Conflict in Married Couples: Personality Predictors of Anger and Upset

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91371/1/j.1467-6494.1991.tb00926.x.pd

Strategies of Human Mating

Modern humans have inherited the mating strategies that led to the success of their ancestors. These strategies include long-term mating, short-term mating, extra-pair mating, mate poaching, and mate guarding. This article presents empirical evidence supporting evolution-based hypotheses about the complexities of these mating strategies. Since men and women historically confronted different adaptive problems in the mating domain, the sexes differ profoundly in evolved strategic solutions. These differences include possessing different mate preferences, different desires for short-term mating, and differences in the triggers that evoke sexual jealousy. The study of human mating is one of the “success stories” of evolutionary psychology

Sexual Jealousy

Sexual jealousy is a basic emotion. Although it lacks a distinctive facial expression and is unlikely to solve problems of survival, it evolved because it solves adaptive problems of mating. Some adaptive functions are similar in men and women at one level of abstraction, such as warding off potential mate poachers and deterring relationship defection. Other functions are sex-differentiated, such as increasing paternity probability for men and monopolizing a mate\u27s economic commitments for women. Dozens of studies have documented sex-differentiated design features of jealousy: The relative upset about sexual and emotional aspects of infidelity; processing speed and memorial recall of sexual and emotional infidelity cues; physiological distress to sexual and emotional infidelity cues; qualities of same-sex rivals that evoke jealousy, such as superior job prospects versus greater physical attractiveness; triggers of mate retention tactics; jealous interrogations following the discovery of infidelity; and whether an infidelity produces forgiveness or breakup. Although showing all the hallmarks of evolved functionality, sexual jealousy also leads to tremendous destruction, from humiliation to homicide. By these scientific theoretical and empirical criteria, sexual jealousy is properly considered not only "basic" but also "one of the most important emotions"

Do women have evolved mate preferences for men with resources? : A reply to Smuts

Research by more than 50 scientists studying more than 10,000 individuals inhabiting 33 countries, six continents, and five islands supports the hypothesis that women have evolved mate preferences for men who show cues of resource possession or resource acquisition potential. Smuts' (1991) apparent view that these species-typical preferences do not exist is contravened by the scientific evidence. Repeated assertions that "behaviors depends on context" do not illuminate our understanding in the absence of specifying which behaviors, which contexts, and which evolved mechanisms are activated by the relevant contextual input. Progress in the study of evolution and human behavior depends on using key terms in consensually defined rather than idiosyncratic ways, on distinguishing evolved psychological mechanisms from manifest behavior, and on giving greater weight to cumulative scientific evidence than to subjective impressions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29156/1/0000200.pd

Acts, dispositions, and clinical assessment: The psychopathology of everyday conduct

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26410/1/0000497.pd

From vigilance to violence : Tactics of mate retention in American undergraduates

Although the attraction and selection of mates are central to human reproduction, the retention of acquired mates is often necessary to actualize the promise of reproductive effort. Three empirical studies used act frequency methods to identify, assess the reported performance frequencies of, and evaluate the perceived effectiveness of 19 tactics and 104 acts of human mate guarding and retention. In Study 1 (N = 105), a hierarchical taxonomy of tactics was developed from a pool of nominated acts. We then assessed the reported performance frequencies of 19 retention tactics and 104 acts and tested three hypotheses derived from evolutionary models in an undergraduate sample (N = 102). Study 2 (N = 46) provided an independent test of these hypotheses by assessing the perceived effectiveness of each tactic. Discussion draws implications for sexual poaching, susceptibility to pair-bond defection, and the power of act frequency methods for preserving the proximate specificity and systemic complexity inherent in human mating processes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27156/1/0000151.pd

The Costs and Benefits of the Dark Triad: Implications for Mate Poaching and Mate Retention Tactics

The Dark Triad - narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy - have traditionally been considered to be undesirable traits. However, emerging work suggest that not only may there be a positive side to possessing these traits but they may also serve important adaptive functions, even if the strategies associated with them are viewed as socially undesirable. In an online survey (N = 336), we investigated the costs and benefits of the Dark Triad within the domain of mating psychology. The social style and lower order personality traits of the Dark Triad traits facilitated increased mateships in the form of poaching mates from others and being poached oneself to form mateships, pointing to possible benefits of possessing the Dark Triad traits. However, the costside was evidenced with rates of mates abandoning their current relationship for a new one. Mate retention is a problem faced by those with these traits and the tactics used to retain mates were characteristic of the Dark Triad: aggressive and narcisstic. Results are discussed using an adaptionist paradigm

Hydrological and associated biogeochemical consequences of rapid global warming during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) hyperthermal, ~ 56 million years ago (Ma), is the most dramatic example of abrupt Cenozoic global warming. During the PETM surface temperatures increased between 5 and 9 °C and the onset likely took < 20 kyr. The PETM provides a case study of the impacts of rapid global warming on the Earth system, including both hydrological and associated biogeochemical feedbacks, and proxy data from the PETM can provide constraints on changes in warm climate hydrology simulated by general circulation models (GCMs). In this paper, we provide a critical review of biological and geochemical signatures interpreted as direct or indirect indicators of hydrological change at the PETM, explore the importance of adopting multi-proxy approaches, and present a preliminary model-data comparison. Hydrological records complement those of temperature and indicate that the climatic response at the PETM was complex, with significant regional and temporal variability. This is further illustrated by the biogeochemical consequences of inferred changes in hydrology and, in fact, changes in precipitation and the biogeochemical consequences are often conflated in geochemical signatures. There is also strong evidence in many regions for changes in the episodic and/or intra-annual distribution of precipitation that has not widely been considered when comparing proxy data to GCM output. Crucially, GCM simulations indicate that the response of the hydrological cycle to the PETM was heterogeneous – some regions are associated with increased precipitation – evaporation (P – E), whilst others are characterised by a decrease. Interestingly, the majority of proxy data come from the regions where GCMs predict an increase in PETM precipitation. We propose that comparison of hydrological proxies to GCM output can be an important test of model skill, but this will be enhanced by further data from regions of model-simulated aridity and simulation of extreme precipitation events

The alpha 7 nicotinic receptor agonist PHA-543613 hydrochloride inhibits <i>Porphyromonas gingivalis</i>-induced expression of interleukin-8 by oral keratinocytes

Objective: The alpha 7 nicotinic receptor (α7nAChR) is expressed by oral keratinocytes. α7nAChR activation mediates anti-inflammatory responses. The objective of this study was to determine if α7nAChR activation inhibited pathogen-induced interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression by oral keratinocytes.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Materials and methods: Periodontal tissue expression of α7nAChR was determined by real-time PCR. OKF6/TERT-2 oral keratinocytes were exposed to &lt;i&gt;Porphyromonas gingivalis&lt;/i&gt; in the presence and absence of a α7nAChR agonist (PHA-543613 hydrochloride) alone or after pre-exposure to a specific α7nAChR antagonist (α-bungarotoxin). Interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression was measured by ELISA and real-time PCR. Phosphorylation of the NF-κB p65 subunit was determined using an NF-κB p65 profiler assay and STAT-3 activation by STAT-3 in-cell ELISA. The release of ACh from oral keratinocytes in response to &lt;i&gt;P. gingivalis&lt;/i&gt; lipopolysaccharide was determined using a GeneBLAzer M3 CHO-K1-blacell reporter assay.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Results: Expression of α7nAChR mRNA was elevated in diseased periodontal tissue. PHA-543613 hydrochloride inhibited &lt;i&gt;P. Gingivalis&lt;/i&gt;-induced expression of IL-8 at the transcriptional level. This effect was abolished when cells were pre-exposed to a specific α7nAChR antagonist, α-bungarotoxin. PHA-543613 hydrochloride downregulated NF-κB signalling through reduced phosphorylation of the NF-κB p65-subunit. In addition, PHA-543613 hydrochloride promoted STAT-3 signalling by maintenance of phosphorylation. Furthermore, oral keratinocytes upregulated ACh release in response to &lt;i&gt;P. Gingivalis&lt;/i&gt; lipopolysaccharide.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Conclusion: These data suggest that α7nAChR plays a role in regulating the innate immune responses of oral keratinocytes.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt