Psych 315 1nd Edition Lecture 8 Outline of Last Lecture I. RelationshipsOutline of Current Lecture II. Female hormones and sexual attractionIII. Commitment LevelIV. The four HorsemenV. Loneliness and healthCurrent LectureFemale Hormones and Sexual Attraction Fertile Phase Effects: the most fertile days (3). Women behave differently: Tee Shirt & Symmetry Study: men wore a t-shirt to bed and women were asked to smell the t shirts. In the fertile phase, women are more likely to find the scent of a symmetrical face more positively  More masculine faces More muscular bodies, and More dominant men hormones and Sexual Attraction More fertile women also  More socially dominant interpersonal behavior  True only if women are not taking hormonal birth control medications Women’s voices become higher, which men like Women report feeling more attractive Women dress more attractively and more revealingly Women become more interested in short-term sexual relationships during this phase Women prefer men with deeper voices The tendency to prefer some men over others during the fertile period is stronger for women dating less physically attractive male partners Finally, one study looked at shared major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes. MHC and the immune system.  Smaller MHC differences with existing partners led women to find other men (not their current partner) as more attractive and to have more extra-pair sex. Smaller MHC differences also were associated with more difficulty in having organisms with their current partner. These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute. Do Mate Preference Attitudes Predict Behavior? Resources vs. Physical Attractiveness: Women are more interested in resources and men are more interested in attractiveness.  Eastwick’s Speed Dating Study: Men and women rate eachother. Men put high value on attractiveness. Women also placed attractiveness high value. In short term relationships, womenand men equally place emphases on attractiveness.Commitment Level Comparison Level for Satisfaction: every male and female have a level of goodness of relationship that they will accept. People with lower self esteem have lower standards.  Satisfaction Comparison Level for Alternatives: People with low expectations have fewer alternatives but people high expectations have more alternatives. Alternatives Investments: what you put into a relationship. If you are invested in a relationship, you are more likely to stay in the relationship. Like children, friends, finance.  All determine commitment to a relationship, which affects the probability of a relationship staying together The commitment Feedback Loop High levels of commitment lead to the willingness to accommodate your behavior with your partner, to forgive betrayal, and to sacrifice for the relationship High levels of commitment also help maintain positive illusions about the partner and relationship. It encourages partners to downgrade other relationships relative to their own and to downgrade other persons who might be alternative to one’s current partner.  These strengthen and maintain commitment to one’s relationship. Divorce: Relationships in Trouble Socio-demographic risk variableso Younger ageo Unemploymento Low incomeo Less educationo Not religious Relationship Historyo Parental separation or divorceo Parental conflicto Children from prior uniono Premarital parenthoodo Prior marriage  Individual Differenceso Accepting attitudes toward divorceo Neuroticismo Attachment anxiety or avoidance  Relationship-level factorso Premarital cohabitationo Perceived lack of similarity in attitudes and valueso Infidelityo Hostile communicationso Stressful conflicto Poor supporto Low sexual satisfactiono Poor coping with external stressors The Four Horsemeno Criticism – takes a complaint about a partners behavior in a conflict resolution discussionand elevates it into personality or character flaw. Blows the specific problem at hand intoa broad criticism of the partner’s behavior as a whole. o Contempt – the expression of disapproval or disgust for a partner that occurs verbally through sarcasm and patronizing or through body language (sneering, rolling eyes). This arises out of a general negative regard for the spouse and is the single best predictor of divorce among the four hoursemen. o Defensiveness – attempts to protect self from real or imagined attack from spouses. Involves refusing blame or responsibility for a problem and directing negative emotion back toward spouse.o Stonewalling – involves behaviorally withdrawing from conflict and portraying an air of uncaring. The stonewaller (usually a man) may be so over-run by emotion and shock thathe feels like shutting down is the only safe way to escape/negate the attack. This is a important part of the demand-withdraw communication pattern. Loneliness in Health Definition: Loneliness occurs when there is a discrepancy between desired and actual social relationships. Loneliness can arise when intimate partners fail to satisfy our need for connectedness.  Loneliness can arise when we have small social networks Loneliness can arise when we lack close, confiding friendships  Loneliness can arise when social groups that we value leave us feeling that we don’t belong People with an insecure attachment style are more lonely than people with secure styles Loneliness in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood is associated with early indicators of poor cardiovascular health risk Loneliness is related to mortality risk. People who are lonely during a significant part oftheir life do not live as long as the non-lonely Loneliness is related to cognitive deficits. The risk of Alzheimer is greater for the lonely than the non-lonely  Loneliness is related to non-restorative sleep Loneliness is associated with a failure to maintain a healthy weight, which may cause some of their health problems like cardiac disease Loneliness is associated with low levels of physical activity, which may contribute to their health problems Loneliness is associated with stress. Lonely people experience more stressful events in their lives and respond more negatively than the non-lonely to stressor. They also respond less