Evolutionary Psychology

A new study in Public Understanding of Science finds that people tend to see good behavior as more genetically caused than bad behavior, mainly because kindness and generosity are perceived as more natural.

A new study in Social Psychological and Personality Science suggests that attraction to high-status partners depends on both the kind of status someone displays and the relationship a person wants.

Could a region’s economic health influence how its residents present themselves online? A recent study analyzed thousands of edited photos to explore an unexpected link between digital beauty standards and socioeconomic conditions.

Recent research suggests that women find men with lower body fat more attractive. While facial masculinity was linked to testosterone and age, the link between health and attractiveness was fully explained by adiposity, age, and hormone levels.

Why does transactional sex persist? A new paper argues the answer isn't simple, proposing a unified framework that connects our evolutionary past with modern psychological drivers and economic forces.

New research suggests specific forms of touch during intimacy are associated with greater mutual satisfaction and emotional bonding. These common behaviors appear to enhance feelings of closeness and connection for partners.

A large study finds that reactions to infidelity vary not only by sex but also by sexual orientation and psychological traits. Traits like masculinity, femininity, and sexual attraction appear to shape jealousy in more flexible, dimensional ways than once thought.

A study in Evolution and Human Behavior challenges the idea that hormonal changes shape women’s attraction to men’s faces, finding no effect of oral contraceptives or menstrual cycle hormones on preferences for masculinity or symmetry.

Scientists have long recognized that women actively compete for partners, but the specific ingredients of a threatening rival have been debated. A new study published in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences attempts to build a clearer model of this dynamic by examining...

The desire for plumper lips may be driven more by women than men. A recent study shows that preferences for lip size are largely shaped by own-gender biases, challenging assumptions about who cosmetic procedures appeal to.

A large-scale study has found that people tend to pair based on shared social environments, not simply educational attainment. Published in Nature Communications, the research challenges key assumptions about assortative mating and how advantage is passed from parents to children.

Romantic partnerships are central to many lives, but what about those who go without? A major new study explores the well-being of people who have never had sex, finding connections to loneliness, happiness, and surprising environmental and genetic factors.

A new study reveals that people with higher autistic traits perceive facial attractiveness differently. Researchers found a link between these traits and a stronger preference for masculine features in both male and female faces.

Sex differences in aggression may depend on who the target is. A large cross-cultural study shows that women are at least as aggressive as men toward their siblings—a pattern that contrasts with broader trends in non-family interactions.

Mass murderers tend to be either socially rejected young men or middle-aged men facing personal collapse, according to a new systematic review. The findings highlight how developmental stage and stress exposure shape violent behavior through evolved psychological mechanisms.