Sex Differences in Romantic Kissing among College Students: An Evolutionary Perspective

Hughes, Susan M.; Harrison, Marissa A.; Gallup, Gordon G.

doi:10.1177/147470490700500310

Cited by 75 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…It has also previously been found that romantic kissing is used in assessing a mating partner's desirability (Hughes et al 2007;Wlodarski and Dunbar 2013). The results of the current study synthesize these findings by showing that attitudes towards romantic kissing vary across the menstrual cycle and are significantly associated with the fluctuation of menstrual hormones.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…The first component, relating to "sensory factors," implies that sensations involving smell contribute in a similar way to making someone a good kisser, possibly because these cues can be used to make inferences about the underlying mate quality or genetic suitability using pheromonal cues or on signals of general health (Durham et al 1993;Wedekind et al 1995). The second PCA factor related to contact/arousal themes, which have been proposed as another possible function of kissing promoting partner arousal and the initiation of sexual relations (Hughes et al 2007). The final PCA factor appears to be related to kissing technique and may also be indicative of mate quality in certain situations, as research in related fields suggests that the quality of execution of complicated behavioral rituals (such as dancing) may be a cue to underlying genetic quality (Hugill et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research has found that the cross-culturally prevalent custom of romantic kissing is one mate cue that can been exploited in the assessment of potential mating partners (Hughes et al 2007;Wlodarski and Dunbar 2013). This research also suggests that females are more reliant on kissing as a mate assessment device and are unwilling to have sexual intercourse with a partner without first kissing them; rate "bad kissers" as less attractive overall; and tend to base evaluations of kissing ability on chemical cues (such as breath and taste of mouth).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Menstrual Cycle Effects on Attitudes toward Romantic Kissing

Wlodarski

Dunbar

2013

Hum Nat

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Hormonal changes associated with the human menstrual cycle have been previously found to affect female mate preference, whereby women in the late follicular phase of their cycle (i.e., at higher risk of conception) prefer males displaying putative signals of underlying genetic fitness. Past research also suggests that romantic kissing is utilized in human mating contexts to assess potential mating partners. The current study examined whether women in their late follicular cycle phase place greater value on kissing at times when it might help serve mate assessment functions. Using an international online questionnaire, results showed that women in the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle felt that kissing was more important at initial stages of a relationship than women in the luteal phase of their cycle. Furthermore, it was found that estimated progesterone levels were a significant negative predictor for these ratings. KeywordsMenstrual cycle; Romantic kissing; Mate assessment; Relationships Hormonal changes associated with the human menstrual cycle have been found to have discernible effects on female sexual and mating behavior. While it has been known for some time that female sexual desire spikes in the days surrounding ovulation (Regan 1996), it has recently been discovered that preferences for certain types of mating partners also co-vary with phases of the menstrual cycle. For example, women in the late follicular phase of their cycle (in the days immediately preceding ovulation when risk of conception from a single act of intercourse is at its peak) report elevated levels of general attraction to men (GarverApgar et al. 2006) and show increased preferences for sexually dimorphic (i.e., "masculine") faces, masculine body shapes (Little et al. 2007;Penton-Voak et al. 1999), "typical male behavioral displays" (Gangestad et al. 2004), for the scents of symmetrical men (Gangestad and Thornhill 1998) and of men who have greater genetic (MHC) compatibility (Wedekind et al. 1995), as well as for men who are socially dominant (Havlicek et al. 2005) and high in creative intelligence (Haselton and Miller 2006). Women in this cycle phase have also been found to be more accurate at judging male sexual orientation (Rule et al. 2011) and to pay closer attention to cues signaling status (Lens et al. 2011 Many of the traits outlined above, including masculinity, dominance, and facial symmetry, are believed to be acting as signals of underlying genetic competence, which is in turn responsible for physical health, developmental stability and superior immune-responsivity (for reviews see Rhodes 2006;Roberts and Little 2008). Mating with a partner who possesses such a robust gene set increases the odds that resulting offspring will be endowed with similar genetic advantages. However, a negative relationship seems to exist between genetic fitness indicators such as these and behaviors associated with long-term parental investment. For example, higher testosterone levels in utero, responsible for the development o...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Menstrual Cycle Effects on Attitudes toward Romantic Kissing

Wlodarski

Dunbar

2013

Hum Nat

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“…From kissing and handholding to receiving oral sex -to various forms of vaginal intercourse -sexual acts in humans have important implications for understanding our complex mating psychology (see Fisher, 1994Fisher, , 2004. Some sexual acts seem to be an important part of human courtship -such as kissing (Hughes, Harrison, and Gallup, 2007). In fact, Miller (2000) argues that all sexual acts that take place in the early part of forming a pairbond have an important role in mateassessment.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Preferences for Sex Acts: Which Traits Matter Most, and Why?

2011

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Several dispositional traits have been examined in mating contexts by evolutionary psychologists. Such traits include life history strategy, sociosexuality, and the Big Five. Recently, scholars have examined the validity and predictive utility of mating intelligence, a new construct designed to capture the cognitive processes that underlie mating psychology. The current research employed a battery of dispositional traits that include all these constructs in an effort to predict preferences for different kinds of sex acts. Sexual acts vary wildly, and the ability to predict this variability may well hold an important key to underlying sexual strategies. A sample of 607 young adults (144 males and 463 females) completed measures of each of these traits as well as a measure of preference for specific sex acts (along with providing information on their sexual orientation). The traits predicted variability in preference for sex acts -with mating intelligence being the most predictive (for instance, mating intelligence was positively related to preference for vaginal intercourse across the sexes). Sex differences emerged (e.g., males show a stronger preference for anal sex than do females). Discussion focuses on (a) sex differences in preference for sex acts along with (b) why the trait variables predicted preferences in sex acts.

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“…Kissing a woman may be an effective flirtation act for men because it allows a woman to assess the parental investment potential of the man. Hughes et al (2007) report that via chemosensory analysis of the saliva in a male's kiss and via the wetness of a man's kiss women are able to ascertain a male's genetic and parental investment potential.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to Flirt Best: The Perceived Effectiveness of Flirtation Techniques

Wade

Slemp

2015

Interpersona

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Four studies were implemented in order to ascertain how men and women flirt with potential partners and which flirtatious actions are considered most effective. Study 1 (n = 40) and Study 2 (n = 60) sought to discover the actions that men and women, respectively, engage in to indicate romantic interest to a partner. Study 3 (n = 110) sought to determine which flirtatious acts from women are perceived as most effective by men. Women's flirtations that suggest sexual access were expected to be rated as most effective. Study 4 (n = 222) sought to determine which flirtatious acts from men are perceived as most effective by women. Men's flirtations that suggest emotional commitment and exclusivity were expected to be rated as most effective by women. The results were consistent with the hypotheses and are discussed in terms of prior research.

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Sex Differences in Romantic Kissing among College Students: An Evolutionary Perspective

Cited by 75 publications

References 40 publications

Menstrual Cycle Effects on Attitudes toward Romantic Kissing

Menstrual Cycle Effects on Attitudes toward Romantic Kissing

Predicting Preferences for Sex Acts: Which Traits Matter Most, and Why?

How to Flirt Best: The Perceived Effectiveness of Flirtation Techniques

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