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Relationship between reactivity of immune system and facial attractiveness
Slámová, Žaneta ; Třebická Fialová, Jitka (advisor) ; Pokorný, Šimon (referee)
Previous studies have shown that physical attractiveness is one of important aspects in mate choice. Facial traits perceived as attractive may be linked to potential mate quality, or more precisely to their reproductive potential, health and ability to invest in his mate and offspring. Mating with individuals with more reactive immune system could lead to higher reproductive success and thus it is possible that visual cues facilitating detection of such traits may have evolved. The main aim of the present thesis was to test a possible association between the reactivity of the immune system response to foreign antigens (stimulated by vaccination) and facial attractiveness perceived by opposite sex individuals. Further, we investigated visual changes occurring during immune system activation. We did not find any association between measures of reactivity of immune system and perceived facial attractiveness. However, participants with activated immune system were rated as significantly less attractive and were significantly paler. Overall, our results suggest that people are sensitive to visual cues to current health status but not to overall quality of the individual. Key Words Facial attractiveness, mate choice, sexual selection; heterozygosity; symmetry; immune system, antigen; disease-avoidance,...
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Consistency and paternal influence on human mate choice in heterosexual women
Taskovská, Kristýna ; Štěrbová, Zuzana (advisor) ; Bártová, Klára (referee)
People choose partners based on different characteristics, however it is not clear whether they systematically choose partners with specific characteristics. It is also not clear what modulates partner preferences. One of the factors are parents, however the question is, whether parents influence all types of relationships (e.g. one-night stand, marriage etc.). The main objective was to analyze the consistency of mate choice in physical characteristics in heterosexual women. Another objective was to test paternal influence on the mate choice, and whether this influence differs among partners with whom women have children and partners with whom they don't. Last objective was to test whether the similarity between father and current partner influences the relationship and sexual satisfaction of the respondent. In total 693 heterosexual women, aged 18-45, participated in the research (average age = 30,7; SE = 5,9) and provided physical characteristics (weight, height, attractiveness, masculinity, eye color, hair color, facial masculinity, facial hair, musculature, BMI, relative height, body hair and leg length) of their father, current partner (with whom they had/were expecting children) and long term ex-partners (with whom they had no children), they completed the standardized questionnaire s-EMBU...
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Mechanisms of assortative mating in humans
Dudková, Tamara ; Havlíček, Jan (advisor) ; Bártová, Klára (referee)
Two main principles of the relationship formation were previously established: i) homogamy and ii) heterogamy. According to the principle of homogamy, partners tend to be similar to each other. In contrast, heterogamy states that partners' characteristics differ. The theory of homogamy has reached significantly higher empirical support, however it is still unclear which mechanisms lead to similarities between partners. Potential mechanisms involve proximity (geography and social propinquity/proximity), preference for self-similarity, convergence (mutual assimilation) during cohabitation etc. Several previous studies showed, the similarity between partners in various social-demographic, physical, and attitudinal characteristics among others contributes to the relationship satisfaction. The main aim of the proposed bachelor thesis, is to perform a review of the relevant literature and analyse which mechanisms of homogamy and heterogamy apply to various characteristics and whether their role vary according to the type of the relationship (i.e. open relationships, marriages, etc.)
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Family constellation and its influence on human sexuality
Pitáková, Hana ; Kuba, Radim (advisor) ; Zikánová, Tereza (referee)
The focus of this thesis is on the influence of sibling constellation on human sexuality. It concentrates especially on the influence of the birth order on sexual strategy, mate choice, sexual orientation and sexual onset of adolescents. It contains a comprehensive overview of the studies that have been carried out in this field, including the general trends and their possible causes. At the same time, it highlights the lack of attention to the insufficiently explored areas that should be exporated in the future. The introductory chapters also provide a brief summary of the findings of sibling constellations and human sexuality.
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The discrepancy between ideal and actual romantic partners among heterosexual men and women based on physical characteristics: follow-up study
Janková, Tereza ; Štěrbová, Zuzana (advisor) ; Bártová, Klára (referee)
Mate preferences play an important role in an actual mate choice. However, preferred and actual characteristics of mates could differ in some extent. There is discrepancy between ideal partner preferences and actual mate choice. This study is following study conducted in 2013 which was focused on mate preferences and actual mate discrepancy in physical characteristics. The main aime of this study is to investigate, a) how can mate preferences differ over time, b) whether are mate preferences influenced by actual partner, c) whether has discrepancy between preferred and actual partner influence on dyadic?? adjustment and d) whether has discrepancy influence on relationship stability. The final sample of this study consisted of 113 heterosexual women in the age of 18 - 43 (mean age = 29,28, SD = 5,744). Respondents completed an online survey which consisted of sociodemographical informations, informations about experience with long-term partners, revise dyadic adjustment scale (R-DAS) and standardized stimuli of physical characteristics of ideal and actual partner (if respondents were in relationship). Results have showed that partner preferences changed over the first test (2013). In the case of influence of actual partner on the ideal partner preferences was showen significant result only in the...
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Approach of Evolutionary Psychology to Research of Human Sexuality and Mate Choice
Binter, Jakub ; Klapilová, Kateřina (advisor) ; Weiss, Petr (referee) ; Konečná, Martina (referee)
This thesis focusses on choice of partner, courtship, and stability of relationship. The emphasized phenomenon within this field are namely evolutionary origins of attractiveness and attraction, endocrine, behavioral, verbal and paraverbal displays. The courtship in this thesis is divided into three major phases - attractivity, proceptivity and receptivity - following suggestion of Beach, Freund and Money. Each of these phases is typical by certain types of behavior and reaction, such as hormonal response, vocal displays as is described in review of literature in the theoretical part. In the second, practical part, consists of four articles that address one specific phenomenon at time. The first article is focused on choice of partners in real world and their presence in sexual fantasy repertoire. The second article addresses vocal modulation when speaking to member of opposite sex who we find attractive or unattractive. The third article introduces hormonal response on possibility of gaining and loss of a potential partner in virtual courtship scenario. And finally, the fourth discusses role of female orgasm in relation to sexual and overall satisfaction in the relationship. The studies are original, and bring innovative insight to human mate-choice and courting, providing further scientific...
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Secondary male ornamentation and extra-pair paternity: experimental manipulation in collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis)
Šplíchalová, Petra ; Albrecht, Tomáš (advisor) ; Svobodová, Jana (referee)
Extra-pair paternity, resulting from sexual promiscuity, is frequently detected in socially monogamous passerines. Previous studies on extra-pair paternity in birds have identified several traits correlated with increased fertilization success of males. However, the effect of experimental manipulation of ornament expression on male fertilization success has only seldom been evaluated. The aim of this thesis is to reveal the potential link between the size of a trait suposedly playing a role in female mate choice decision and male fertilization success in collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis), using experimental manipulation of male forehead white patch size. In addition, mating success, mating speed of the manipulated and control individuals and size of a brood (a proxy for female reproductive investments) were evaluated. Results indicate that forehead patch size manipulation did not affect male social pairing success (mating speed), his social mate reproductive investments (brood size) or male extra-pair and within-pair fertilization success. Keywords: extra-pair paternity, sexual selection, reproductive success, collared flycatcher
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Influence of father and brother on mate choice of heterosexual women in personality traits
Zelenková, Klára ; Štěrbová, Zuzana (advisor) ; Šebesta, Pavel (referee)
Mate preferences and choices might be influenced by several factors, including close relatives. According to the imprinting-like effect, people prefer and choose partners similar to those with whom they grew up during childhood. The main aim of our research was to test, whether individuals choose their long-term partners on the basis of similarity (in personality traits) with their parent and/or siblings of the opposite sex (father and/or brother). The final sample of the study consisted of 211 heterosexual women (mean age = 27.34, SD = 5.36) who grew up with their father until at least 12 years of age. Respondents completed a set of questionnaires aimed at personality of their partner, brother, and father (NEO-FFI), the relationship quality with their father/brother during childhood (s-EMBU/QRI), and relationship satisfaction (RAS). Correlation and regression analyses have shown that heterosexual women choose partners similar to their fathers and brothers, especially in neuroticism. However, when compared correlation coefficients, it was found that fathers play a more important role. The retrospectively assessed quality of the relationship between the respondent and her father/brother during childhood did not have any effect on this similarity. Moreover, similarity between father/brother and...
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Carotenoid allocation and redox homeostasis in birds
Mojžišová, Kateřina ; Tomášek, Oldřich (advisor) ; Svobodová, Jana (referee)
In many species carotenoid-based ornaments plays fundamental role in sexual selection. It is believed that carotenoid-based ornaments act as indicators of individual quality and condition during mate-choice, as associations between their expression, individual fintess and various condition indicators were observed. Despite the long-term research, mechanisms ensuring signalling honesty remain unknown. Currently, the most accepted hypothesis suggests antioxidant properties of carotenoids, and, therefore, a trade-off between their allocation to ornamentation or defence against free radicals. The antioxidant function of carotenoids in vivo was challenged in birds, however, and alternative hypotheses were proposed, assuming either carotenoid loss due to free-radical oxidation, or harmful (pro- oxidant) effects of high carotenoid levels in the body, or interconnection of metabolic pathways for both, the carotenoid conversion and homeostatic control of mitochondrial respiration and redox state. These hypotheses assume differing allocation of carotenoids under elevated oxidative stress, which we tested using experimental manipulations of oxidative state and carotenoid intake in adult male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). The results are inconsistent with all the alternative hypotheses, but partly...
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