Intergenerational incest aversion: self-reported sexual arousal and disgust to hypothetical sexual contact with family members

Kresanov, Paula; Kotler, Jennifer; Seto, Michael C.; Lieberman, Debra; Santtila, Pekka; Antfolk, Jan

doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.06.008

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…These null results were consistent across biological and sociolegal fathers, as well as across propensity for reproductive versus nonreproductive incestuous behavior. These results are contrary to Parker and Parker (1986) but consistent with Williams and Finkelhor (1995) and Kresanov et al (2018), suggesting that the accumulating evidence supports the applicability of the Westermarck hypothesis for avoidance of sibling incest but not father-daughter incest. We extended the study by Kresanov et al by differentiating between different types of sexual behavior.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

“…Even if physical proximity is not a valid kinship cue that informs incest avoidance for fathers, we would still expect sociolegal fathers to have a higher propensity for incest, based on other kinship cues (e.g., physical resemblance). The reason for this finding is unclear, although a similar result was found by Kresanov et al (2018). It is possible that the effects of socially desirable responding are more prominent for sociolegal than for biological fathers for this topic-possibly because of increased suspicion of sociolegal fathers with regard to child welfare (e.g., societal awareness of the "Cinderella effect"; Daly & Wilson, 1998).…”

Section: Alternative Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 77%

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An Examination of the Westermarck Hypothesis and the Role of Disgust in Incest Avoidance Among Fathers

2019

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From an evolutionary perspective, incestuous behavior is puzzling. The goal of this study was to assess the tenability of the Westermarck hypothesis (1891, 1921)-that people who live in close physical proximity with one another during childhood will develop a sexual indifference or aversion toward one another-and the mediating role of disgust as an incest avoidance mechanism in father-daughter relationships. A sample of fathers with daughters (N ¼ 632) from Canada and the United States were recruited by Qualtrics-a survey platform and project management company-to complete an online survey. The results from this study did not support the viability of the Westermarck hypothesis as a mechanism that facilitates incest avoidance for fathers. Physical proximity was not associated with incest propensity or disgust toward incest. Less disgust toward incest, however, was found to be associated with more incest propensity. These results indicate that physical proximity may not be a reliable kinship cue used by fathers to inform incest avoidance, but that disgust toward incest may still be a proximate mechanism that facilitates incest avoidance among fathers using kinship cues other than physical proximity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Alternative Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 77%

An Examination of the Westermarck Hypothesis and the Role of Disgust in Incest Avoidance Among Fathers

2019

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“…This study’s aim was to test whether the threat caused by the Covid-19 pandemic leads to increased perceived disgust as a major variable linked to the BIS. We employed a mixed research strategy combining an experimental design (a priming vignette, which is a common tool used in research on sexual and moral disgust 17 – 19 ) and a naturally occurring event (the Covid-19 pandemic). The perception of threat was experimentally induced by a priming story (between-subject design).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pandemic elevates sensitivity to moral disgust but not pathogen disgust

Schwambergová

Kaňková

Fialová

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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The behavioral immune system, with disgust as its motivational part, serves as the first line of defense in organisms’ protection against pathogens. Laboratory studies indicate that disgust sensitivity adaptively adjusts to simulated environmental threat, but whether disgust levels similarly change in response to real-life threats, such as a pandemic, remains largely unknown. In a preregistered within-subject study, we tested whether the threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic would lead to increased perceived disgust. The perception of threat was induced by testing during two phases of the Covid-19 pandemic (periods of high vs. low pathogen threat). We found heightened levels of moral disgust during a “wave” of the pandemic, but the effect was not observed in the domain of pathogen or sexual disgust. Moreover, the age of respondents and levels of trait anxiety were positively associated with pathogen and moral disgust, suggesting that variation in disgust sensitivity may be based chiefly on stable characteristics.

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“…Humans tend to react with disgust when asked to contemplate sex with close kin ( Royzman et al, 2008 ; De Smet et al, 2014 ), and there is some prior evidence that the strength of this reaction reflects the fitness costs associated the degree of inbreeding ( Fessler and Navarrete, 2003 ; Lieberman et al, 2003 ; Antfolk et al, 2012a , 2014a ; Kresanov et al, 2018 ). There is also some evidence that this response is lacking in individuals (i.e., biological siblings) who have not experienced certain kinship cues (e.g., co-residence) in their childhood environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opposition to Inbreeding Between Close Kin Reflects Inclusive Fitness Costs

et al. 2018

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Due to the intense selection pressure against inbreeding, humans are expected to possess psychological adaptations that regulate mate choice and avoid inbreeding. From a gene’s-eye perspective, there is little difference in the evolutionary costs between situations where an individual him/herself is participating in inbreeding and inbreeding among other close relatives. The difference is merely quantitative, as fitness can be compromised via both routes. The question is whether humans are sensitive to the direct as well as indirect costs of inbreeding. Using responses from a large population-based sample (27,364 responses from 2,353 participants), we found that human motivations to avoid inbreeding closely track the theoretical costs of inbreeding as predicted by inclusive fitness theory. Participants were asked to select in a forced choice paradigm, which of two acts of inbreeding with actual family members they would want to avoid most. We found that the estimated fitness costs explained 83.6% of participant choices. Importantly, fitness costs explained choices also when the self was not involved. We conclude that humans intuit the indirect fitness costs of mating decisions made by close family members and that psychological inbreeding avoidance mechanisms extend beyond self-regulation.

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Intergenerational incest aversion: self-reported sexual arousal and disgust to hypothetical sexual contact with family members

Cited by 10 publications

References 63 publications

An Examination of the Westermarck Hypothesis and the Role of Disgust in Incest Avoidance Among Fathers

An Examination of the Westermarck Hypothesis and the Role of Disgust in Incest Avoidance Among Fathers

Pandemic elevates sensitivity to moral disgust but not pathogen disgust

Opposition to Inbreeding Between Close Kin Reflects Inclusive Fitness Costs

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