Evolutionary Psychology

Gossip framed as concern boosts the gossiper's social and romantic desirability while damaging the target’s reputation. This tactic helps gossipers avoid social penalties, revealing a subtle strategy in female competition for status and partners.

A new study sheds light on universal and culturally specific motives for beauty-enhancing behaviors, highlighting gender differences and influences like mate competition, social norms, and religion.

New research shows that fathers can recognize their own children by body odor with surprising accuracy.

A new study shows that men focus mainly on physical attractiveness in online dating profiles, while women consider both looks and financial stability. Interestingly, men paid more attention to less attractive women when they had high-paying jobs.

Recent research found that high-pitched female voices made men more likely to take risks, but only when they believed it would make them more attractive to women. If they thought women preferred cautious men, the effect was reversed.

New research suggests that perceived mate availability is linked to mental health, with fewer dating options associated with increased anxiety and depression for those with low mate value, while an abundance of options is unexpectedly tied to worse mental health...

A recent study found that women gave more money to men with attractive faces and voices in economic games, especially when those men expressed liking them, demonstrating the influence of attractiveness and social interest on decision-making.

Larger animals have proportionally smaller brains than previously believed, challenging the assumption of a linear brain-body size relationship, with humans being a significant exception due to their exceptionally large brains.

Individuals with lifestyles more mismatched from ancestral conditions, as measured by the new Evolutionary Mismatched Lifestyle Scale (EMLS), were more likely to report poor physical and mental health, including higher rates of chronic illness and depression.

Men motivated by social status, competition, and gender role stress are more likely to maintain their facial hair, using it as a way to enhance their image and fulfill societal expectations of masculinity.

Women’s brains react most strongly when excluded by unattractive, unfriendly peers, suggesting that the pain of social exclusion is influenced not just by the act itself, but by who is doing the excluding.

Genetic conflict, the struggle between maternal and paternal genes, influences human psychology and behavior, affecting conditions like Angelman and Prader-Willi syndromes. This often-overlooked factor could provide new insights for psychological research and treatment.

Women who prefer male friends are often seen by other women as less trustworthy and more promiscuous, but dressing in a masculine way can reduce these perceptions, making them appear less of a romantic threat.

Women with higher self-perceived romantic value tend to have less positive attitudes toward sunbed use, while women with higher intrasexual competition tend to spend more time tanning, according to new research

A recent study, the largest of its kind, explored whether the traits we say we want in a romantic partner truly influence who we find attractive and satisfying in relationships. The research challenges long-held assumptions about the impact of ideal...