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Do certain personality traits provide a mating market competitive advantage? Sex, offspring & the big 5
Abstract
This study uses the BIG 5 personality traits to quantitatively explore correlates of sexual frequency and reproductive success of a large sample (NMale = 2998; NFemale = 1480) of heterosexuals advertised to on an Australian dating website. Consistent with previous research we find that for both sexes, extraversion has a positive linear relationship with sexual frequency. The same is also observable for males that are more conscientious, more emotionally stable, and less agreeable; indicating that for men, a greater number of personality factors matter in explaining the variation in sexual activity. Higher extraversion or lower openness in males correlates with more offspring. Conversely, only more agreeable females have more offspring. Our non-parametric thin-plate spline analysis suggests certain combinations of the traits extraversion & agreeableness, extraversion & conscientiousness, and agreeableness & conscientiousness provide select males a mating market competitive advantage in relation to sexual frequency, compared to other males. Our findings suggest that greater variance in male traits and their particular combinations thereof may provide a fitness comparative advantage for males, but not necessarily for females.
... ; and a number of studies showing important connections between personality and job career and professional success (e.g. Judge et al., 2006;Seibert et al., 2001;Whyte et al., 2019). Both union formation and vocational choices are often considered antecedents of fertility, because individuals typically make their fertility planning conditional on job and union dynamics. ...
... Jokela et al. (2009) find that low levels of 'Neuroticism' and high levels of 'Extraversion' are associated with higher fertility in a nine-year follow-up study on a sample of Finnish men and women aged 15-30 years at the base year. Whyte et al. (2019) explore the relation between PTs and the frequency of sexual relations and find a strong positive relationship to 'Extraversion' for both sexes and to 'Conscientiousness' and 'Agreeableness' for men. From the same sample, instead, higher extraverted and less open men tend to have more offspring, whereas the same is true for more agreeable women. ...
We investigate the link between personality traits (PTs) and fertility, accounting for the possible interplay with other key life course events. Using data from German Socio‐Economic Panel survey, we build sequence‐type representations of fertility, union and job careers between the ages of 20 and 40. We rely on multichannel sequence analysis (MSA) and on the Partitioning around Medoids algorithm to cluster individuals with similar experiences, and relate clusters to PTs via multinomial regression. We also develop a procedure to apply standard and MSA to truncated trajectories. This enables inclusion of individuals whose trajectories were otherwise observed for a limited age span, notably belonging to younger cohorts. We show that PTs relate to these (portions of) life‐course trajectories, of which fertility is only one outcome.
... Their importance in mate selection may also be increasing in developed countries where sex-discrimination legislation and wider efforts towards gender equity have narrowed the gap in the ability of males and females to acquire the income and wealth resources that benefit child rearing and welfare. Hence, modern female preferences may not only more acutely favor personality traits or "good father attributes" that increase reproductive success [35], but as household, gender, and labor market roles evolve and even converge, personality traits may become a greater point of differentiation [36] in a potential mate than resources or the ability to acquire them. The current study provides a unique opportunity to explore both relative and absolute sex difference stated preference for key personality factors such as trust, openness, and emotional connection in a large sample (n = 7325) of online dating participants and how those preferences change with age. ...
... These data were collected as part of the national online Australian Sex Survey, administered to the Australian general public between July 25 and September 19, 2016, and resulting in a very broad Australian sample. Some data from the survey has already been published in unrelated research [36,[42][43][44][45]. Participation was incentivized by three random draws for approximately $1,500 worth of prizes donated by the industry partners Adultmatchmaker.com ...
Because sexual attraction is a key driver of human mate choice and reproduction, we descriptively assess relative sex differences in the level of attraction individuals expect in the aesthetic, resource, and personality characteristics of potential mates. As a novelty we explore how male and female sexual attractiveness preference changes across age, using a dataset comprising online survey data for over 7,000 respondents across a broad age distribution of individuals between 18 and 65 years. In general, we find that both males and females show similar distribution patterns in their preference responses, with statistically significant sex differences within most of the traits. On average, females rate age, education, intelligence, income, trust, and emotional connection around 9 to 14 points higher than males on our 0–100 scale range. Our relative importance analysis shows greater male priority for attractiveness and physical build , compared to females, relative to all other traits. Using multiple regression analysis, we find a consistent statistical sex difference (males relative to females) that decreases linearly with age for aesthetics , while the opposite is true for resources and personality , with females exhibiting a stronger relative preference, particularly in the younger aged cohort. Exploring non-linearity in sex difference with contour plots for intelligence and attractiveness across age (mediated by age) indicates that sex differences in attractiveness preferences are driven by the male cohort (particularly age 30 to 40) for those who care about the importance of age, while intelligence is driven by females caring relatively more about intelligence for those who see age as very important (age cohort 40 to 55). Overall, many of our results indicate distinct variations within sex at key life stages, which is consistent with theories of selection pressure. Moreover, results also align with theories of parental investment, the gender similarities hypothesis, and mutual mate choice–which speaks to the fact that the broader discipline of evolutionary mate choice research in humans still contains considerable scope for further inquiry towards a unified theory, particularly when exploring sex-difference across age.
... Instead, each personality trait represents a fundamental behavioral tradeoff. For example, extraversion seems to confer a swath of important benefits-more sexual & reproductive opportunities (Nettle, 2005;Whyte et al. 2017;Whyte et al. 2019), greater social support (Franken, Gibson, & Mohan, 1990), and (in some cultures) life satisfaction (Kim, Schimmack, Oishi, & Tsutsui, 2018). Yet social interaction is not without risk, and extraversion is likely to be a liability when pathogen loads are high. ...
The current COVID-19 pandemic is a global exogenous shock, impacting individuals’ decision making and behaviour allowing researchers to test theories of personality by exploring how traits, in conjunction with individual and societal differences affect compliance and cooperation. Study 1 used Google Mobility data and nation-level personality data from 31 countries, both before and after region-specific legislative interventions, finding thatagreeable nations are most consistently compliant with mobility restrictions. Study 2 (N= 105,857) replicated these findings using individual-level data, showing that several personality traits predict sheltering in place behavior,but extraverts are especially likely to remain mobile. Overall, our analyses reveal robust relationships between traits and regulatory compliance (mobility behaviour) both before and after region specific legislative interventions, and the global declaration of the pandemic. Further, we find significant effects on reasons for leaving home, as well as age and gender differences, particularly relating to female agreeableness for previous and future social mobility behaviours.
... Our dependent variable, measured on a 100-point scale (0-100 score) 5 , is individual participants selfrated attractiveness which is our studies proxy for participants market value (see Table 1A). Some data used in this research were used in previous unrelated studies (Whyte et al. 2018a;Whyte et al. 2019). ...
In this study, we apply economic principles to the heterosexual human mating market using data on the socio-demographics, biology, attractiveness, sexual behaviour, and reproductive history of 3,261 Australian online dating participants. More specifically, by using survey participants attractiveness ratings as a proxy for market value, we are able to quantitatively explore theories of sexual economics (SET), which conceptualizes sexual access as an economic resource supplied by women in the human mating market. Our study tests this theory further by incorporating heterosexual market substitutes (namely, 953 bisexual and pansexual individuals) to more accurately integrate the relevant supply and demand forces impacting market value and the commodity of sexual access. We find not only that bisexual and pansexual women (but not men) enjoy a market premium (7.3% higher; p < 0.001) relative to their heterosexual counterparts, but that, contrary to SET, women’s market value in our sample does not diminish with age. We further find that in line with theory and evidence from evolutionary studies, men with (proxied) resources realize a higher market value (6.1% higher for every increased level of educational attainment; p < 0.001) than those without. In conclusion, SET is just one possible model that seeks to understand the complex multi-dimensionality of modern human sexuality and reproduction through an economics lens. As the internet and online dating now provide a low-cost conduit for human mating market participants, so to can it facilitate further large sample scientific studies of mating market dynamics such as this.
... Across all cultures, individual personality has a fundamental influence on human behavior, and has played a critical role in human evolution. Indeed, research has recently demonstrated the significance of personality on such critical aspects of humanity as sexual selection (Whyte, Brooks, Chan, & Torgler, 2019) and mate retention (Atari, Barbaro, Sela, Shackelford, & Chegeni, 2017). ...
Recent research into the underlying structure of personality has created considerable debate among academics. Further, a new, person-centered approach to studying personality has recently gathered support, but results have been underwhelming and inconsistent. The present study steps into the debate from a new angle with a constructive replication and derives a model of latent personality profiles in an archival sample of over three million respondents from almost every country in the world who completed a Five-Factor Model of personality questionnaire and other work and life outcomes measures. Three latent profiles emerged from this analysis, which were characterized by the degree to which respondents endorsed the traits of Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability. The trait of Openness to Experience did not appear to discriminate between the three latent profiles. Consistent with socioanalytic theory, evolutionary psychology, and more nascent theory on the general factor of personality, personality profiles were labelled as maladaptive, adaptive, and highly adaptive. More adaptive personality profiles were associated with higher life satisfaction, job self-efficacy, and passion towards work, as well as favorable value systems. Theoretical implications are subsequently discussed.
In recent decades, the constructs of individual differences have become important in the context of human romantic relationships. The present study aimed to investigate whether the personality, romantic attachment and mate value of couples can predict their relationship satisfaction. The sample consisted of 83 couples in long-term relationships and all the participants completed a set of questionnaires in person. The results indicate that the dimensions of romantic attachment are the constructs most able to predict satisfaction in a heterosexual relationship, while personality traits are the best predictors of relationship satisfaction for non-heterosexuals. In addition, the greater the differences in neuroticism and the lower in openness, the higher the relationship satisfaction, irrespective of sexual orientation. Thus, we can conclude that satisfaction in heterosexual and non-heterosexual relationships seems to be linked to different individual characteristics, but similarities and differences between the characteristics of the individuals in the couple appear to be important in relationship satisfaction for both heterosexuals and non-heterosexuals.
The current COVID-19 pandemic is a global, exogenous shock, impacting individuals' decision making and behavior allowing researchers to test theories of personality by exploring how traits, in conjunction with individual and societal differences, affect compliance and cooperation. Study 1 used Google mobility data and nation-level personality data from 31 countries, both before and after region-specific legislative interventions, finding that agreeable nations are most consistently compliant with mobility restrictions. Study 2 (N ¼ 105,857) replicated these findings using individual-level data, showing that several personality traits predict sheltering in place behavior, but extraverts are especially likely to remain mobile. Overall, our analyses reveal robust relationships between traits and regulatory compliance (mobility behavior), both before and after region-specific legislative interventions, and the global declaration of the pandemic. Further, we find significant effects on reasons for leaving home, as well as age and gender differences, particularly relating to female agreeableness for previous and future social mobility behaviors. These sex differences, however, are only visible for those living in households with two or more people, suggesting that such findings may be driven by division of labor.
Recent public debate on gender identification has provided new alternatives to the traditional binary divergent titles of “man and woman”. Some contributors to this discussion have proposed a more regressive position regarding gender equity and identity awareness, instead choosing to mock online discussion by relabeling their own gender as different forms of military hardware (“attack helicopters”). The describing characteristics of these individuals are unclear. Using a sample of respondents (N=20) to the 2016 Australian Sex Survey, we explore some key demographics of those identifying as inanimate objects of modern warfare, and those simply rejecting the possibility of non-binary alternatives. Our archetype analysis delineates participant characteristics into two subpopulations of “Incel” and “Troll”, and identifies key differences in their demographics, personality traits and online behaviours. On average, the study population presents as single Caucasian males, high school educated, with average to low incomes, and some degree of non-heterosexual attraction. While cyber aggression and trolling are well researched areas, further qualitative and quantitative research is warranted into new growing sub-populations such as Incels, and how they differ from other individuals and groups online.
Strong evidence suggests that sexual behavior and reproductive success can be predicted by personality traits. Here, I review new studies that have contributed to the understanding of these associations and outline potential avenues for further research. Findings show that extraversion is the most important personality trait in sexual behavior (number of lifetime sexual partners, involvement in casual sex, marital infidelity, condom use, male and female sexual dysfunction, sexual coercion, and sexual harassment) and that neuroticism, agreeableness, and conscientiousness are also associated with these outcomes. Extraversion has emerged as the most important personality trait for fertility in men but appears relatively unimportant for fertility in women. Findings for other personality traits are somewhat mixed, probably because of variations in research design, and further prospective studies are recommended to address potential bidirectional associations. Further research is also needed in adolescent samples, in understudied topic areas (e.g., sexually transmitted infections, biomarkers of fertility), and on personality similarity between sexual partners in samples from both poor and developed nations.
Using a unique dataset of 7479 respondents to the online Australian Sex Survey (July–September 2016), we explored factors relevant for individuals who self-identify as one of the many possible nonbinary gender options (i.e., not man or woman). Our results identified significant sex differences in such factors; in particular, a positive association between female height, higher educational levels, and greater same-sex attraction (female–female) versus a negative effect of lower income levels and more offspring. With respect to sex similarities, older males and females, heterosexuals, those with lower educational levels, and those living outside capital cities were all more likely to identify as the historically dichotomous gender options. These factors associated with nonbinary gender identification were also more multifaceted for females than for males, although our interaction terms demonstrated that younger females (relative to younger males) and nonheterosexuals (relative to heterosexuals) were more likely to identify as nonbinary. These effects were reversed, however, in the older cohort. Because gender can have such significant lifetime impacts for both the individual and society as a whole, our findings strongly suggest the need for further research into factors that impact gender diversity.
Recent developments in quantitative-genetic theory have shown that natural selection can be viewed as the multivariate relationship between fitness and phenotype. This relationship can be described by a multidimensional surface depicting fitness as a function of phenotypic traits. We examine the connection between this surface and the coefficients of phenotypic selection that can be estimated by multiple regression and show how the interpretation of multivariate selection can be facilitated through the use of the method of canonical analysis. The results from this analysis can be used to visualize the surface implied by a set of selection coefficients. Such a visualization provides a compact summary of selection coefficients, can aid in the comparison of selection surfaces, and can help generate testable hypotheses as to the adaptive significance of the traits under study. Further, we discuss traditional definitions of directional, stabilizing, and disruptive selection and conclude that selection may be more usefully classified into two general modes, directional and nonlinear selection, with stabilizing and disruptive selection as special cases of nonlinear selection.
This study explores factors that influence matches of online dating participants' stated preference for particular characteristics in a potential partner and compares these with the characteristics of the online daters actually contacted. The nature of online dating facilitates exploration of the differences between stated preference and actual choice by participants, as online daters willingly provide a range of demographics on their ideal partner. Using data from the Australian dating website RSVP, we analyze 219,013 contact decisions. We conduct a multivariate analysis using the number of matched variables between the participants' stated preference and the characteristics of the individuals contacted. We find that factors such as a person's age, their education level, and a more social personality all increase the number of factors they choose in a potential partner that match their original stated preference. Males (relative to females) appear to match fewer characteristics when contacting potential love interests. Conversely, age interaction effects demonstrate that males in their late 60's are increasingly more selective (than females) regarding who they contact. An understanding of how technology (the Internet) is impacting human mating patterns and the psychology behind the participants informs the wider social science of human behavior in large-scale decision settings.
Recent developments in quantitative-genetic theory have shown that natural selection can be viewed as the multivariate relationship between fitness and phenotype. This relationship can be described by a multidimensional surface depicting fitness as a function of phenotypic traits. We examine the connection between this surface and the coefficients of phenotypic selection that can be estimated by multiple regression and show how the interpretation of multivariate selection can be facilitated through the use of the method of canonical analysis. The results from this analysis can be used to visualize the surface implied by a set of selection coefficients. Such a visualization provides a compact summary of selection coefficients, can aid in the comparison of selection surfaces, and can help generate testable hypotheses as to the adaptive significance of the traits under study. Further, we discuss traditional definitions of directional, stabilizing, and disruptive selection and conclude that selection may be more usefully classified into two general modes, directional and nonlinear selection, with stabilizing and disruptive selection as special cases of nonlinear selection.
1 Abstract: As part of the International Sexuality Description Project, 13,243 participants from 46 nations responded to self-report measures of personality and mating behavior. Several traits showed consistent links with short-term mating. Extraversion positively correlated with interest in short-term mating, unrestricted sociosexuality, having engaged in short-term mate poaching attempts, having succumbed to short-term poaching attempts of others, and lacking relationship exclusivity. Low levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness also related to short-term mating, especially with extra-pair mating. Neuroticism and openness were associated with short-term mating as well, but these links were less consistent across sex and nation. Nation-level links between personality and sexuality replicated within-region findings, such as the strong association between national extraversion and national sociosexuality. Discussion focuses on the origins of personality-sexuality links and their implications across nations.
Men may gauge their own status by comparing themselves to other men in terms of how many sexual partners they have had. In so doing, men who have had more sexual partners appear to have higher status than a man with fewer past sexual partners. In Study 1, men were more likely than women to use their perceived amount of sexual success as a means of assessing status: accounting for the sex difference in reported number of sex partners. In Study 2, men viewed sexual success as more prestigious than women, as demonstrated experimentally. Men may be more likely to boost reports about their sex life both in real-life and in surveys as functions of (1) their perception that with more sex comes more prestige and (2) the desire to enhance their perceived status among others.
Examined the consequences of mate preferences for the processes of assortative mating and sexual selection. In Study 1, 92 married couples (aged 18–40 yrs) completed measures such as the California Psychological Inventory, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and Personal Attributes Questionnaire. Data were used to identify (a) the mate characteristics that were consensually more and less desired, (b) the mate characteristics that showed strong sex differences in their preferred value, (c) the degree to which married couples were correlated in selection preferences, and (d) the relations between expressed preferences and the personality and background characteristics of obtained spouses. Marital preference factors included Religious, Kind/Considerate, Artistic/Intelligent, and Easygoing/Adaptable. Study 2, with 100 unmarried undergraduates, replicated the sex differences and consensual ordering of mate preferences found in Study 1, using a different methodology. Alternative hypotheses are presented to account for the replicated sex differences in preferences for attractiveness and earning potential. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT Although personality characteristics figure prominently in what people want in a mate, little is known about precisely which personality characteristics are most important, whether men and women differ in their personality preferences, whether individual women or men differ in what they want, and whether individuals actually get what they want. To explore these issues, two parallel studies were conducted, one using a sample of dating couples (N= 118) and one using a sample of married couples (N= 216). The five-factor model, operationalized in adjectival form, was used to assess personality characteristics via three data sources—self-report, partner report, and independent interviewer reports. Participants evaluated on a parallel 40-item instrument their preferences for the ideal personality characteristics of their mates. Results were consistent across both studies. Women expressed a greater preference than men for a wide array of socially desirable personality traits. Individuals differed in which characteristics they desired, preferring mates who were similar to themselves and actually obtaining mates who embodied what they desired. Finally, the personality characteristics of one's partner significantly predicted marital and sexual dissatisfaction, most notably when the partner was lower on Agreeableness, Emotional Stability, and Intellect-Openness than desired.
Most contemporary social psychological studies on inter-personal attraction have independently explored the competing concepts of similarity and complementarity. Incorporating evolutionary principles associated with assortative mating, two studies were conducted that examined individual difference preferences using the five-factor model (FFM) of human personality as assessed by the NEO-FFI. The first study (N = 104) examined the degree to which individuals showed an absolute or relative preference in an “ideal romantic partner” when compared to self-rated personality. The second study (N = 161) extended this by incorporating personality ratings for self, “ideal” romantic partner, and “actual” romantic partner, and perceptions of mate value for each. Overall, findings supported both evolutionary and social psychological theories of inter-personal attraction and support both relative and absolute preferences in romantic partners. Individuals sought mates that were matches of themselves to some degree (a concept that we termed aspirational positive assortative mating) but also sought mates that were somewhat higher in Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Mate Value, but lower in Neuroticism than themselves.
Multivariate statistical methods are derived for measuring selection solely from observed changes in the distribution of phenotypic characters in a population within a generation. Selective effects are readily detectable in characters that do not change with age, such as meristic traits or adult characters in species with determinate growth. Ontogenetic characters, including allometric growth rates, can be analyzed in longitudinal studies where individuals are followed through time. Following an approach pioneered by Pearson (1903), this analysis helps to reveal the target(s) of selection, and to quantify its intensity, without identifying the selective agent(s). By accounting for indirect selection through correlated characters, separate forces of directional and stabilizing (or disruptive) selection acting directly on each character can be measured. These directional and stabilizing selection coefficients are respectively the parameters that describe the best linear and quadratic approximations to the selective surface of individual fitness as a function of the phenotypic characters. The theory is illustrated by estimating selective forces on morphological characters influencing survival in pentatomid bugs and in house sparrows during severe weather conditions.
The origins of variation in extraversion are largely mysterious. Recent theories and some findings suggest that personality variation can be orchestrated by specific genetic polymorphisms. Few studies, however, have examined an alternative hypothesis that personality traits are facultatively calibrated to variations in other phenotypic features, and none have considered how these distinct processes may interact in personality determination. Since physical strength and physical attractiveness likely predicted the reproductive payoffs of extraverted behavioral strategies over most of human history, it was theorized that extraversion is calibrated to variation in these characteristics. Confirming these predicted patterns, strength and attractiveness together explained a surprisingly large fraction of variance in extraversion across two studies--effects that were independent of variance explained by an androgen receptor gene polymorphism. These novel findings initially support an integrative model wherein facultative calibration and specific genetic polymorphisms operate in concert to determine personality variation.
The existence of interindividual differences in personality traits poses a challenge to evolutionary thinking. Although research on the ultimate consequences of personality differences in nonhuman animals has recently undergone a surge of interest, our understanding of whether and how personality influences reproductive decisions in humans has remained limited and informed primarily by modern societies with low mortality-fertility schedules. Taking an evolutionary approach, we use data from a contemporary polygynous high-fertility human population living in rural Senegal to investigate whether personality dimensions are associated with key life-history traits in humans, i.e., quantity and quality of offspring. We show that personality dimensions predict reproductive success differently in men and women in such societies and, in women, are associated with a trade-off between offspring quantity and quality. In women, neuroticism positively predicts the number of children, both between and within polygynous families. Furthermore, within the low social class, offspring quality (i.e., child nutritional status) decreases with a woman's neuroticism, indicating a reproductive trade-off between offspring quantity and quality. Consistent with this, maximal fitness is achieved by women at an intermediate neuroticism level. In men, extraversion was found to be a strong predictor of high social class and polygyny, with extraverted men producing more offspring than their introverted counterparts. These results have implications for the consideration of alternative adaptive hypotheses in the current debate on the maintenance of personality differences and the role of individual factors in fertility patterns in contemporary humans.
Personality has been implicated in romantic and sexual relationships, but its association with childbearing is poorly understood. The authors assessed whether 3 personality traits--sociability, emotionality, and activity--predicted the probability of having children and whether having children predicted personality change. The participants were women and men from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study (N = 1,839) who were followed for 9 years. High emotionality decreased the probability of having children, whereas high sociability and, in men, high activity increased this probability. Having children predicted increasing emotionality, particularly in participants with high baseline emotionality and two or more children. In men, having children increased sociability in those with high baseline sociability and decreased sociability in those with low baseline sociability. These findings suggest a two-way relationship between personality and having children.
Sociosexuality is usually assessed as the overall orientation toward uncommitted sex, although this global approach may mask unique contributions of different components. In a large online study (N = 2,708) and a detailed behavioral assessment of 283 young adults (both singles and couples) with a 1-year follow-up, the authors established 3 theoretically meaningful components of sociosexuality: past behavioral experiences, the attitude toward uncommitted sex, and sociosexual desire (all measured by a revised version of the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory). Discriminant validity was shown with regard to (a) their factorial structure, (b) sex differences, (c) many established correlates of sociosexuality, and (d) the prediction of observed flirting behavior when meeting an attractive opposite-sex stranger, even down to the level of objectively coded behaviors, as well as (e) the self-reported number of sexual partners and (f) changes in romantic relationship status over the following year. Within couples, the 3 components also showed distinct degrees of assortative mating and distinct effects on the romantic partner. Implications for the evolutionary psychology of mating tactics are discussed.
How strong is phenotypic selection on quantitative traits in the wild? We reviewed the literature from 1984 through 1997 for studies that estimated the strength of linear and quadratic selection in terms of standardized selection gradients or differentials on natural variation in quantitative traits for field populations. We tabulated 63 published studies of 62 species that reported over 2,500 estimates of linear or quadratic selection. More than 80% of the estimates were for morphological traits; there is very little data for behavioral or physiological traits. Most published selection studies were unreplicated and had sample sizes below 135 individuals, resulting in low statistical power to detect selection of the magnitude typically reported for natural populations. The absolute values of linear selection gradients |beta| were exponentially distributed with an overall median of 0.16, suggesting that strong directional selection was uncommon. The values of |beta| for selection on morphological and on life-history/phenological traits were significantly different: on average, selection on morphology was stronger than selection on phenology/life history. Similarly, the values of |beta| for selection via aspects of survival, fecundity, and mating success were significantly different: on average, selection on mating success was stronger than on survival. Comparisons of estimated linear selection gradients and differentials suggest that indirect components of phenotypic selection were usually modest relative to direct components. The absolute values of quadratic selection gradients |gamma| were exponentially distributed with an overall median of only 0.10, suggesting that quadratic selection is typically quite weak. The distribution of gamma values was symmetric about 0, providing no evidence that stabilizing selection is stronger or more common than disruptive selection in nature.
The relationship between reproductive success (number of biological children) and personality was explored in 1101 postmenopausal females from the Australian twin registry. The quadratic response surface relating fitness to extraversion (E) and neuroticism (N) showed a saddle point at intermediate levels of E and N. Selection was shown to be stabilizing, i.e., having an intermediate optimum, along the axis low E, low N-high E, high N and more mildly disruptive, having greater fitness in the extremes, along the axis low N, high E-high N, low E. Neither dimension of personality considered by itself showed a significant linear or quadratic relationship to reproductive success. Sections through the fitness surface, however, show selection tends to favor high neuroticism levels in introverts and low neuroticism levels in extroverts.
Although personality characteristics figure prominently in what people want in a mate, little is known about precisely which personality characteristics are most important, whether men and women differ in their personality preferences, whether individual women or men differ in what they want, and whether individuals actually get what they want. To explore these issues, two parallel studies were conducted, one using a sample of dating couples (N = 118) and one using a sample of married couples (N = 216). The five-factor model, operationalized in adjectival form, was used to assess personality characteristics via three data sources-self--report, partner report, and independent interviewer reports. Participants evaluated on a parallel 40-item instrument their preferences for the ideal personality characteristics of their mates. Results were consistent across both studies. Women expressed a greater preference than men for a wide array of socially desirable personality traits. Individuals differed in which characteristics they desired, preferring mates who were similar to themselves and actually obtaining mates who embodied what they desired. Finally, the personality characteristics of one's partner significantly predicted marital and sexual dissatisfaction, most notably when the partner was lower on Agreeableness, Emotional Stability, and Intellect-Openness than desired.
Cues of phenotypic condition should be among those used by women in their choice of mates. One marker of better phenotypic condition is thought to be symmetrical bilateral body and facial features. However, it is not clear whether women use symmetry as the primary cue in assessing the phenotypic quality of potential mates or whether symmetry is correlated with other facial markers affecting physical attractiveness. Using photographs of men's faces, for which facial symmetry had been measured, we found a relationship between women's attractiveness ratings of these faces and symmetry, but the subjects could not rate facial symmetry accurately. Moreover, the relationship between facial attractiveness and symmetry was still observed, even when symmetry cues were removed by presenting only the left or right half of faces. These results suggest that attractive features other than symmetry can be used to assess phenotypic condition. We identified one such cue, facial masculinity (cheek-bone prominence and a relatively longer lower face), which was related to both symmetry and full- and half-face attractiveness.
This 3-wave longitudinal study aimed to extend current understanding of the predictors and outcomes of employee proactivity (involving information seeking, feedback seeking, relationship building, and positive framing) in the socialization process. Two personality variables, extraversion and openness to experience, were associated with higher levels of proactive socialization behavior. Of the proactive behaviors studied, feedback seeking and relationship building were highlighted in their importance because of their various relationships with the work-related outcomes assessed in this study (e.g., social integration, role clarity, job satisfaction, intention to turnover, and actual turnover). The results also highlighted the importance of 2 control variables (opportunity to interact with others on the job and skill level of the new job) in the experience of socialization into a new job.
Men report more permissive sexual attitudes and behavior than do women. This experiment tested whether these differences might result from false accommodation to gender norms (distorted reporting consistent with gender stereotypes). Participants completed questionnaires under three conditions. Sex differences in self-reported sexual behavior were negligible in a bogus pipeline condition in which participants believed lying could be detected, moderate in an anonymous condition, and greatest in an exposure threat condition in which the experimenter could potentially view participants responses. This pattern was clearest for behaviors considered less acceptable for women than men (e.g., masturbation, exposure to hardcore & softcore erotica). Results suggest that some sex differences in self-reported sexual behavior reflect responses influenced by normative expectations for men and women.
The authors investigated links between the Big Five, proactive personality, and motivation to learn. Web-based survey data were collected at 2 points in time from 183 employees of a financial services firm. Results showed that proactive personality was, only in part, a composite of Big Five facets, which accounted for 26% of its variance. Structural equation modeling results demonstrated that proactive personality, openness, extraversion, and conscientiousness predicted motivation to learn. In addition, motivation to learn was positively related to objectively assessed development activity. Proactive personality, extraversion, and openness had significant indirect links to development activity. Hierarchical regression results suggested that proactive personality had significant incremental validity in the prediction of motivation to learn over all relevant Big Five facets.
Using a unique cross-sectional data set of dating website members’ educational preferences for potential mates (N = 41,936), we showed that women were more likely than men to stipulate educational preferences at all ages. When members indifferent to educational level were excluded, however, the specificity of men’s and women’s preferences did differ for different age groups. That is, whereas women expressed more refined educational preferences during their years of maximum fertility, their demand specificity decreased with age. Men’s specificity, in contrast, remained stable until the 40s, when it was greater than that of postreproductive women, and then was higher during their peak years of career-earnings potential. Further, when individuals’ level of education was controlled for, women (compared with men) were more likely to state a higher minimum preference for educational level in a potential mate.
Psychological scientists draw inferences about populations based on samples—of people, situations, and stimuli—from those populations. Yet, few papers identify their target populations, and even fewer justify how or why the tested samples are representative of broader populations. A cumulative science depends on accurately characterizing the generality of findings, but current publishing standards do not require authors to constrain their inferences, leaving readers to assume the broadest possible generalizations. We propose that the discussion section of all primary research articles specify Constraints on Generality (i.e., a “COG” statement) that identify and justify target populations for the reported findings. Explicitly defining the target populations will help other researchers to sample from the same populations when conducting a direct replication, and it could encourage follow-up studies that test the boundary conditions of the original finding. Universal adoption of COG statements would change publishing incentives to favor a more cumulative science.
To identify the factors that influence educational assortment in an online dating setting, we analyse 219,013 participant contacts by 41,936 members of the Australian online dating web site RSVP over a four-month period. Consistent with prior research, we find that more educated online daters are consistently likely to assort positively (homogamy) meaning that they are more likely to contact potential mates with the same level of education. However, as the more educated cohort gets older they care less about homogamy while less educated daters become more interested in homogamy which leads to an increase in similarity towards caring for the same educational level. On the other hand, older and more educated online daters are less likely to contact those with lower educational levels compared to their own while women are more likely to contact a potential mate with higher educational levels relative to their own (hypergamy). Our interaction analysis also reveals fewer differences in educational hypergamy among older online participants but a greater likelihood of online daters contacting mates with lower levels of education among younger males and older females. Further research is therefore warranted on technology's impact on human mating behaviour; in particular, the psychology employed by humans using the Internet to maximize their chances of matching their educational preferences in a mate.
Prior research has been somewhat inconsistent in demonstrating links between personality and sexual functioning. We pooled the data from three independent daily-diary studies of newlywed couples to examine the association between individuals’ Big Five traits and the probability of sex on a given day; we also pooled the data from the two studies that assessed satisfaction with sex to examine the association between these traits and individuals’ satisfaction with sex when it occurred. Couples with wives high in agreeableness engaged in more frequent sex. Husbands low in openness or neuroticism and wives low in neuroticism reported increased satisfaction with sex when it occurred. Partner personality was unrelated to satisfaction with sex when it occurred.
Recent studies have linked personality with family formation and having children. We studied whether personality traits are differentially associated with planned versus non-planned pregnancies. The participants were 8336 men and women from the 1958 British birth cohort study, with personality assessed in adulthood using the Five Factor Model. Planned pregnancies were more likely in women with high agreeableness and low openness to experience, and in men with high extraversion, high emotional stability, high conscientiousness, and low openness to experience. Non-planned pregnancies were more likely in women with high extraversion, low emotional stability, and low conscientiousness, and in men with high extraversion and low agreeableness. These results indicate that personality is associated with fertility differences via different pathways of fertility planning.
This . . . book is the first to present a unified theory of human mating behavior. [It] is based on the most massive study of human mating ever undertaken, encompassing more than 10,000 people of all ages from thirty-seven cultures worldwide.
If we all want love, why is there so much conflict in our most cherished relationships? To answer this question, we must look into our evolutionary past, according to David M. Buss.
The book discusses casual sex and long-term relationships, sexual conflict, the elusive quest for harmony between the sexes, and much more.
Buss's research leads to a radical shift from the standard view of men's and women's sexual psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Heritable individual differences in personality have not been fully accounted for within the framework of evolutionary psychology. This paper argues that personality axes such as extraversion can usefully be seen as dimensions of trade-off of different fitness costs and benefits. It is hypothesized that increasing extraversion will be associated with increasing mating success, but at the cost of either increased physical risk or decreased parenting effort. In a sample of 545 British adults, extraversion was a strong predictor of lifetime number of sexual partners. Male extraverts were likely to have extra-pair matings, whilst female extraverts were likely to leave existing relationships for new ones. On the cost side, increasing extraversion increased the likelihood of hospitalization for accident or illness. There was no direct evidence of reduced parenting effort, but extravert women had an increased likelihood of exposing their children to stepparenting. The study demonstrates that extraversion has fitness costs as well as benefits. Population variation related in the trait is unlikely to be eliminated by selection due to its polygenic nature, likely spatiotemporal variability in the optimal value, and possible status-and frequency-dependent selection.
This paper explores the power of personality traits both as predictors and as causes of academic and economic success, health, and criminal activity. Measured personality is interpreted as a construct derived from an economic model of preferences, constraints, and information. Evidence is reviewed about the "situational specificity" of personality traits and preferences. An extreme version of the situationist view claims that there are no stable personality traits or preference parameters that persons carry across different situations. Those who hold this view claim that personality psychology has little relevance for economics. The biological and evolutionary origins of personality traits are explored. Personality measurement systems and relationships among the measures used by psychologists are examined. The predictive power of personality measures is compared with the predictive power of measures of cognition captured by IQ and achievement tests. For many outcomes, personality measures are just as predictive as cognitive measures, even after controlling for family background and cognition. Moreover, standard measures of cognition are heavily influenced by personality traits and incentives. Measured personality traits are positively correlated over the life cycle. However, they are not fixed and can be altered by experience and investment. Intervention studies, along with studies in biology and neuroscience, establish a causal basis for the observed effect of personality traits on economic and social outcomes. Personality traits are more malleable over the life cycle compared to cognition, which becomes highly rank stable around age 10. Interventions that change personality are promising avenues for addressing poverty and disadvantage.
The present study investigated the relationship of traits from the 5-factor model of personality (often termed the “Big Five”) and general mental ability with career success. Career success was argued to be comprised of intrinsic success (job satisfaction) and extrinsic success (income and occupational status) dimensions. Data were obtained from the Intergenerational Studies, a set of 3 studies that followed participants from early childhood to retirement. The most general findings were that conscientiousness positively predicted intrinsic and extrinsic career success, neuroticism negatively predicted extrinsic success, and general mental ability positively predicted extrinsic career success. Personality was related to career success controlling for general mental ability and, though adulthood measures of the Big Five traits were more strongly related to career success than were childhood measures, both contributed unique variance in explaining career success.
ABSTRACT The genetic and environmental etiology of the five-factor model of personality as measured by the revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) was assessed using 123 pairs of identical twins and 127 pairs of fraternal twins. Broad genetic influence on the five dimensions of Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness was estimated at 41%, 53%, 61%, 41%, and 44%, respectively. The facet scales also showed substantial heritability, although for several facets the genetic influence was largely nonadditive. The influence of the environment was consistent across all dimensions and facets. Shared environmental influences accounted for a negligible proportion of the variance in most scales, whereas nonshared environmental influences accounted for the majority of the environmental variance in all scales.
As part of the International Sexuality Description Project, 16 362 participants from 52 nations responded to measures of the Big Five and ‘risky’ sexuality. It was expected that low levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness would be universally associated with relationship infidelity. Sexual promiscuity, in contrast, was expected to positively relate to extraversion and neuroticism. Analyses across 10 world regions revealed relationship infidelity was universally associated with low agreeableness and low conscientiousness. Sexual promiscuity was somewhat related to these traits as well, but was more highly related to extraversion across many, but not all, world regions. Both forms of risky sexual behaviour were generally unrelated to neuroticism and openness across cultures. Discussion focuses on possible explanations of regional differences in personality–sexuality linkages. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Although Eysenck's book Sex and Personality would seem to have broad implications for understanding sexual behavior, there has been relatively little empirical research that has attempted to test Eysenck's theory. The present research tested aspects of this theory by examining the correlations between personality characteristics and a variety of sexual attitudes and behavior in a sample of male Canadian college students. Results were, for the most part, supportive of Eysenck's theory. Extraverts were characterized by a hedonistic outlook on sex and by more active participation in a variety of sexual activities. High P scorers were characterized by more favorable attitudes to and enjoyment of force and unconventional sexual activities. Correlations with the N scale were, in general, not statistically significant. High L scores were associated with more negative attitudes toward sex, and lower reporting for virtually all types of sexual activity.
Managerial influences on knowledge sharing and the importance of knowledge sharing in strategic success of firms have been well studied. Some research and theory have considered the effects of relatively malleable and situation-specific individual characteristics, such as motivation and the perception of vulnerability, on knowledge sharing. Insufficient research has considered the effects of enduring individual differences (i.e. personality traits) on knowledge sharing, although personality traits have been shown to be robust predictors of workplace behaviors, attitudes, and performance. We report a study linking two elemental personality traits, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, to knowledge sharing via affective commitment and documentation of knowledge: Agreeableness influences an individual's affective commitment to the organization; both affective commitment and Conscientiousness predict the documentation of knowledge: and, affective commitment and the documentation of knowledge influence knowledge sharing. These findings integrate the extant, heretofore unrelated bodies of literature on knowledge sharing and on personality traits in personnel selection.
Goldberg (1992) developed a robust set of 100 adjective markers for the Big-Five factor structure found in phenotypic personality description. Because and even briefer marker set might be advantageous under certain assessment conditions, the performance of these 100 markers in 12 data sets was scrutinized, leading to the selection of an optimally robust subset of only 40 adjectives. This "Mini-Marker" subset demonstrated unusually impressive features for an abbreviated inventory, consisting of five scales that show, in comparison to the original scales, less use of difficult items, lower interscale correlations, and somewhat higher mean inter-item correlations; alpha reliabilities are somewhat lower. A format for administering this briefer inventory is appended.
The sexual ornamentation used by male guppies to attract females comprises many components, each of which varies considerably among males. Although natural and sexual selection have been shown to contribute to divergence among populations in male sexual ornaments, the role of sexual selection in maintaining polymorphism within populations is less clear. We used both parametric quadratic regression and nonparametric projection pursuit regression techniques to reveal the major axes of non-linear sexual selection on male ornaments. We visualized the fitness surfaces defined by these axes using thin-plate splines to allow a direct comparison of the two methodologies. Identification of the major axes of selection and their visualization was critical in determining the form and strength of nonlinear selection. Both types of analysis revealed fitness surfaces comprising three peaks, suggesting that there is more than one way to make an attractive guppy. Disruptive selection may be an important process underlying the presence of multiple sexual ornaments and may contribute to the maintenance of the high levels of polymorphism in male sexual ornaments found in guppy populations.
Human mate selection: Opposites are sometimes said to attract, but in fact we are likely to marry someone who is similar to us in almost every variable
- Buss
Buss, D. M. (1985). Human mate selection: Opposites are sometimes said to attract, but in
fact we are likely to marry someone who is similar to us in almost every variable.
American Scientist, 73(1), 47-51.