An integrative study of facultative personality calibration

Borell, Christoph J. von; Gerlach, Tanja M.; Penke, Lars

doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2019.01.002

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The only significant correlation that emerged was a positive correlation between grip strength and Extraversion in males, r (147) = .18, p = .026. This is similar in magnitude to the nonsignificant association in Study 1 and is consistent with relationships found in some—but not all—previous work (e.g., Fink et al, 2016; von Borell et al, 2019). Perceived formidability was also positively associated with Extraversion in both men, r (147) = .27, p < .001, and women, r (353) = .29, p < .001.…”

Section: Studysupporting

confidence: 92%

Physical Strength Partly Explains Sex Differences in Trait Anxiety in Young Americans

Kerry

Murray

2021

Psychol Sci

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Among the most consistent sex differences to emerge from personality research is that women score higher than men on the Big Five personality trait Neuroticism. However, there are few functionally coherent explanations for this sex difference. The current studies tested whether this sex difference is due, in part, to variation in physical capital. Two preregistered studies (total N = 878 U.S. students) found that sex differences in the anxiety facet of Neuroticism were mediated by variation in physical strength and self-perceived formidability. Study 1 ( N = 374) did not find a predicted mediation effect for overall Neuroticism but found a mediation effect for anxiety (the facet of Neuroticism most strongly associated with grip strength). Study 2 ( N = 504) predicted and replicated this mediation effect. Further, sex differences in anxiety were serially mediated by grip strength and self-perceived formidability. These findings add to a nascent literature suggesting that differences in physical attributes may partially explain sex differences in personality.

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Section: Studysupporting

confidence: 92%

Physical Strength Partly Explains Sex Differences in Trait Anxiety in Young Americans

Kerry

Murray

2021

Psychol Sci

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“…Further, the study will replicate existing findings of a relationship between formidability and attractiveness and histories of anger proneness, success in conflict, and history of fighting (e.g., Sell et al, 2009). Notably, a similar recent replication attempt has not detected a relationship between formidability and anger proneness in European (Scottish and German) samples (Von Borell, Kordsmeyer, Gerlach, & Penke, 2019). In sum, the hypotheses to be tested include: 1) Anger will be higher in response to moral violations that target the self than those that target others, and disgust will be higher in response to moral violations that target others than those that target the self.…”

Section: Disgust Anger and Aggressionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…In Dutch society, physical strength might afford less ability to inflict costs on others than in U.S. society (or in Aka society, where physical strength is also associated with a history of aggression, as reported in one study; Hess et al, 2010), perhaps due to greater social sanctioning of aggressive individuals and, relatedly, greater reliance on centralized authorities to solve disputes (Pinker, 2011). A recent study of men from Scotland and Germany -societies more similar to the Netherlands than the U.S. in terms of violence -similarly found little evidence for a relationship between strength and anger proneness (Von Borell et al, 2019). Ultimately, given the lack of replication of the finding that strength relates to anger proneness, we hesitate to abandon the hypothesis that strength differentially relates to anger and disgust.…”

Section: Implications For the Recalibration Theory Of Angermentioning

confidence: 81%

Disgust, Anger, and Aggression: Further Tests of the Equivalence of Moral Emotions

Tybur

Molho

Cakmak

et al. 2020

Collabra: Psychology

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People often report disgust toward moral violations. Some perspectives posit that this disgust is indistinct from anger. Here, we replicate and extend recent work suggesting that disgust and anger toward moral violations are in fact distinct in terms of the situations in which they are activated and their correspondence with aggressive sentiments. We tested three hypotheses concerning emotional responses to moral violations: (1) disgust is associated with lower-cost, indirectly aggressive motives (e.g., gossip and social exclusion), whereas anger is associated with higher-cost, directly aggressive motives (e.g., physical violence); (2) disgust is higher toward violations affecting others than it is toward violations affecting the self, and anger is higher toward violations affecting the self than it is toward violations affecting others; and (3) abilities to inflict costs on or withhold benefits from others (measured via physical strength and physical attractiveness, respectively) relate to anger, but not to disgust. These hypotheses were tested in a within-subjects study in which 233 participants came to the lab twice and reported their emotional responses and aggressive sentiments toward self-targeting and other-targeting moral violations. Participants' upper body strength and physical attractiveness were also measured with a dynamometer and photograph ratings, respectively. The first two hypotheses were supported-disgust (but not anger) was related to indirect aggression whereas anger (but not disgust) was related to direct aggression, and disgust was higher toward other-targeting violations whereas anger was higher toward self-targeting violations. However, physical strength and physical attractiveness were unrelated to anger or disgust or to endorsements of direct or indirect aggression.

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“…In Dutch society, physical strength might afford less ability to inflict costs on others than in U.S. society (or in Aka society, where physical strength is also associated with a history of aggression; Hess et al, 2010), perhaps due to greater social sanctioning of aggressive individuals and, relatedly, greater reliance on centralized authorities to solve disputes (Pinker, 2011). A recent study of men from Scotland and Germany -societies more similar to the Netherlands than the U.S. in terms of violence -similarly found little evidence for a relationship between strength and anger proneness (Von Borell et al, 2019). Ultimately, given the lack of replication of the finding that strength relates to anger proneness, we hesitate to abandon the hypothesis that strength differentially relates to anger and disgust.…”

Section: Implications For the Recalibration Theory Of Angermentioning

confidence: 81%

Tybur et al. Disgust Anger Aggression

Jm¹,

Molho²,

Cruz³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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People often report disgust toward moral violations. Some perspectives posit that this disgust is indistinct from anger. Here, we test an alternative perspective: that disgust corresponds with condemnation strategies that are less costly – but also less effective at deterrence – than those corresponding with anger. We tested three hypotheses concerning emotional responses to moral violations: (1) disgust is associated with lower-cost, indirectly aggressive motives (e.g., gossip and social exclusion), whereas anger is associated with higher-cost, directly aggressive motives (e.g., physical violence); (2) disgust is higher toward violations affecting others than it is toward violations affecting the self, and anger is higher toward violations affecting the self than it is toward violations affecting others; and (3) abilities to inflict costs on or withhold benefits from others (measured via physical strength and physical attractiveness, respectively) relate to anger, but not to disgust. These hypotheses were tested in a within-subjects study in which 233 participants came to the lab twice and reported their emotional responses and aggressive sentiments toward self-targeting and other-targeting moral violations. Participants’ upper body strength and physical attractiveness were also measured with a dynamometer and photograph ratings, respectively. The first two hypotheses were supported – disgust (but not anger) was related to indirect aggression whereas anger (but not disgust) was related to direct aggression, and disgust was higher toward other-targeting violations whereas anger was higher toward self-targeting violations. However, physical strength and physical attractiveness were unrelated to anger or disgust or to endorsements of direct or indirect aggression.

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An integrative study of facultative personality calibration

Cited by 14 publications

References 62 publications

Physical Strength Partly Explains Sex Differences in Trait Anxiety in Young Americans

Physical Strength Partly Explains Sex Differences in Trait Anxiety in Young Americans

Disgust, Anger, and Aggression: Further Tests of the Equivalence of Moral Emotions

Tybur et al. Disgust Anger Aggression

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