness. Furthermore, our data revealed that men’s tendency to project their own short-term and long-term mating interests increases as a function of self-perceived attractiveness, and this coupling is enhanced by testosterone for long-term interest. Taken together, these results suggest that testosterone may potentiate existing biases, particularly when sexual motivation is high, and bias perceptions of friendly behavior when engaging in cross-sex mindreading. This study adds to the understanding of the neuroendocrine bases of social cognition, suggesting that testosterone can affect men’s perceptions of potential mates.
... Segundo Belsky (1991), nas culturas em que predominam baixo acesso a recursos, estresse familiar e alta mortalidade, os indivíduos deveriam apresentar uma orientação sociossexual mais irrestrita -um indicativo de estratégias aceleradas de história de vida. Contudo, o trabalho de Schmitt (2005) não encontrou dados que apoiassem essa premissa. Apesar disso, o autor reconhece que o estudo apresenta duas limitações em relação ao teste adequado dessas predições. ...
... Apesar disso, o autor reconhece que o estudo apresenta duas limitações em relação ao teste adequado dessas predições. A primeira delas se refere ao fato de que as variáveis selecionadas foram apenas medidas indiretas dos constructos, enquanto a segunda afirma que as culturas com alto nível de estresse familiar não foram bem representadas no seu estudo (Schmitt, 2005). ...
Resumo Desenvolvida na biologia para entender a evolução das espécies, a teoria da história de vida passou a ser aplicada na psicologia para compreender as diferenças individuais no desenvolvimento em resposta a condições ambientais específicas. Devido ao seu potencial heurístico para compreensão do comportamento humano, o objetivo deste trabalho foi descrever a incorporação da THV pela psicologia, apresentando seus fundamentos teóricos e conceituais nesse novo campo, tais como contínuo rápido-lento, covariação entre traços psicológicos e estratégias de história de vida. Discutimos com base em trabalhos empíricos as previsões da teoria sobre a influência da imprevisibilidade e severidade ambientais nos traços psicológicos. São revisados trabalhos nas áreas do desenvolvimento, comportamento sexual e antissocial, personalidade e psicopatologia. São apresentadas críticas e contracríticas do seu uso na psicologia. Finalmente, abordamos limitações dos estudos de THV na psicologia. Argumentamos que estudos nessa área podem contribuir para o desenvolvimento de soluções aos problemas sociais atuais.
... This increased inclination could affect how certain aspects of social perception, such as trustworthiness and attractiveness, are prioritized in their behaviour within online dating contexts. Although women tend to be more sexually restricted than men (Schmitt, 2005), variability in sociosexuality is greater within the sexes than between them (Simpson & Gangestad, 1991). Individuals high in sociosexuality tend to prefer short-term mating (Schmitt, 2005) and thus place lower premiums on trustworthiness and higher premiums on attractiveness (Gangestad & Simpson, 2000). ...
... Although women tend to be more sexually restricted than men (Schmitt, 2005), variability in sociosexuality is greater within the sexes than between them (Simpson & Gangestad, 1991). Individuals high in sociosexuality tend to prefer short-term mating (Schmitt, 2005) and thus place lower premiums on trustworthiness and higher premiums on attractiveness (Gangestad & Simpson, 2000). On the other hand, sociosexual unrestricted men (but not women), selectively allocated visual attention to attractive (and away from unattractive) oppositesex others . ...
Les filtres photo sont devenus une stratégie omniprésente pour obtenir l’approbation dans les médias sociaux et les applications de rencontre. Postulant que la sociosexualité est un prédicteur majeur des réactions aux photos dans les applications, nous avons examiné si les différences individuelles dans la sociosexualité non restreinte façonnent les perceptions des visages manipulés à l’aide de filtres photo. Nous avons mené une étude en ligne (n = 218, 145 femmes; âge moyen = 25,43 ans, écart-type = 8,72) auprès d’un échantillon colombien afin d’évaluer si des filtres photo exagérés et subtils appliqués à des visages (plus ou moins attrayants) influençaient les jugements de fiabilité et le comportement d’appréciation dans une interface mobile de type rencontre basée sur l’image. Les données ont été analysées à l’aide de modèles linéaires à effets mixtes dans R. Nos résultats ont montré que la sociosexualité sans restriction (a) prédisait des jugements plus élevés de la fiabilité perçue basée sur le visage; (b) diminuait l’appréciation des visages non attrayants; et (c) augmentait l’appréciation des visages avec un filtre photo subtil et sans filtre, mais diminuait l’appréciation des visages auxquels un filtre photo exagéré avait été appliqué. En outre, nous avons constaté que (d) par rapport aux visages sans filtre, les filtres photo subtils augmentaient les réponses d’appréciation et (e) les visages non attrayants étaient jugés moins fiables et moins appréciés que les visages neutres et attrayants. Le constat voulant que la sociosexualité façonne les jugements de fiabilité perçue basée sur le visage dans une interface de type application nous permet d’identifier une prédisposition psychologique à la fiabilité qui peut constituer un facteur de risque dans les contextes en ligne.
... The sex ratio influences the bargaining power that each sex has in achieving its ideal mating strategy (Baumeister & Vohs, 2004). In line with evolutionary theory's sex differences in sexual strategies, where the reproductive cost is greater for females than males, females prefer longer-term commitment than males ideally would like to offer (Schmitt, 2005;Schmitt et al., 2001). When sex ratios are skewed, the overrepresented sex has less bargaining power in the mating market and shifts their preferred sexual strategy to meet the preference of the other (Guttentag & Secord, 1983;Kandrik et al., 2015;Moss & Maner, 2016). ...
... When sex ratios are skewed, the overrepresented sex has less bargaining power in the mating market and shifts their preferred sexual strategy to meet the preference of the other (Guttentag & Secord, 1983;Kandrik et al., 2015;Moss & Maner, 2016). Studies have found that when females are overrepresented, long-term committed relationships decrease (Jemmott et al., 1989), female promiscuity rises (Schmitt, 2005), and teenage and out of wedlock births increase (Barber, 2001). There is some evidence that significant male overrepresentation is associated with misogyny, involuntary celibate (incel) culture, and the perpetuation of male violence against women (Brooks et al., 2022). ...
... One factor that may partly account for these findings of sex differences is the sexual strategies favored by each sex. From an evolutionary perspective, it is beneficial for males to engage in short-term relationships with many females as a means of producing an optimal number of offspring, while females fair better securing one long-term male partnership to help care for their offspring (Schmitt, 2005;Schmitt et al., 2001). Males may be more sensitive to perceived female availability because optimal male mating strategies necessitate not just one but many available females. ...
Mate value (MV) and the availability of potential mates have been found to influence mate attraction strategies and relationship-related attitudes, yet there is a dearth of evidence assessing how these factors influence well-being. This study examined whether perceived mate availability influenced several mental health outcomes in the young adult, single population. The main sample consisted of 647 participants residing in the United States, who responded to an online survey with items measuring MV, perceived sex ratio (PSR), depression, anxiety, positive and negative affect, and life satisfaction. PSR impacted males more than females. For males, the perception of lower mate availability was associated with decreased life satisfaction and decreased positive affect. MV was found to moderate the relationship between PSR and anxiety, depression, and negative affect for both males and females. For those low in MV, perceived decreased opposite-sex availability was associated with an increase in anxiety, depression, and negative affect. This pattern reversed for those high in MV, where perceived increased opposite-sex availability was associated with increased depression, anxiety, and negative affect. These results suggest that there may be psychological costs for those both high and low in MV when there is an imbalance in the sex ratio. The findings can help those in the clinical and counseling field better understand how perceived mate availability influences well-being.
... For example, studies have consistently shown that despite the risks, many people engage in sexually risky behaviors (e.g., not wearing a condom during intercourse; Ballester-Arnal et al., 2022;Copen et al., 2022;Harper et al., 2018;Katz et al., 2023). However, these findings may be rendered meaningless if researchers fail to consider that people have sex for multiple reasons (Dawson et al., 2008;Gravel et al., 2016;Meston & Buss, 2007), vary in their willingness to pursue short-term and longterm partners (Gangestad & Simpson, 2000;Schmitt, 2005), or adhere to gender norms and sexual scripts to a different extent (Sanchez et al., 2005;Weitbrecht & Whitton, 2020;Wiederman, 2005), among other individual and contextual variables that influence sexual behavior. ...
People differ in their predispositions to value safety maintenance (i.e., disease prevention regulatory focus) or pleasure pursuit (i.e., pleasure promotion regulatory focus). Extending recent research, results of a cross-sectional study with participants living in Portugal and Spain (N = 770) showed that these individual differences resulted in a trade-off between potential health risks and pleasure rewards in sexual practices and experiences with casual partners. Specifically, people who were more focused on promotion (vs. prevention) reported riskier and more unrestricted sexual activities (more frequent condomless sex activities; more casual partners) and experienced more positive sexual outcomes (more sexual satisfaction; more positive and less negative affect related to condomless sex). This pattern of results remained the same after controlling for country differences, suggesting the robustness of our findings across different cultural contexts. Our study shows the complexity of sexual decisions and align with our reasoning that prevention-focused people tend to prioritize health safety, whereas promotion-focused people tend to prioritize sexual pleasure. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed.
