Chat up lines: effect of the menstrual cycle and sociosexuality on female response to male sexual displays

Abstract

The present study combines the ‘good genes’ (Buss, 1994) and ‘parental investment’ hypotheses (Trivers, 1972) with the experimental work of Bale et al. (2006), Cooper et al. (2007) and Haselton and Miller (2006). Using a similar design to Cooper et al., who asked participants to judge how a typical woman would respond to particular chat up lines, this study investigated fertility as having a possible effect on responses and asked female-only participants (N=85) how they themselves would respond. Participants were also tested for their Dating Partner Preference (DPPT; Tombs and Silverman, 2004) and their sociosexuality (SOI; Simpson and Gangestad, 1991). From Cooper et al.’s work, it was thought that sexually charged lines would be more attractive to fertile women, indicating a good genes mating strategy at fertility; that the Bad Mate factor on the DPPT will correlate with vignettes in the Sex and Compliment categories; and from Simpson and Gangestad’s (1992) paper that SOI will correlate with many of the measures of chat up line rating, with lower SOI scores indicating a parental investment strategy. Results showed no main effect of fertility on Sex vignettes but a strong trend towards higher scores when fertile. Further research with revisions to the questionnaire and improved fertility testing is expected to show fertility to have an effect on chat up line rating. SOI correlated with Sex and Compliment vignettes and the DPPT ‘Leader’ factor correlated with SOI and average vignette rating. This evidence points to a Dual Mating Strategy in which women preferentially use either a good genes strategy (high SOI, more attracted to Leaders and more open to chat up lines) or a parental investment strategy (lower SOI, less open to chat up lines), whether in a relationship or not, but also switch to a good genes strategy when fertile.