Sex peptide receptor-regulated polyandry mediates the balance of pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection in Drosophila

Polyandry prolongs sexual selection on males by forcing ejaculates to compete for fertilisation. Recent theory predicts that increasing polyandry may weaken pre-copulatory sexual selection on males and increase the relative importance of post-copulatory sexual selection, but experimental tests of this prediction are lacking. Here, we manipulate the polyandry levels in groups of Drosophila melanogaster by deletion of the female sex peptide receptor. We show that groups in which the sex-peptide-receptor is absent in females (SPR-) have higher polyandry, and – as a result – weaker pre-copulatory sexual selection on male mating success, compared to controls. Post-copulatory selection on male paternity share is relatively more important in SPR- groups, where males gain additional paternity by mating repeatedly with the same females. These results provide experimental evidence that elevated polyandry weakens pre-copulatory sexual selection on males, shifts selection to post-copulatory events, and that the sex peptide pathway can play a key role in modulating this process in Drosophil

Common Negative Thoughts in Early Motherhood and Their Relationship to Guilt, Shame and Depression

New mothers in Western societies report being influenced by ideologies which suggest mothering comes naturally to women and is joyful and fulfilling. However, research reveals motherhood-related negative thoughts are common even among non-depressed new mothers, and it has been suggested experiencing such thoughts may be related to guilt and shame. This study updates and extends Hall and Wittkowski’s (2006) prevalence survey of motherhood-related negative thoughts by assessing new mothers’ perceptions of the social acceptability of negative thoughts, and by exploring relationships with guilt, shame and psychological distress. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A self-selected sample of non-clinical new mothers (N = 395) from the United Kingdom and Ireland completed online questionnaires including measures of the frequency and social acceptability of motherhood-related negative thoughts, shame and guilt proneness, depression and motherhood experience. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to explore relationships between variables. The frequency of negative thoughts was much higher than reported by Hall and Wittkowski. After controlling for demographic variables and social support, frequency of negative thoughts significantly predicted shame and guilt, whereas social acceptability of negative thoughts significantly predicted guilt. Negative thoughts, shame, guilt and motherhood experience relative to expectations significantly predicted depression score. These results suggest that negative thoughts are more common in early motherhood than previously reported, are considered socially unacceptable, and are related to guilt, shame and depression scores. The findings increase our understanding of postnatal distress in non-clinical populations. Future research should explore information and/or interventions aimed at “normalising” negative thoughts in early motherhood

What do people talk about when they talk about experiencing safety?

Current discussions on the ways people experience safety in urban public spaces are often characterised by a negative view—the absence of unsafety—and rarely include positive sensations related to the safety experience itself. Some scholars have argued that this could be an artefact of more or less standardised methods used in the field. In fact, perceived safety and fear of crime are most often studied as disconnected from people’s everyday lives and practices, with little room provided for research participants to formulate what safety actually means to them in their circumstances. Although standardised approaches provide us with an intensity of the safety experience, all underlying ideas, meanings, sensations and perceptions are commonly forced into a single numerical rating. In order to gain insight into these aspects of the safety experience, we present the results of a bottom-up explorative approach in which participants were asked to freely describe what it means for them to feel safe. We detected three main themes: the absence of negative aspects, the presence of positive aspects and not having to think about safety. In our final section we reflect on the importance and usefulness of these findings for management, policymaking and academia