Autistic-Like Traits, Sociosexuality, and Hormonal Responses to Socially Stressful and Sexually Arousing Stimuli in Male College Students

Abstract

We tested the hypothesis that autistic-like traits are associated with restricted sociosexuality and investigated the role of stress and sex hormones as potential physiological mechanisms underlying this association. Study participants were heterosexual male college students (n=107). Individuals with more autistic-like traits reported lower short-term mating orientation and less previous sexual experience. Autistic-like traits were associated with greater cortisol secretion during a Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and greater testosterone and cortisol reactivity to a video with explicit erotic content. Cortisol secretion during the TSST was negatively correlated with short-term mating orientation. A mediation analysis suggested that cortisol reactivity to socially stressful stimuli may be one of the physiological mechanisms linking autistic-like traits and sociosexuality. These findings have implications for our understanding of autisticlike traits in normal populations, our knowledge of the relationship between psychosocial stress, sexual arousal, and sociosexuality, and also for research on the role of hormonal mechanisms in inter-individual variation in male life history strategies.

The relationship between morningness–eveningness, psychosocial variables, and cortisol reactivity to stress from a life history perspective.

“…Clearly, however, the relationship between differential cortisol reactivity to stress and psychological and behavioral differences between morning- and evening-types represents a potentially important and promising avenue for future research. Differential cortisol reactivity to stress is often correlated with personality differences (e.g., in extraversion–intraversion) and may be an important mediator of the association between personality and sociosexuality (Ponzi et al, 2016; Wilson et al, 2015). More generally, it has been argued that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a fundamental role in filtering information on the quality of the environment and coordinating different clusters of psychological and behavioral traits that represent slow and fast life history strategies (Del Giudice et al, 2011).…”

“…Little is also known about whether life history related differences in psychological and behavioral traits between morning and evening types are accompanied by different hormonal profiles, particularly stress and sexual hormones (see Crespi, Williams, Jessop, & Delehanty, 2013; Del Giudice, Ellis, & Shirtcliff, 2011; Del Giudice et al, 2015; Swanson & Dantzer, 2014). Cortisol responses to psychosocial stress and testosterone responses to sexual stimuli may be important physiological mechanisms underlying the association between personality or other psychological traits and short-term or long-term mating orientation (Ponzi et al, 2016; Wilson et al, 2015; Zilioli et al, 2016). However, only a few studies to date have examined hormonal profiles of morning- and evening-types (Maestripieri, 2014; Randler et al, 2012; Randler & Schaal, 2010).…”

The sexual selection of creativity: A nomological approach

“…That may explain the relationship between creativity, personality, and sexual selection. Individuals with an autistic phenotype invest more in offspring and favor long-term relationships ( Del Giudice et al, 2014 ; Ponzi et al, 2016 ). Autistic creativity is mainly characterized by convergent thinking, exhibiting greater pragmatic creativity.…”

Toward a general theory of human individual differences: Can evolutionary psychology meet the challenge?

“…We believe that the development of a general evolutionary theory of human individual differences should build on the growing evidence that brain connectivity and brain function are highly heterogeneous in human populations and that individuals whose brains are wired differently (in part because of their genetic makeup and in part because of their unique experiences with the environment) pursue fitness goals in different ways. For example, it is becoming increasingly apparent that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), from high-functioning individuals to those with serious impairments, are characterized by marked differences in sensory perception, cognition, emotion, and patterns of interactions with physical and nonphysical entities, including reactivity to psychosocial stress and interpersonal style in relationships (e.g., Ponzi et al, 2016). These unique characteristics are not fully captured by traditional models of personality.…”