‘Concealed Ovulation’ and Sexual Signals in Primates

Burt, Austin

doi:10.1159/000156600

Cited by 37 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This is because, unlike humans, female chimpanzees undergo conspicuous cyclical changes in perineal morphology that index current fertility in a probabilistic manner and are attractive to males (Wallis 1992;Nunn 1999). Earlier hypotheses on this topic often assumed conspicuous cyclical changes to be the ancestral state for humans (e.g., Burt 1992). More recent phylogenetic analyses, however, suggest this may not be the case (Sillén-Tullberg and Møller 1993;Nunn 1999;Duda and Zrzavý 2013).…”

Section: Concealed Ovulation As An Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The spandrels of Santa Barbara? A new perspective on the peri-ovulation paradigm

Havlı́ček

Cobey

Barrett

et al. 2015

BEHECO

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Numerous recent studies document peri-ovulatory increases in women's physical attractiveness and in their preferences for certain male traits, which appear to be linked to cyclical fluctuation in levels of ovarian hormones. Changes in physical traits are subtle, leading to the widespread conclusion that cues of ovulation are adaptively concealed. It has been argued that concealment enables women to pursue a mixed-mating strategy characterized by pair-bonding with opportunistic extra-pair copulation with high quality mates when conception is possible. Men's preferences for peri-ovulatory cues and women's cyclical preference shifts are thus also argued to reflect distinct psychological adaptations. Here, we re-interpret the evidence for each of these putative adaptations and argue that cyclic changes need not result from incomplete concealment of ovulatory status. We also emphasize that ovarian hormone levels underpin between-individual differences in both women's attractiveness and their mate preferences, which influence the sexes' mate choice decisions. We contrast the salience and efficiency of these within-and between-individual effects, and suggest that, while both effects have the potential to influence mating behavior, the between-individual effects are stronger and more robust. This introduces the possibility that both men's increased attraction towards peri-ovulatory women and women's cyclical shifts in preference for certain male traits may not constitute adaptations per se, but are, instead, inevitable byproducts, or 'perceptual spandrels', of putative adaptations related to between-individual differences in reproductive potential. Our framework parsimoniously explains several observable phenomena, and potentially could transform the way evolutionary researchers interpret changes in behavior associated with the menstrual cycle.

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Section: Concealed Ovulation As An Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The spandrels of Santa Barbara? A new perspective on the peri-ovulation paradigm

Havlı́ček

Cobey

Barrett

et al. 2015

BEHECO

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“…Without specific education and training, most women do not know when they are ovulating because there are few obvious signals indicating a woman's fertility . For example, whereas ovulation in female chimpanzees is accompanied by bright redness and swelling in the rump, humans do not exhibit such overt bodily markers of ovulation (Burt 1992). …”

Section: The Human Ovulatory Cycle and Hormonal Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ovulation, Female Competition, and Product Choice: Hormonal Influences on Consumer Behavior

Durante¹,

Griskevicius²,

Hill³

et al. 2011

J Consum Res

259

163

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Recent research shows that women experience nonconscious shifts across different phases of the monthly ovulatory cycle. For example, women at peak fertility (near ovulation) are attracted to different kinds of men and show increased desire to attend social gatherings. Building on the evolutionary logic behind such effects, we examined how, why, and when hormonal fluctuations associated with ovulation influenced women's product choices. In three experiments, we show that at peak fertility women nonconsciously choose products that enhance appearance (e.g., choosing sexy rather than more conservative clothing). This hormonally regulated effect appears to be driven by a desire to outdo attractive rival women. Consequently, minimizing the salience of attractive women who are potential rivals suppresses the ovulatory effect on product choice. This research provides some of the first evidence of how, why, and when consumer behavior is influenced by hormonal factors.

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“…The occurrence of hydatidiform moles appears to be restricted to humans, with the exception of one case of a partial mole observed at necropsy of a pregnant chimpanzee that died of other causes (158). A possible explanation is that concealed ovulation of humans (159) results in a high frequency of mistimed copulations: The sperm may arrive after the ovum has begun to degenerate.…”

Section: Hydatidiform Molar Pregnancymentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomedical Differences Between Human and Nonhuman Hominids: Potential Roles for Uniquely Human Aspects of Sialic Acid Biology

Varki

Strobert

Dick

et al. 2011

Annu. Rev. Pathol. Mech. Dis.

105

110

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Although humans are genetically very similar to the evolutionarily related nonhuman hominids (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans), comparative studies suggest a surprising number of uniquely human differences in the incidence and/or severity of biomedical conditions. Some differences are due to anatomical changes that occurred during human evolution. However, many cannot be explained either by these changes or by known environmental factors. Because chimpanzees were long considered models for human disease, it is important to be aware of these differences, which appear to have been deemphasized relative to similarities. We focus on the pathophysiology and pathobiology of biomedical conditions that appear unique to humans, including several speculative possibilities that require further study. We pay particular attention to the possible contributions of uniquely human changes in the biology of cell-surface sialic acids and the proteins that recognize them. We also discuss the metabolic incorporation of a diet-derived nonhuman sialic acid, which generates a novel xeno-autoantigen reaction, and chronic inflammation known as xenosialitis.

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‘Concealed Ovulation’ and Sexual Signals in Primates

Cited by 37 publications

References 18 publications

The spandrels of Santa Barbara? A new perspective on the peri-ovulation paradigm

The spandrels of Santa Barbara? A new perspective on the peri-ovulation paradigm

Ovulation, Female Competition, and Product Choice: Hormonal Influences on Consumer Behavior

Biomedical Differences Between Human and Nonhuman Hominids: Potential Roles for Uniquely Human Aspects of Sialic Acid Biology

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