Predictors of Enhancing Human Physical Attractiveness: Data from 93 Countries

People across the world and throughout history have gone to great lengths to enhance their physical appearance. Evolutionary psychologists and ethologists have largely attempted to explain this phenomenon via mating preferences and strategies. Here, we test one of the most popular evolutionary hypotheses for beauty-enhancing behaviors, drawn from mating market and parasite stress perspectives, in a large cross-cultural sample. We also test hypotheses drawn from other influential and non-mutually exclusive theoretical frameworks, from biosocial role theory to a cultural media perspective. Survey data from 93,158 human participants across 93 countries provide evidence that behaviors such as applying makeup or using other cosmetics, hair grooming, clothing style, caring for body hygiene, and exercising or following a specific diet for the specific purpose of improving ones physical attractiveness, are universal. Indeed, 99% of participants reported spending \u3e10 min a day performing beauty-enhancing behaviors. The results largely support evolutionary hypotheses: more time was spent enhancing beauty by women (almost 4 h a day, on average) than by men (3.6 h a day), by the youngest participants (and contrary to predictions, also the oldest), by those with a relatively more severe history of infectious diseases, and by participants currently dating compared to those in established relationships. The strongest predictor of attractiveness-enhancing behaviors was social media usage. Other predictors, in order of effect size, included adhering to traditional gender roles, residing in countries with less gender equality, considering oneself as highly attractive or, conversely, highly unattractive, TV watching time, higher socioeconomic status, right-wing political beliefs, a lower level of education, and personal individualistic attitudes. This study provides novel insight into universal beauty-enhancing behaviors by unifying evolutionary theory with several other complementary perspectives

Foreign labour migrations of women from the region of Opole. In the context of reflection on identity

Migrations of women lead to changes in identity, which is subject to constant construction and verification. This text shows the problem of foreign labour migration of women living in the region of Opole. The main idea of the paper is to show the changes that lead to the redefinition of the identity of the migrants, and the transformations of their axiological systems as a consequence of their stay abroad. Each woman contributes to the culture of the foreign country by the fact of her being a foreigner. At the same time, through adaptation processes, each woman internalizes the values representative of the country to which she migrated. The analysis presented in the article draws upon the interviews held in 2007 and 2008 with the women who migrated from the region of Opole in search of labour. Also analysed are their diaries, which are a rich reservoir of their experiences, feelings and reflections. Finally, the analysis also relies on multidimensional quantitative research. The research reveals that some women, even though they stay in the foreign country for short, try their best to assimilate with the new social environment. They seem to ignore the cost of such an assimilation - that is the loss of what was important to them prior to migration, as regards patterns of their behaviour and traditions of their motherland. At the same time, finding an efficient mode of living among others enables building effective social relationships. Women are not always loyal to their husbands, and the reasons for their cheating on the spouses are various. Their stay abroad helps women feel more self-reliant, independent, self-confident and open to contacts with others

The Adaptation Children of Polish Emigrants in Norway

The text shows the process of adjusting of children of immigrants from Poland to new school environment. It is based on the research conducted in 2010 in Norway that comprised 13 children with their parents. Due to the research it was possible to present the preparation of children for emigration, feelings related to emigration, the initial period at school and relations with school environment. Majority of examined children, despite missing people and places left in Poland expressed earlier, accommodated well in new reality thanks to kindness and openness of teachers and pupils. The role of parents was important as well: they tried to support their children in difficult situations

THE CHILDREN OF POLISH IMMIGRANTS IN NORWAY. ADAPTATION AND IDENTITY ISSUES

W niniejszym tekście zaprezentowano wybrane problemy dotyczące dzieci imigrantów. Podstawę stanowiły badania prowadzone wśród dzieci polskich imigrantów w Norwegii. Objęto nimi rodziny pochodzące z jednego regionu, a mianowicie z województwa opolskiego. Miały one na celu ukazanie procesu przystosowania się dzieci do nowego środowiska szkolnego. Ważnym problemem było przygotowanie się do wyjazdu dzieci i ich rodzin, łącznie z nauką języka, rozpoznaniem specyfiki kraju migracji, istotny był również początkowy okres pobytu w kraju przyjmującym. Pokazano, jak na proces adaptacji dzieci w nowej rzeczywistości miały wpływ sposoby odnoszenia się do nich rówieśników i innych reprezentantów nowego kraju, a także jak badane dzieci oceniały relacje z rówieśnikami z kraju przyjmującego, własne zaangażowanie i pozycję w grupie rówieśniczej i jaki był ich stosunek do Polaków i do Norwegów. Określano cechy i postawy mające znaczenie w stawaniu się imigrantem. Badania pokazały, że emigracja stworzyła wiele możliwości rozwoju, z których młodzi polscy migranci skorzystali lub nie. Dla badanych dzieci ich wydajność edukacyjna miała znaczenie w integracji. W dużej mierze badane osoby nie były skłonne do opuszczenia wcześniej szkoły. Starały się kształcić na kolejnych szczeblach podobnie jak ich norwescy rówieśnicy. Część z nich wykorzystała różnice między edukacją norweską a polską do rozwoju własnych umiejętności i talentów.The paper presents selected problems concerning the children of immigrants and relays on studies conducted among children of Polish emigrants residing in Norway. The studies covered families who came from one region of Poland, namely the Opolskie Voivodship. Their aim was to show the process of the children’s adaptation to the new school environment. The preparation of the children and the families for leaving their homes, including learning a foreign language, getting to know the specific nature of the country of destination, as well as the beginnings of their stay in the host country proved the most serious problems. It is shown how the process of the children’s adaptation to the new reality was influenced by the attitudes assumed towards them by their peers and other inhabitants at the destination. The article also examines how the children assessed their relations, their own involvement and positions held in the peer groups in the host country, including their own approaches towards Poles and Norwegians. Features and attitudes which mattered the most while turning into an immigrant are also determined. The studies have also revealed that emigration created a number of possibilities for development, which the young Polish emigrants have or have not made good use of. Some of them have managed to take advantage of the differences between the educational systems in Norway and Poland to develop their skills and talents. Emigration has also allowed the young people to see the world from another perspective, creating an opportunity to learn about otherness and to experience it in a direct way

Meaning of International Economic Migration for Women from Opole Region

The paper shows the situation of migrating women and problems which they face when they decide to seek employment abroad. Accordingly, selected fragments of various and multi-aspect studies were presented, which reveal the women's ways of self-determination and building their own reality imbedded in migration. The authoress shows not only the 'actresses' of direct activities and experience related to migration, but also women who did not migrate to seek employment and themselves reject the thought of this eventuality. Therefore, evaluations collected from two groups of women who can function in totally different ways on the social arena are included. Through selected empirical data the authoress attempts to reveal to what extent their narrations are coherent. It is also important to note in what way the women who decide to migrate justify their need to do so, sometimes ignoring the information that could destroy the vision of reality the women create for themselves. Accordingly, the authoress presents results of quantitative (questionnaire-based interviews) and qualitative research (narration-based interviews, relations obtained from diaries). The other type, which offers a more penetrating approach, can provide information on the complicated mechanisms of migration processes and bring closer the answer to the question of what happens on the micro-social level, on the plane of an individual's behavior, her vicissitudes and family. Reasons behind the migration of women are presented, as well as the possibilities which they themselves perceive in connection with their employment abroad and the work itself, its organization and relations with employers. The situation in which the migrating women find themselves is complemented by their evaluation of other Poles with whom they work. Finally, the authoress presents selected empirical data which reflect changes in the lives of the respondents and testify as to what they are and what they became as a result of migration.W tekście pokazana jest sytuacja migrujących kobiet i problemy, z którymi muszą się zmierzyć zagranicą. Zaprezentowane są wybrane fragmenty różnych i wieloaspektowych badań, świadczące o ich sposobie określania siebie i budowania swojej rzeczywistości osadzonej w migracji. Porównane są one z kobietami, które nie migrowały zarobkowo i odżegnują się od tego rodzaju wyjazdów. Poprzez wybrane dane empiryczne autorka pokazuje, jak dalece spójna jest ich narracja. Ważne jest też, jak uprawomocniają one potrzebę wyjazdów zagranicznych, czasami ignorując informacje, które by burzyły stworzoną przez nie wizję rzeczywistości. Artykuł przedstawia dane z badań ilościowych (wywiady kwestionariuszowe) i badań jakościowych (wywiady narracyjne, relacje z listów pamiętników). Te ostatnie bardziej wnikliwie mogą informować o skomplikowanych mechanizmach procesów migracyjnych, przybliżając poziom mikrospołeczny w płaszczyźnie zachowań i losów jednostki, jej rodziny, przyczynach migracji, dostrzeganych możliwości związanych z pracą zagranicą oraz samą pracą: jej organizacją i relacjami z pracodawcami. Uzupełnieniem sytuacji, w jakiej znalazły się migrujące, jest ocena rodaków, z którymi tam pracują. Artykuł prezentuje dane empiryczne, świadczące o zmianach w życiu badanych kobiet i o tym, jakimi są i stają się poprzez migrację

Foregin migrations of women family and marriage problem

W artykule na podstawie badań jakościowych (wywiady, listy) i ilościowych przedstawiono refleksje i wspomnienia kobiet migrantek dotyczące ich rodzin i małżeństwa. Podejmując się analizy teoretycznej tych badań, wzięto pod uwagę teorię roli jako narzędzie do wyjaśniania zjawisk. Teoria ta została zmodyfikowana poprzez dodanie innych, pozaludzkich (non-human) partnerów roli, wobec których rola migrantki jest konstruowana i odgrywana. Wyjazd za granicę nie rozwiązuje konfliktu między rolami rodzinnymi, małżeńskimi a zawodowymi, może go jedynie nasilać.The article, based on qualitative research (interviews, letters) and quantitative research, presents reflections and memories of migrating women about their families, a marriage. Taking a theoretical analysis of these studies the used the theory of the role as a tool to explain the phenomena. This theory has been modified by adding other non-human partners. of the role to which the role of the feminine migrant is constructed and played. Going abroad does not solve the conflict between the family, marriage and professional roles of women, it can only intensify it

Relations between Opole Female Work Migrants, Their Employers and Families

The text has been based on the quality research which was carried out in 2007 and 2008 in the Opole region migrants’ environment (60 interviews and 30 letters – diaries). The diaries were describing emotions, feelings and thoughts of women working abroad. Women were going abroad to improve living conditions of their families. The outcome of multifaceted quantity research contains the descriptions of women’s emotional states. The research is based on two groups of women: migrating: 357 females, and non-migrating: 164 females. Female migrants were aware of difficulties connected with their working abroad (parting with the family and hard, sometimes monotonous, work). However, they could become independent financially and active professionally. The state of being employed could change their social position, their way of thinking and their social roles. For some women mobility was a specific maternal strategy and the way to fulfill their roles in a [email protected] Opolski. Instytut Nauk Pedagogicznych.24739

WOMEN MIGRANTS AS CREATORS OF THEIR OWN LIFE

In the presented text on migratory women, migration was shown as an important factor in innovation and transgressive activities. The aim of the study was to explore the openness of women migrants to new experiences. The results of the survey show that before taking the decision to migrate, the women had been characterized by productive thinking generated by new, frequently dramatic life situations (lack or loss of job, debt, etc.). Such situations led those women to risk atypical actions that could bring positive effects. The migratory stay itself contributed to changes in their thinking about the world, changing their beliefs, building new roles in the family and the professional area. It was revealed that migrant women attempted to control their emotional states, develop character traits and self-knowledge. It may be stated thus that migration contributed to their „emancipatory transgression”.Celem prezentowanego tekstu było zbadanie kobiet migrantek w aspekcie ich otwartości na nowe doświadczenia. Wyniki badań wykazały, że badane kobiety przed decyzją o wyjeździe charakteryzowało myślenie produktywne generowane przez nowe dla nich, często dramatyczne sytuacje życiowe (brak pracy, jej utrata, zadłużenie itp.,). Tego typu sytuacje stały się podstawą do podjęcia ryzyka reakcji nietypowych mogących przynieść użyteczne efekty. Sam pobyt migracyjny przyczynił się do zmiany myślenia o świecie, zmiany przekonań, budowania na nowo ról szczególnie w obszarze rodzinno-zawodowym. Okazało się także, że badane kobiety podejmowały próby działań zmierzających do kontroli swoich stanów emocjonalnych, rozwoju cech charakteru oraz poznania samej siebie. Zatem można wskazać, że wyjazd przyczynił się do "transgresji emancypacyjnej"

IMPACT OF HERBICIDES ON CONSUMPTION CHARACTERS OF POTATO TUBERS

The aim of the undertaken studies was to determine the effect of the herbicides used in the experiment on important features of the consumption values of three varieties of edible potato. Test results come from a field experiment conducted in 2007–2010. The experiment was established as two-factor in the split-plot system in three repetitions. Two factors were tested in the experiment: factor I - potato varieties: Satina, Tajfun, Cekin; factor II – five methods of weed control. Darkening of the pulp of cooked tubers after 10 min, 2 and 24 hours shape the ways of weed control of the plantation and the genotype of the grown varieties. The use of herbicides in 2–5 variants has significantly increased the darkening of the pulp. The Tajfun variation darkened to the lowest degree, and Cekin to the largest degree