Are men universally more dismissing than women? Gender differences in romantic attachment across 62 cultural regions

The authors thank Susan Sprecher (USA), Del Paulhus (Canada), Glenn D. Wilson (England), Qazi Rahman (England), Alois Angleitner (Germany), Angelika Hofhansl (Austria), Tamio Imagawa (Japan), Minoru Wada (Japan), Junichi Taniguchi (Japan), and Yuji Kanemasa (Japan) for helping with data collection and contributing significantly to the samples used in this study.Gender differences in the dismissing form of adult romantic attachment were investigated as part of the International Sexuality Description Project—a survey study of 17,804 people from 62 cultural regions. Contrary to research findings previously reported in Western cultures, we found that men were not significantly more dismissing than women across all cultural regions. Gender differences in dismissing romantic attachment were evident in most cultures, but were typically only small to moderate in magnitude. Looking across cultures, the degree of gender differentiation in dismissing romantic attachment was predictably associated with sociocultural indicators. Generally, these associations supported evolutionary theories of romantic attachment, with smaller gender differences evident in cultures with high–stress and high–fertility reproductive environments. Social role theories of human sexuality received less support in that more progressive sex–role ideologies and national gender equity indexes were not cross–culturally linked as expected to smaller gender differences in dismissing romantic attachment.peer-reviewe

A Recessive Founder Mutation in Regulator of Telomere Elongation Helicase 1, <i>RTEL1</i>, Underlies Severe Immunodeficiency and Features of Hoyeraal Hreidarsson Syndrome

<div><p>Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a heterogeneous inherited bone marrow failure and cancer predisposition syndrome in which germline mutations in telomere biology genes account for approximately one-half of known families. Hoyeraal Hreidarsson syndrome (HH) is a clinically severe variant of DC in which patients also have cerebellar hypoplasia and may present with severe immunodeficiency and enteropathy. We discovered a germline autosomal recessive mutation in <i>RTEL1</i>, a helicase with critical telomeric functions, in two unrelated families of Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) ancestry. The affected individuals in these families are homozygous for the same mutation, R1264H, which affects three isoforms of <i>RTEL1</i>. Each parent was a heterozygous carrier of one mutant allele. Patient-derived cell lines revealed evidence of telomere dysfunction, including significantly decreased telomere length, telomere length heterogeneity, and the presence of extra-chromosomal circular telomeric DNA. In addition, <i>RTEL1</i> mutant cells exhibited enhanced sensitivity to the interstrand cross-linking agent mitomycin C. The molecular data and the patterns of inheritance are consistent with a hypomorphic mutation in <i>RTEL1</i> as the underlying basis of the clinical and cellular phenotypes. This study further implicates <i>RTEL1</i> in the etiology of DC/HH and immunodeficiency, and identifies the first known homozygous autosomal recessive disease-associated mutation in <i>RTEL1</i>.</p></div

Telomere length is altered in individuals with <i>RTEL1^R1264H</i>.

<p>(A) Primary lymphocyte telomeres in family NCI-318 were measured by flow cytometry with fluorescent <i>in situ</i> hybridization (FISH) <a href="http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.1003695#pgen.1003695-Alter2" target="_blank">[3]</a>. The proband is indicated by a triangle, the mother by a circle, and the father by a square. (B) Telomere FISH analysis of MSK-41 hTERT-immortalized fibroblasts revealed extreme telomere length heterogeneity. Quantitation of chromatids lacking detectable telomeric signal is shown. BJ hTERT, a normal hTERT-immortalized fibroblast line, and SaOS-2, an osteosarcoma cell line that relies on recombination-based telomere maintenance (ALT), are presented for comparison. (C) Representative metaphase spreads of MSK-41 and BJ hTERT are shown.</p

Inhibiting DNA replication blocks T-circle formation in MSK-41 <i>RTEL1^R1264H</i> cells.

<p>(A) Phi29-dependent T-circles in BJ hTERT and MSK-41. (B) Phi29-dependent T-circles in RTEL1 floxed/- MEFs ± Cre, BJ hTERT and MSK-41. (C) Phi29-dependent T-circles in BJ hTERT and MSK-41 ± aphidicolin (APD; 5 µM). (D) Dot blot of the Phi29-dependent T-circles in BJ hTERT and MSK-41 ± aphidicolin (APD; 5 µM). (E) Quantification of the fold increase in intensity of Phi29-dependent T-circles in the different cell lines subjected to the indicated treatments. Intensity mean and standard deviation were calculated over two independent experiments; statistical analysis (one-way ANOVA) was calculated with Prism (GraphPad).</p

<i>RTEL1^R1264H</i> affects a putative conserved C4C4 domain.

<p>As displayed on the schematic (representing ENSP00000353332), the RTEL1 mutation is at the C-terminus of the protein, distal to the helicase domain. The affected amino acid is in a putative C4C4 domain. All eight key cysteines and R1264 are conserved in human, orangutan, cattle, and mouse sequences. Higher percent identity at a given amino acid position is indicated by a deeper purple color.</p

Clinical characteristics of families with <i>RTEL1</i> mutations.

<p>Abbreviations: DC, dyskeratosis congenita; HH, Hoyeraal Hreidarsson syndrome; BMF, bone marrow failure; IUGR, intra-uterine growth retardation; MUD HSCT, matched-unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; N/A, not applicable.</p

NCI-318 and MSK-41 pedigrees with <i>RTEL1</i> mutation and shared risk haplotype.

<p>NCI-318 (A) and MSK-41 (B) pedigrees are shown. Red symbols indicate affected individuals. The pink rectangles indicate the shared haplotype between the pedigrees. Each other colored rectangle indicates a unique haplotype.</p

A world of lies

This article reports two worldwide studies of stereotypes about liars. These studies are carried out in 75 different countries and 43 different languages. In Study 1, participants respond to the open-ended question "How can you tell when people are lying?" In Study 2, participants complete a questionnaire about lying. These two studies reveal a dominant pan-cultural stereotype: that liars avert gaze. The authors identify other common beliefs and offer a social control interpretation

Patterns and universals of adult romantic attachment across 62 cultural regions: Are models of self and of other pancultural constructs?

As part of the International Sexuality Description Project, a total of 17,804 participants from 62 cultural regions completed the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), a self-report measure of adult romantic attachment. Correlational analyses within each culture suggested that the Model of Self and the Model of Other scales of the RQ were psychometrically valid within most cultures. Contrary to expectations, the Model of Self and Model of Other dimensions of the RQ did not underlie the four-category model of attachment in the same way across all cultures. Analyses of specific attachment styles revealed that secure romantic attachment was normative in 79% of cultures and that preoccupied romantic attachment was particularly prevalent in East Asian cultures. Finally, the romantic attachment profiles of individual nations were correlated with sociocultural indicators in ways that supported evolutionary theories of romantic attachment and basic human mating strategie