Human reproductive behavior, life history, and the Challenge Hypothesis: A 30-year review, retrospective and future directions

Gray, Peter B.; Straftis, Alex; Bird, Brian M.; McHale, Timothy S.; Zilioli, Samuele

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.04.017

Cited by 35 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 199 publications

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“…Previous research has shown that sexually dimorphic facial features are associated with testosterone during development (Marečková et al, 2013; Roosenboom et al, 2018; Verdonck et al, 1999; Welker et al, 2016; cf. Hodges‐Simeon et al, 2016, 2018, 2020) and that testosterone levels are associated with increased aggression during challenge (Gray et al, 2019) and muscle mass (e.g., Griggs et al, 1989). Therefore, an adaptation to rapidly assess conspecific's dominance from faces would benefit its bearers by allowing them to avoid interactions with individuals who could cause them serious physical harm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observers use facial masculinity to make physical dominance assessments following 100‐ms exposure

Albert

Wells

Arnocky

et al. 2020

Aggressive Behavior

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Research has consistently demonstrated that faces manipulated to appear more masculine are perceived as more dominant. These studies, however, have used forced‐choice paradigms, in which a pair of masculinized and feminized faces was presented side by side. These studies are susceptible to demand characteristics, because participants may be able to draw the conclusion that faces which appear more masculine should be rated as more dominant. To prevent this, we tested if dominance could be perceived when masculinized or feminized faces were presented individually for only 100 ms. We predicted higher dominance ratings to masculinized faces and better memory of them in a surprise recognition memory test. In the experiment, 96 men rated the physical dominance of 40 facial photographs (masculinized = 20, feminized = 20), which were randomly drawn from a larger set of faces. This was followed by a surprise recognition memory test. Half of the participants were assigned to a condition in which the contours of the facial photographs were set to an oval to control for sexual dimorphism in face shape. Overall, men assigned higher dominance ratings to masculinized faces, suggesting that they can appraise differences in facial sexual dimorphism following very brief exposure. This effect occurred regardless of whether the outline of the face was set to an oval, suggesting that masculinized internal facial features were sufficient to affect dominance ratings. However, participants' recognition memory did not differ for masculinized and feminized faces, which could be due to a floor effect.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observers use facial masculinity to make physical dominance assessments following 100‐ms exposure

Albert

Wells

Arnocky

et al. 2020

Aggressive Behavior

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“…This seems to be contradicted by the self-report responses of more than half the men in our survey. A large body of literature studies testosterone’s role in modulating social behavior in males [56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65]. While much of this empirical work is correlational in research design [58], recent studies have evaluated the effects of one-time exogenous testosterone administration and found a potentially causal effect on the influence of testosterone levels (in males) on behaviors related to: aggression [62,63], cooperation [64], and perceptions of their own physical dominance [65].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex, Energy, Well-Being and Low Testosterone: An Exploratory Survey of U.S. Men’s Experiences on Prescription Testosterone

Straftis

Gray

2019

IJERPH

Self Cite

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Prescription testosterone sales in the United States have skyrocketed in the last two decades due to an aging population, direct-to-consumer advertising, and prescriber views of the benefits and risks to testosterone, among other factors. However, few studies have attempted to directly examine patient experiences on prescription testosterone therapy. The present exploratory study involved an online self-report survey of U.S. testosterone patients who were at least 21 years of age. The primary focus was on patient perspectives concerning motivations leading to the initiation of testosterone therapy and the perceived effects of treatment. Responses to open-ended questions drew upon a coding scheme incorporating both inductive and deductive approaches, influenced by the clinical, male life history theory, and behavioral endocrinology literature. Results indicated that the most frequent reasons men gave for taking prescription testosterone were low testosterone (37.1%), well-being (35.2%), energy (28.7%), libido (21.9%), and social energy (19.4%); older men claimed libido as a motivation for testosterone initiation more frequently than younger men (p < 0.001). Men most frequently claimed testosterone improved their energy (52.3%), libido (41.9%), and muscle (28.5%). Results are interpreted in the context of medical, life history theoretical and behavioral endocrinology approaches, including an emphasis on sex and energy.

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“…In addition to life history questions concerning female reproductive ecology, work among several groups (eg, Shuar, Ache, Tsimane, and Filipino men) has documented testosterone level variation in response to environmental cues. Evidence indicates testosterone levels decrease when males enter monogamous relationships or invest in childcare (Gettler et al, 2011; Gray et al, 2020; Grebe et al, 2019). These testosterone drops are thought to reflect a shift from reproductive effort (ie, behaviors associated with acquiring a mate) toward increased cooperation and investment in mates and children (Gettler et al, 2011).…”

Section: Reproductive Hormone Applications In Human Biologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, reproductive hormone levels may vary throughout the lifespan (eg, rising during puberty in both sexes and declining in females with menopause), resulting in different levels of production at different ages and across different timescales. For instance, hormonal shifts elicited by competition appear to vary by age group, such that juveniles males exhibit a stronger adrenal hormone response while older adolescents exhibit an elevated testicular response (Gray et al, 2017(Gray et al, , 2020McHale, Chee, Chan, Zava, & Gray, 2018). Interpretation of analysis results should therefore be informed by study population characteristics, while also accounting for the timescale of research questions being asked.…”

Section: Laboratory Analysis Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, reproductive hormone production appears to be sensitive to other major life stages, including parenthood. Changes in estradiol and progesterone levels are important for both achieving and maintaining pregnancy (Ellison, 2008; Ellison, Peacock, & Lager, 1986; Hall & Guyton, 2011), while testosterone levels may decrease in fathers (although the degree of this decline may depend on the amount of time fathers spend interacting with their children) (Gettler, McDade, Agustin, Feranil, & Kuzawa, 2014; Gettler, McDade, Feranil, & Kuzawa, 2011; Gray, Straftis, Bird, McHale, & Zilioli, 2020; Grebe, Sarafin, Strenth, & Zilioli, 2019; Muller, Marlowe, Bugumba, & Ellison, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reproductive hormone measurement from minimally invasive sample types: Methodological considerations and anthropological importance

Gildner

2020

American J Hum Biol

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Energetic investment in human reproduction has long been recognized as costly, influencing developmental, physiological, and behavioral patterns in males and females. These effects are largely coordinated through the actions of reproductive hormones (eg, testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone). Here, the utility and limitations of minimally invasive sampling techniques are explored, providing a novel perspective on how reproductive hormone measurements can enhance reproductive endocrinology research. Salivary steroid measures are most commonly used, although several dried blood spot and urine assays are also available, and researchers continue to explore the efficacy of other sample types. These relatively simple measures have facilitated the collection of multiple samples from a single participant, allowing researchers to more accurately track the diurnal and cyclical variation exhibited by many reproductive hormones. Ultimately, the ability to collect fine‐grained participant data allows biological anthropologists to better test questions central to human reproductive ecology, life history theory, and public health. For example, fieldwork using these techniques suggests that testosterone profile variation across populations is influenced by energetic constraints and reproductive status. Moreover, hormone concentrations shape the development of sex characteristics, with implications for evolutionary questions related to sexual selection. Hormone levels also can be used to identify a range of medical concerns (eg, suppressed hormone production levels linked with psychosocial stress). These findings highlight how minimally invasive collection techniques can be applied to test diverse evolutionary hypotheses and identify important health concerns. Still, more work is needed to standardize collection and laboratory analysis procedures, thereby enabling more direct data comparisons between researchers.

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Human reproductive behavior, life history, and the Challenge Hypothesis: A 30-year review, retrospective and future directions

Cited by 35 publications

References 199 publications

Observers use facial masculinity to make physical dominance assessments following 100‐ms exposure

Observers use facial masculinity to make physical dominance assessments following 100‐ms exposure

Sex, Energy, Well-Being and Low Testosterone: An Exploratory Survey of U.S. Men’s Experiences on Prescription Testosterone

Reproductive hormone measurement from minimally invasive sample types: Methodological considerations and anthropological importance

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