Euler, H. A. & Lange, B. P. Sex differences in human jealousy from an evolutionary perspective – An empirical analysis of cross-sectional questionnaire data from 1986 to 2008. Paper presented at the Biennial Congress of the International Society of Human Ethology, Wuerzburg, Germany, Aug 23-29.

Abstract: The assumption of sex differences in jealousy with men being more sexually jealous and women being more emotionally jealous belongs to the strongest classical predictions of the evolutionary behavioral sciences that received convincing empirical support (e. g., Daly, Wilson, & Weghorst, 1982; Pietrzak, Laird, Stevens, & Thompson, 2002). In the research presented here, we tested the temporal stability of this sex difference using different age cohorts. From 1986 to 2008, each year except for 1998 and 2005, German university students of the lecture „Introduction to Psychology“ (N = 4,737; 3,134 women) filled out a questionnaire presenting a forced-choice item with two scenarios from which one had to be chosen: A (emotional fidelity): If anything, I would prefer my partner to sleep with someone else, but be with me with thoughts and ideas. B (sexual fidelity): If anything, I would prefer my partner to sleep with me, but be with another person with thoughts and ideas. At all measurement points, men reported a higher preference (%) for sexual over emotional fidelity. On average across all measurement points, 17.4 % of the female, but 34.1 % of the male participants reported a preference for sexual fidelity. In sum, our results demonstrate the robustness of sex differences in jealousy across time. However, we also found evidence of an overall increase of the preference for sexual fidelity over time for both sexes. References Daly, M., Wilson, M., & Weghorst, S. J. (1982). Male sexual jealousy. Ethology and Sociobiology, 3, 11-27. Pietrzak, R., Laird, J. D., Stevens, D. A., & Thompson, N. S. (2002). Sex differences in human jealousy: A coordinated study of forced-choice, continuous rating-scale, and physiological responses on the same subjects. Evolution and Human Behavior, 23, 83-94.

Harald A. Euler (2020) Gender differences in attachment from an evolutionary perspective: What is good for the goose may not be good for the gander. in L. Ahnert & S. Schoppe-Sullivan (Eds.), Fathers from an attachment perspective. Attachment and Human Development, 22(1), 4-8.

Euler, H. A. (2017) Lernen und Geschlecht. In K. Moegling & C. Siedenbiedel (Hrsg.), "Ich würde die Hausaufgaben abschaffen ebenso wie das Sitzenbleiben". 19 Interviews zu zentralen Fragen der Schulpädagogik (S. 99-110). Bd. 39, Schriftenreihe 'Theorie und Praxis

Euler, H. A. (2016, online) Relationship uncertainty. In T. K. Shackelford & V. A. Weekes-Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of evolutionary psychological science. New York (NY): Springer. DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1184-1

Lange, B. P., Zaretsky, E., & Euler, H. A. (2016). Pseudo names are more than hollow words: Sex differences in the choice of pseudonyms. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 35, 287-304. DOI: 10.1177/0261927X15587102.

Abstract: Many studies demonstrate sex differences in communication. We investigated whether also pseudonyms used in anonymity revealed the sex of the pseudonym user and whether male and female pseudonyms were perceived differently regarding sex-typical attributes (partially taken from the Bem Sex-Role Inventory), the Big Five, and creativity. Pseudonyms chosen by 19 men and 19 women were randomly selected from a list of 2,096 pseudonyms used in written university tests and then rated by a total number of 346 participants (41% men) on the above-mentioned attributes. Results showed that the pseudonym users� sex was guessed correctly above chance. Male more than female pseudonyms were perceived as showy, aggressive, self-reliant, extrovert, and creative. Female pseudonyms were rated higher on the attributes cute, peaceful, romantic, and agreeable. We further found sex differences with respect to linguistic patterns (e.g., pseudonym length) that were, however, able to explain neither guessed sex, nor the higher creativity ratings for male pseudonyms. We conclude that even single words are used by individuals to infer significant information (e.g., sex) about their users.

Euler, H. A. (2016, online) Euler & Weitzel (1996). In T. K. Shackelford & V. A. Weekes-Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of evolutionary psychological science. New York (NY): Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1190-1

Lange, B. P., Euler, H. A., & Zaretsky, E. (2016). Sex differences in language competence of 3- to 6-year old children. Applied Psycholinguistics, 37, 1417 - 1438. DOI: 10.1017/S0142716415000624.

Abstract: For decades, developmental research has involved the study of sex differences in language acquisition. Many studies of these differences have found a slight advantage in competence for females early in life that seems to wane with age. However, because most of these studies have focused on sex differences in mean values, they have mostly neglected sex differences in variance with males being more variable. In the current study, we examined sex differences in language competence in terms of mean values and variance in large samples (N > 10,000) of German children aged 3–6 years. We administered several tests to assess the children’s vocabulary, grammar, speech comprehension, pronunciation, and the processing of sentences and nonce words. Girls performed better than boys in all domains, most often to a statistically significant degree, although the effect sizes were small. Differences decreased with age. Boys varied significantly more than girls in their language competence. In response, we discuss explanations for these findings, as well as recommend directions for future research.

Euler, H. A. (2015). Geschlechterunterschiede In B. P. Lange & S. Schwarz (Hrsg.), Die menschliche Psyche zwischen Natur und Kultur (S. 62 - 73). Lengerich: Pabst Publishers.

Sela, Y., Shackelford, T. K., Pham, M. N., & Euler, H. A. (2015). Do women perform fellatio as a mate retention behavior? Personality and Individual Differences, 73, 61 - 66.

Abstract: Men who report performing more mate retention behaviors, in general, and more benefit-provisioning mate retention behaviors, in particular, also report greater interest in, and spend more time, performing oral sex on their female partner. We extended these findings to a female sample to investigate whether women’s oral sex behaviors are related to their mate retention behaviors. We secured self-report data from 410 women residing in the United States or in Germany in a committed, sexual, heterosexual relationship. The results indicate that women who report performing more benefit-provisioning mate retention behaviors also report greater interest in, and spend more time, performing oral sex on their partner. Further, there are no sex differences in the magnitudes or directions of these relationships. The results suggest that both men and women are more interested in, and spend more time, performing oral sex on their partner as part of a benefit-provisioning strategy to increase their partner’s relationship satisfaction. We address limitations of this research, and discuss explanations for the results.

Euler, H. A. (2014) "Die Geschlechterunterschiede sind gering in Bezug auf Leistungen und Fähigkeiten, dafür größer in Bezug auf Vorlieben, Neigungen und Lernbereitschaften." Ein E-Mail Interview In C. Theurer, C. Siedenbiedel, J. Budde (Hrsg.), Lernen und Geschlecht. Reihe: Theorie und Praxis der Schulpädagogik, Bd. 22 (S. 330-341). Immenhausen bei Kassel: Prolog-Verlag.

Lange, B. P., Zaretsky, E., Schwarz, S., & Euler, H. A. (2014). Words won't fail: Experimental evidence on the role of verbal proficiency in mate choice. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 33, 482-499.

Abstract: According to sexual selection theory, verbal proficiency increases mate value, more for men than for women. This prediction was tested experimentally with stimuli which cover major linguistic competences and verbal performance quality. In the first experiment, the stimuli for opposite-sex participants were six videos in which an actor or an actress performed scripted verbal self-presentations. The script content was the same in each presentation but was delivered with three levels of verbal proficiency with respect to lexical, morphological, syntactical, and speech fluency features. The main effect of verbal proficiency on attractiveness was supported, but not the interaction effect between sex and verbal proficiency, according to which male mate value should be higher affected by verbal proficiency than female mate value. In the second experiment, only the audio tracks from the videos were used as stimuli in an online study. Both the main and the interaction effects were significant. Verbal proficiency plays a significant role in mate choice, probably especially for male mate value.

Euler, H. A. & Lenz, K. (2013) Geschlechterunterschiede zwischen Biologie und sozialer Konstruktion – ein Streitgespräch. In D. Lück & W. Cornelißen (Hrsg.), Geschlechterunterschiede und Geschlechterunterscheidungen in Europa (S. 29-54). Reihe: Der Mensch als soziales und personales Wesen. Stuttgart: Lucius & Lucius.

Euler, H. A. (2013) Lernen und Geschlecht Schulpädagogik heute, H. 8, 4. Jahrgang Download Paper >> other Source

Comment: Email-Interview

Zusammenfassung: Die Geschlechterunterschiede sind gering in Bezug auf Leistungen und Fähigkeiten, dafür größer in Bezug auf Vorlieben, Neigungen und Lernbereitschaften.

McBurney, D. H., Streeter, S., & Euler, H. A. (2012) Olfactory comfort in close relationships: You aren’t the only one who does it. In G. M. Zucco, R. S. Herz, & B. Schaal (Eds.), Olfactory cognition: From perception and memory to environmental odours and neuroscience (pp. 59–72). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Abstract: Smelling the unwashed clothing of a loved one when separated is at the same time little known but widely practiced (McBurney, et al., 2006). A majority of persons surveyed reported that they did it to remember an absent romantic partner and because it smells good; additionally, it made them feel happy and comfortable. Shoup, et al. (2008) found that such olfactory comfort behavior extended to relatives as a function of degree of relatedness. In both American and German subjects, olfactory comfort correlated with adult attachment style: positively with Secure attachment, and negatively with Dismissive attachment. Number of personal photos displayed in a student’s dorm room correlated with olfactory comfort behavior and showed the same relationships with attachment. Streeter (2008) experimentally demonstrated the role of olfactory comfort by having subjects smell various T-shirts after experiencing a stressor. Smelling a partner’s T-shirt increased comfort, and reduced anxiety and negative affect. The smell of an unknown individual also reduced anxiety and negative affect, but did not influence comfort. Those with Secure attachment showed greater reduction in anxiety than those with other attachment styles. Euler (unpublished) found that smelling of clothing correlated positively with the love styles (Lee, 1973) mania, agape, and eros. In this contribution we review these findings and suggest that they indicate a system of olfactory comfort that relates to Harlow’s contact comfort (e.g, Harlow, Harlow, & Suomi, 1971) as well as Bowlby’s (1969) theory of attachment as extended to adult romantic attachment (Hazan & Shaver, 1987).

Euler, H. A. (2010). The psychology of families In C. Störmer, U. Frey, & K. Willführ (Eds.), Homo novus – a human without illusions. Festschrift for the 60th birthday of Eckart Voland (pp. 161–179). Berlin, Germany: Springer. Download Paper

Abstract: Two illusions about human nature with considerable implications for a psychology of families are the Illusion of Gender Sameness and the Family Socialization Illusion. The assumption of gender sameness in its modern version of the gender similarity hypothesis is critically evaluated and found to be deficient. Lacking sex differences on many variables is no matter of dispute, but on many other variables, where sex-specific selection pressures can be assumed to have existed, the differences are considerable. Ignoring to cut nature at it's joints and to use effect size estimates averaged over areas cut wrongly give a mistaken impression of only few and minor sex differences. Moreover, socially important sex differences may reveal themselves not only in differences between distribution means, but also in variance differences, a topic not addressed by the proponents of the gender similarity hypothesis. How evolutionarily designed sex differences invade mating, parenting, grandparenting, and extended family relationship and how they are responsible for a multitude of asymmetries in family life is exemplified, particularly with respect to grandparenting. The Illusion of Family Socialization denotes the wide-spread belief that the human adult personality is to a large extent formed by socialization within the family. Extensive and robust data from behavior genetic studies attest that the shared environment and thus family-specific socialization practices do not, with a few exceptions, account for the variance in personality. Considerations from evolutionary theory, particularly life history theory and parent-child conflict, deliver plausible reasons why parents are not able to mold permanently their offspring's personality. A human evolutionary behavioral science is well equipped to uncover and debunk these illusions.

Euler, H. A., & Michalski, R. (2007) Grandparental and extended kin relationships In C. A. Salmon & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.), Family relationships: an evolutionary perspective (pp. 230 - 255). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Shackelford, T. K., Goetz, A. T., Buss, D. M., Euler, H. A., & Hoier, S. (2005). When we hurt the ones we love: Predicting violence against women from men’s mate retention tactics. Personal Relationships, 12, 447-463. Download Paper

Abstract: Mate retention behaviors are designed to solve several adaptive problems such as deterring a partner s infidelity and preventing defection from the mating relationship. Although many mate retention behaviors appear to be innocuous romantic gestures (e.g., displaying resources, giving flowers), some may be harbingers of violence. We investigated the associations between male mate retention and violence against women in romantic relationships. In Study 1, 461 men reported their use of mate retention behaviors and separately completed instruments designed to assess violence in their relationships. Study 2 assessed 560 women s reports of their partners mate retention behaviors and the degree to which their partners used violence against them. As predicted, and across both studies, men s use of particular mate retention behaviors was related positively to female-directed violence. Study 3 secured 2 separate data sources—husbands reports of their mate retention and wives reports of their husbands violence in a sample of 214 individuals forming 107 couples. The results corroborated those of Studies 1 and 2, with particular male mate retention behaviors predicting violence against romantic partners. The general discussion outlines future directions for research that are likely to result in a more comprehensive understanding of partner violence against women.

Euler, H. A. (1997) Geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede und die nicht erzählte Geschichte in der Gewaltforschung. In H. G. Holtappels, W. Heitmeyer, W. Melzer und K.-J. Tillman (Hrsg.), Forschung über Gewalt an Schulen. Erscheinungsformen und Ursachen, Konzepte und Prävention (S. 191-206). Weinheim: Juventa. (2. Aufl. 1999)