Lecture 13: Attraction and Relationships

Question 1

Parental Investment in Child Rearing

Answer 1

females have a larger mandatory minimum investment (conceive less, parent more) (offers mating, seeks investment) (more interests in resources old ppl)

males (conceive more, parent less) (seeks mating, offer investment) (more interest in fertility young ppl)

Question 2

Gendered Thoughts on Infidelity

Answer 2

men are more fearful of sexual infidelity + women are more fearful of emotional infidelity

cultural differences! Namibia <- women are more worried about sexual than emotional infidelity but still @ lower rates than men

Question 3

Male vs. Female Preferences (would you like to sleep with me tonight experiment?)

Answer 3

men more likely to go to bed with a random person than women are

Question 4

What do men do when there’s more single men than women in a society?

Answer 4

with a female-biased population, men are not threatened and put same value on money in the future as they do in the present

with a male-biased population, much higher discount rates… value things in the future less than they would in the present (the value of things now is more important to them) less likely to save money, more likely to spend money, when men are threatened <- more likely to spend money on relationship related things

women don’t experience a change depending on whether or not there’s more females or males in society

Question 5

Evolution of Morality of Monogamous Marriage

Answer 5

emerged from Greece

in hunter-gatherer societies, equal distributions of wealth <- nobody really gives a fuck about monogamy or monopolies of wealth

agriculture <- huge disparities of wealth… so. rich guys are racking up all the women in a society… leaving poor men out to dry … high rates of violent and risk taking behavior by poor men

so in order to keep the peace, try to impose morality of monogamy so that poor men can have a fair share… keep the peace

Question 6

Attractiveness Based on Physical Characteristics

Answer 6

1. signals/features that show when a woman is most fertile
2. averageness : normal genes + good development, looking for something familiar
3. symmetry <- more attractive bc it’s a sign of proper development BUT WE DON’T KNOW IF IT’S TRUE
   4, skin tone <- eat your veggies, more attractive skin tone

Question 7

Biology of Pair Bonding (voles + nuerotrasmitters)

Answer 7

priaire voles have soulmates
meadow voles are whores

what’s the difference?
oxytocin (females) vasopressin (males) in the ventral striatum (reward regions)

when whore voles get the vasopressin, they are more likely to pair bond

oxytocin <- recognition
in the striatum is a connection between recognition and reward

similar things happens to humans during orgasm
and during childbirth and childrearing

you have more trust in ppl when you get oxytocin

when you have nonfuctioning vasopressin, you’re more likely to run into problems with your relationship.