The Symptoms of Resource Scarcity: Judgments of Food and Finances Impact Partner Preferences

Nelson, Leif D.; Morrison, Evan L.

doi:10.1037/e683332011-025

Cited by 60 publications

(146 citation statements)

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“…In many populations routinely exposed to energy uncertainty, a large body shape is preferred in both sexes, and often particularly in females who meet the primary energetic costs of reproduction. 66 Recent research suggests that average 'ideal weight' in the American population is increasing, perhaps reflecting increasing acceptance of high body weight. 67 Conversely, in Western industrialized populations, wherein energy is freely available, low levels of thrift may be preferred by some, exemplified by the size 00 popular in some female Hollywood movie stars.…”

Section: Culturally Transmitted Variability In Thriftmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thrift: a guide to thrifty genes, thrifty phenotypes and thrifty norms

Wells¹

2009

Int J Obes

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There is a growing interest in evolutionary models of human adiposity. Frequent reference has been made to 'thrifty genes' or 'thrifty phenotypes', referring to a variety of metabolic or behavioural traits that in one or the other way imply frugality in the expenditure or storage of energy. However, there is confusion over how the strategy of thrift has been incorporated into human biology. At the broadest level, humans represent a thrifty species relative to other mammals, indicating that metabolic adaptations had a crucial role in the emergence of the Homo lineage, in particular in buffering reproduction from ecological stochasticity. In contemporary humans, some variability in adiposity may be attributable to genotypes systematically favoured in certain ecological settings. Genetic variability is also present within populations, and may be considered bet hedging (distributing risk across offspring to increase parental fitness). Bet hedging is an alternative to genetic drift for accounting for genetic variability in the absence of strong selective pressures. Contrasting with genetic variability emerging over the long-term, thrifty phenotypes represent a response to short-term ecological variability. Physiological plasticity allows the emergence of variability across the life course in response to ecological cues experienced directly or by very recent ancestors. Finally, cultural norms or individual preferences allow voluntary behavioural manipulation of thrift in individuals. Overall, there is a range of factors and processes both favouring and opposing thrifty genes, which may reflect moderate bet hedging rather than systematic adaptation. Plasticity protects the genome from selective pressures by tailoring the organism to ongoing ecological conditions. The fact that obesity can occur in different individuals through different genotypes, life histories and behaviours indicates that different treatments are also likely to be required.

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Section: Culturally Transmitted Variability In Thriftmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thrift: a guide to thrifty genes, thrifty phenotypes and thrifty norms

Wells¹

2009

Int J Obes

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“…Hunger can also increase people's desire for money that can be exchanged for calories (3). Moreover, it can increase men's preference for heavier women, who presumably have richer calorie resources (4). In contrast, hunger does not influence people's evaluations of calorie-unrelated objects that are irrelevant to the satisfaction of hunger (1).…”

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confidence: 99%

Hunger promotes acquisition of nonfood objects

Schwarz

Wyer

2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Hunger motivates people to consume food, for which finding and acquiring food is a prerequisite. We test whether the acquisition component spills over to nonfood objects: Are hungry people more likely to acquire objects that cannot satisfy their hunger? Five laboratory and field studies show that hunger increases the accessibility of acquisition-related concepts and the intention to acquire not only food but also nonfood objects. Moreover, people act on this intention and acquire more nonfood objects (e.g., binder clips) when they are hungry, both when these items are freely available and when they must be paid for. However, hunger does not influence how much they like nonfood objects. We conclude that a basic biologically based motivation can affect substantively unrelated behaviors that cannot satisfy the motivation. This presumably occurs because hunger renders acquisitionrelated concepts and behaviors more accessible, which influences decisions in situations to which they can be applied.hunger | food vs. nonfood | wanting vs. liking | spillover effect | mindset

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“…Following prior research (Nelson & Morrison, 2005), we manipulated participants' perception of the amount of material resources they have by varying anchors on the scale that participants used to indicate the approximate amount they earn in a month. In the material-resources-lacking condition, scale anchors were from 1 = $0-$1,000 to 11 = Over $500,000.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Lack of Material Resources Causes Harsher Moral Judgments

Pitesa

Thau

2014

Psychol Sci

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This research tested the idea that lack of material resources (e.g., low income) causes people to make harsher moral judgments because lack of material resources is associated with a lower ability to cope with the effects of others' harmful behavior. Consistent with this idea, a large cross-cultural survey (Study 1) found that both chronic (low income) and situational (inflation) lack of material resources were associated with harsher moral judgments. The effect of inflation was stronger for low-income individuals, whom inflation renders relatively more vulnerable. A follow-up experiment (Study 2) caused participants to perceive they lacked material resources by employing different anchors on the scale they used to report their income. The manipulation led to harsher judgments of harmful, but not of non-harmful, transgressions and this effect was explained by a sense of vulnerability. Alternative explanations were excluded. These results demonstrate a functional and contextually situated nature of moral psychology. Keywords

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The Symptoms of Resource Scarcity: Judgments of Food and Finances Impact Partner Preferences

Cited by 60 publications

References 0 publications

Thrift: a guide to thrifty genes, thrifty phenotypes and thrifty norms

Thrift: a guide to thrifty genes, thrifty phenotypes and thrifty norms

Hunger promotes acquisition of nonfood objects

A Lack of Material Resources Causes Harsher Moral Judgments

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