Past research has investigated ideals of beauty and how these ideals have changed across time. In the current study, facial and body characteristics of Playboy Playmates of the Year from 1960-2000 were identified and investigated to explore their relationships with U.S. social and economic factors. Playmate of the Year age, body feature measures, and facial feature measurements were correlated with a general measure of social and economic hard times. Consistent with Environmental Security Hypothesis predictions, when social and economic conditions were difficult, older, heavier, taller Playboy Playmates of the Year with larger waists, smaller eyes, larger waist-to-hip ratios, smaller bust-to-waist ratios, and smaller body mass index values were selected. These results suggest that environmental security may influence perceptions and preferences for women with certain body and facial features.

This study systematically examined separation-induced distress vocalization in the infant guinea pig. Experiment I found that under maximum separation from both social and physical surroundings, the distress vocalization rate remained high for the 1st 4 weeks and then continuously declined to near zero by Week 12. Repeated testings had no effect on habituation of the rate during Week 5. Experiment II, using separation distress vocalization responses to the social (the mother) and the physical (the home pen) environments, showed that when the mother was present the vocalization rate was extremely low, and when she was absent the rate was moderate if the subject was isolated in the home box and high if the subject was in an unfamiliar box. Experiment III confirmed the finding that primary social attachment took place toward the mother. These results corroborate other attachment measures, and indicate the usefulness of the vocalization technique for the study of attachment in the infant guinea pig.

A B S T R AC T The Billboard number 1 songs for each year from 1955 to 2003 were investigated across changes in US social and economic conditions. Study 1 investigated song characteristics and ratings and found that when social and economic times were relatively threatening, songs that were longer in duration, more meaningful in content, more comforting, more romantic, and slower were most popular. Study 2 explored popular performer facial feature characteristics and found that performers with more mature facial features, including smaller eyes, thinner faces, and larger chins, were popular during relatively threatening social and economic conditions. These facial feature preferences were more pronounced with the onset of music television in the 1980s. Results of the two studies are explained within the context of the Environmental Security Hypothesis. K E Y W O R D S : Billboard charts, music preferences, Environmental Security Hypothesis, facial features, performer characteristicsTough times demand tough talk, demand tough hearts, demand tough songs. (Neil Peart and Pye Dubois of the band Rush, 'Force Ten ', 1987) Whether driving in the car, performing household chores, shopping at the grocery store, exercising at the gym, eating dinner at a restaurant, or waiting in a doctor's office, music is present. Music is the central attraction in a wide host of social institutions, such as parties, weddings, and holiday celebrations. College students around the world walk from class to class listening to their latest music downloads on their iPods, cell phones, and other mp3 devices. According to Media Info Center (2005), adults over the age of 18 spend an average of nearly 21 hours a week listening to the radio. As culturally pervasive as music is, one aspect of music that has only recently become a focus of social psychological research explores what kind of information Psychology of Music Psychology of Music

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The current studies tested the prediction that the visceral experience of hunger would lead men and women to show sex-specific preferences for mature partners because of the perceived value of mature characteristics under conditions of resource scarcity. Across two studies, unique samples of college students (N=328) were asked their preferences about ideal mates before or after eating dinner at a dining hall. Consistent with predictions, hungry males preferred females with more physically mature features, specifically females who were relatively heavier, taller, and older. Female participants who were hungry showed a marginally elevated preference for partners with a more mature personality profile. Hunger salience, manipulated by varying when hunger was assessed, had little effect on the overall pattern of results. Collectively, these studies indicate that visceral states can influence perceptions of environmental security, resulting in a preference shift for partners with characteristics that imply elevated maturity.