Examining the Measurement Invariance of the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White College Women in the U.S.

The Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R) is a widely used measure in research, yet the invariance of this measure has not been established in English speaking Non-Hispanic White (NHW) and Hispanic/Latine populations. This study examined whether the SOI-R, a measure developed in Germany, was invariant between US Hispanic/Latina (N = 208) and NHW (N = 190) undergraduate women. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess model fit in the Hispanic/Latina and NHW samples and fit of increasingly restrictive models was used to test configural, metric, scalar, and residual invariance of the models in both samples. CFA results revealed that data from both the Hispanic/Latina and NHW groups fit the model adequately in this sample, which consisted of highly acculturated Hispanic/Latina college women. Tests of measurement invariance found that the SOI-R was invariant across Hispanic/Latina and NHW college women. However, questions about the development of the SOI-R and the underlying assumptions made during the course of its development might be considered prior to the use of the measure in research, and further invariance testing should be conducted in future work with less acculturated Hispanic/Latine populations.

The Relationship Between Men's Sociosexuality, Drinking Intake, and Blackouts.

Background: Sociosexuality-attitudes, behaviors, and desires related to casual sex-partly predicts drinking behavior in both men and women because drinking is thought to facilitate interactions that lead to casual sex. It follows that sociosexuality would predict drinking intake (e.g., quantity consumed)-but perhaps not drinking consequences (e.g., blacking out)-on the premise that drinking large quantities with high frequency (but not to such high degrees/levels of intoxication that negative consequences occur) would facilitate casual sex. Objectives: This set of studies evaluated whether baseline measures of sociosexuality predict drinking intake (i.e., frequency, quantity, and binge drinking) but not experiencing blacking out at follow-up in two samples (Study 1, N = 172; Study 2, N = 1,038) of college-aged men. Results: As predicted, men's sociosexuality prospectively predicted drinking frequency, quantity, and binge drinking. Contrary to our predictions, men's sociosexuality also predicted blacking out. Conclusions: College men's drinking interventions should be tailored to high-risk groups and consider individual differences like sociosexuality.

Sex and Sexual Orientation Differences in Dark Triad Traits, Sexual Excitation/Inhibition, and Sociosexuality.

The present study sought to investigate sex and sexual orientation differences in several traits related to sexuality and sexual behavior. Examining sexual orientation differences alongside basic sex differences to help identify correlates of sexual orientation diversity, and whether individuals with varying degrees of same-sex attraction show concurrent sex-atypical shifts in other domains. Males tend to score higher than females in the Dark Triad (DT) traits of sub-clinical narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. Similarly, females tend to be more cautious than males in their attitudes and desires toward casual sex activity (i.e., sociosexuality). These sex differences may be related to the propensity for individuals to become easily sexually excited, which is higher in males, or to instead inhibit sexual arousal, which is higher in females. In a large undergraduate sample (N = 2047), we replicated expected sex differences in DT traits, sociosexuality, and sexual excitation/inhibition. We found that non-heterosexual females were "male-shifted" in some of these traits, but these shifts tended to be strongest among mostly heterosexual and bisexual individuals. Furthermore, we found that within-sex variation in sociosexuality, sexual excitation, and sexual inhibition was not related to sexual orientation in a linear fashion. Instead, sociosexuality and sexual excitation were related to sexual orientation in a curvilinear (inverted-U) fashion, especially among females. The fact that traits correlated with bisexuality and homosexuality were somewhat distinct is consistent with the idea that different developmental pathways may lead to these discrete sexual attraction patterns.

Psychometric Characteristics of the Italian Version of the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory.

Sociosexuality refers to the tendency to engage in uncommitted sexual behavior and has been dissected into three domains: sociosexual behavior, attitudes, and desire (Penke & Asendorpf, 2008), which led to the revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R), which was validated on a German sample. The current research aimed at translating and validating an Italian version (I-SOI-R), administered to three distinct Italian participant groups. In the first sample (N = 710, females = 521, age = 18-59 years), we found evidence for a bifactor model, articulated in a general sociosexuality factor and three specific factors (behavior, attitudes, desire). High internal consistency was established for total and subscale scores, alongside favorable test-retest reliability. A connection was found between relationship status and sociosexual desire, though not gender dependent. We found evidence for test-retest reliability in a second sample (N = 55, females = 37, age 20-58 years). In a third study (N = 305, females = 147, age = 19-60 years), the earlier findings were replicated, further confirming the I-SOI-R's construct, criterion, and nomological validity on an online sample. Combining data from the three studies revealed full configural, metric, and scalar invariance regarding gender. This allowed us to meaningfully compare the observed scores of women and men and replicated the finding that men display higher levels of unrestricted sociosexuality. In conclusion, the I-SOI-R may serve as a valuable tool to assess and enhance sexual health, albeit warranting future research on construct and criterion validity.

Reliability and Validity of the Chinese Version of the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory.

The Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R) is a measurement tool for assessing an individual's willingness to engage in uncommitted sexual relations. Despite its widespread use in various contexts, no studies have validated the use of this instrument in China. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of an existing Chinese translation of the SOI-R. A total of 2,209 participants were recruited and randomly divided into two groups: exploratory factor analysis was conducted on one group and confirmatory factor analysis on the other, with 161 participants from the total sample recruited to assess the test-retest reliability. Criterion validity was measured by testing the correlations between sociosexuality and sexual desire, mate value, sexual attitudes, and personality traits. The results confirmed a three-factor structure (sociosexual behaviors, attitudes, and desire) for the SOI-R. Furthermore, the findings demonstrated good reliability (internal consistency and test-retest stability) and validity (criterion validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity) of the SOI-R, supporting its suitability as an assessment tool for sociosexual orientation in China.

Attitudes Toward Cisgender Women's Participation in Sex Work: Opportunity for Agency or Harmful Exchange?

Despite the stigmatization of sex work in society, little empirical research has examined attitudes toward sex work, especially its modern incarnations (e.g., sugar relationships, webcamming). Here, a sample of 298 US residents (Mage = 40.06 years; 59.1% male, 40.9% female) was recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Various theoretical predictors (e.g., right-wing authoritarianism [RWA]), sociosexuality) were set to predict the degree to which four sex work domains (prostitution, pornography, sugar relationships, webcamming) provide cisgender women agency (beneficial) or harm them (detrimental). We found that the domains of sex work were organized hierarchically, as theorized by the so-called "whorearchy," whereby the more "unfavorable" domains (e.g., prostitution) fall at the bottom, and the more "favorable" ones (e.g., webcamming) sit at the top. Additionally, multiple regression analyses revealed that RWA (negatively) and sociosexuality (positively) were the strongest predictors of sex work agency across various domains. In predicting harm, RWA, feminism, religiosity, and age were unique positive predictors, whereas sociosexuality and male (vs. female) self-identified sex were unique negative predictors, across the four domains of sex work. Moreover, individual differences (e.g., RWA) were often significantly stronger predictors of agency or harm among female than male participants. The results suggest that although sex work domains vary in agency and harm ratings, individual differences (most notably, RWA and sociosexuality) are important predictors across domains, especially for cisgender women. Given the growing prevalence of such online forms of sex work, along with growing evidence of sugar relationships, it will become increasingly important to track reactions as these forms of sex work evolve.

Polygamous Interest in a Mononormative Nation: The Roles of Sex and Sociosexuality in Polygamous Interest in a Heterosexual Sample from the UK.

Polygamy is a form of "one-sided" consensually non-monogamous relationship where one person has multiple committed partners, each of whom is only involved with that one person. It was likely a reoccurring feature of ancestral mating that posed adaptive problems for our ancestors. Yet polygamy, and multi-partnering more generally, is understudied in Western cultures, raising questions about the existence of polygamous interest and whether this is calibrated adaptively to personal conditions. In two studies, we examined polygamous interest in two heterosexual online samples from the UK. In Study 1 (N = 393), modest interest was found for polygamous relationships overall. Men were six times more open to polygyny than women, but there was little sex difference in openness to polyandry. Further analysis revealed that all forms of multi-partnering were undesirable relative to singlehood and monogamy; however, consensual multi-partner relationships were less undesirable than non-consensual ones. Sex differences were largest for polygyny and arrangements where men had agreed access to a casual partner alongside a committed one, yet these were two of the most acceptable forms of multi-partnering when men and women's responses were combined. Sociosexuality positively predicted interest in most forms of multi-partnering. Study 2 (N = 735) focused on polygyny and added status-linked traits as predictors. The results of Study 1 were broadly replicated, though the status-linked traits did not predict polygynous interest specifically. Instead, sociosexuality and male intrasexual competitiveness uniquely predicted general interest in multi-partner relationships. Overall, interest in polygamy appears to emerge despite social discouragement and sex differences in interest track the relative costs and benefits associated with it. However, there is no strong evidence that polygamous interest is uniquely calibrated to personal conditions when compared to other forms of multi-partnering.

People Declare Lowered Levels of Sociosexual Desire in the Presence of an Attractive Audience.

Due to social desirability bias, people tend to self-present themselves in the presence of others in a favorable light, which sometimes may lead to deviations from reality. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced when controversial or strictly norm-bounded matters are considered. Here, we tested how a presence of an attractive model-either male or female-influences people's declarations on their sociosexual orientation-the degree of their sexual permissiveness in terms of their past behavior, attitudes toward uncommitted sex, and desire for sexual intercourse with individuals they are not in a relationship with. The participants (N = 244, 52% men) answered questions about their sociosexuality in solitude, or out loud with an attractive model present. The results show that both men and women declare lowered levels of their desire, but not behavior or attitude, in the presence of both male and female attractive models. A follow-up study (N = 188, 51% men) showed that this effect was not due to the differing conditions of responding (out loud vs written down). The research points out to an area of human sexuality that is prone to being falsified in research and which serves as an important factor in self-presentation.

Voice pitch is negatively associated with sociosexual behavior in males but not in females.

Acoustic cues play a major role in social interactions in many animal species. In addition to the semantic contents of human speech, voice attributes - e.g., voice pitch, formant position, formant dispersion, etc. - have been proposed to provide critical information for the assessment of potential rivals and mates. However, prior studies exploring the association of acoustic attributes with reproductive success, or some of its proxies, have produced mixed results. Here, we investigate whether the mean fundamental frequency (F0), formant position (Pf), and formant dispersion (Df) - dimorphic attributes of the human voice - are related to sociosexuality, as measured by the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R) - a trait also known to exhibit sex differences - in a sample of native Spanish-speaking students (101 males, 147 females). Analyses showed a significant negative correlation between F0 and sociosexual behavior, and between Pf and sociosexual desire in males but not in females. These correlations remained significant after correcting for false discovery rate (FDR) and controlling for age, a potential confounding variable. Our results are consistent with a role of F0 and Pf serving as cues in the mating domain in males but not in females. Alternatively, the association of voice attributes and sociosexual orientation might stem from the parallel effect of male sex hormones both on the male brain and the anatomical structures involved in voice production.

Women's Mating Strategies and Mate Value Are Associated with Viewing Time to Facial Masculinity.

Sexual selection has shaped women's preferences for ideal physical features in men that signal good health. Facial masculinity is often used as a proxy in signaling health, viability, and disease resistance, and it is thought to be attractive because it advertises heritable benefits. Preferences for facial masculinity are also associated with individual differences in one's sociosexuality and mate value, where women oriented toward a short-term mating orientation and are of high mate value may prefer men with masculine features. The current study examined women's sociosexuality and mate value (i.e., self-rating of overall desirability) in rating attractiveness and visual attention to facial masculinity in men's faces using an eye-tracking task. Overall, women (N = 72) did not show any significant preferences for men with masculinized over feminized faces. However, women who scored high on sociosexuality (i.e., unrestricted sociosexuality) and mate value demonstrated increased visual attention and looking frequency to masculinized over feminized faces. The study highlights the unique role of cognitive mechanisms in visually assessing a potential mate and how individual differences in short-term mating strategies and mate value may moderate those preferences. These findings underscore the importance of examining individual differences in mate preferences research.

Relationship Between Sociosexuality and Condom Use Frequency Among Young French College Students.

Sociosexuality, conceptualized as individual differences in attitudes, behaviors, and desires for casual sex, is reflected in "hookup culture" where risky sexual behaviors should not be overlooked. The main objectives of this study were (a) to provide a first French adaptation of the SOI-R and to evaluate its psychometric properties, and (b) to examine the relationship between sociosexuality and condom use among young college students (N = 1037, mean age = 18.7 years, SD = 1 year). A path model hypothesizing links between dispositional optimism, boredom proneness, sexual orientation, age, gender (as correlated exogenous/independent variables), sociosexuality (as mediation variable), and condom use (as output variable), was specified and tested. Findings showed gender and sexual orientation differences in sociosexuality. As expected, males as well as non-heterosexual individuals endorsed more sociosexuality than the others. Optimism, but not boredom, predicted a higher level of sociosexuality. Sociosexuality positively predicted safer sex. Sociosexual orientation was not associated with condomless sex. It would seem that sexual freedom does not necessarily mean irresponsible sexual adventures for the young college students in our study.

Reliability and Validity of the Colombian Version of the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory.

Sociosexuality refers to an individual's disposition to have casual sex without establishing affective bonds and has been widely studied worldwide using the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R; Penke & Asendorpf, 2008). Despite its many validations in different cultural contexts, no psychometric analyses of this instrument have been conducted in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the psychometric properties of the SOI-R in Colombia. In a cross-sectional study with a large sample of participants (N = 812; 64% women), we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to identify different factor structures and determine which had the best fit for our sample and examined the reliability of the scale. Results showed that a three-factor structure, with sociosexual behaviors, attitudes, and desire as first-order factors, and global sociosexuality as a second-order factor, had the best fit indexes. Each factor presented good reliability indexes. Replicating already established gender differences, we also found that men scored higher on each factor when compared to women. These findings show that the SOI-R is a reliable and valid instrument to assess sociosexuality in countries where sociosexuality research is underrepresented.

Cluster Analysis Method Reveals Gender Attitudes in Sociosexual Orientation of a Southern Italy Population During the COVID-19 Lockdown.

Introduction: The COVID-19 epidemic and its lockdown dramatically impacted the general well-being of the population and affected sociosexual experiences, thus modifying sexual behavior, desire, and well-being. Clustering analysis has not yet been applied to research and data investigating sociosexuality. The cluster analysis method could be a valid support for clinicians in investigating the condition of a population with respect to problems related to sociosexuality. The aim of the present study was to analyze the different perceptions of the sociosexual experiences in southern population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We enrolled 734 (450 female) participants with a carried out anonymous web-based survey from the 16th of April 2020 to the 3rd June of 2020. The revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R) is a self-report test assessing three theoretically meaningful facets of sociosexual orientation (behavior, attitude, and desire). Results: We found eleven clusters, and the findings showed, for the first time, an intra- and inter-diagnostic heterogeneity in the sexual profile of participants. Theoretically, we identified subtype clusters whose sexual attitude was to avoid sexual promiscuity with significant gender differences. Women show a greater propensity for attitude and desire facet than men. Conclusions: Our new method of unsupervised learning could represent a reliable tool to support socio-cultural analysis studies on issues influenced by cultural mechanisms in a quick and explanatory way, as in the case of sexual orientation and attitude differences between men and women. Social and Policy Implications: Understanding these gaps is fundamental for policy makers, managers of social networks, those who deal with engaged couples and families, and sexuality starting from the very youngest adolescents. We claim to devise a strategy to measure how much a sexist culture implicitly and explicitly limits the freedom of sexual expression and how this can affect psycho-sexual well-being in a society. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13178-022-00771-2.

The Association Between Relationship Orientation, Relationship Quality and Sexual Satisfaction.

Although, uncommitted dating via online apps is widespread, most people find value in long-term, trusting relationships. From a social and evolutionary point of view, it has been theorized that mating strategies, and, in particular, short-term strategies make some relationships more vulnerable than others. In our study, we examined short- and long-term relationship orientation and their association with relationship quality. We analysed data from 395 heterosexual couples using the actor-partner-interdependence model in order to explore effects on individuals and couples. Results demonstrated that short-term orientation was associated with lower levels of relationship quality and an increased likelihood of complaints about the partner and the relationship. Long-term relationship orientation, on the other hand, was associated with higher levels of relationship quality. In addition, higher levels of sexual satisfaction mediate the association between short-term orientation and relationship quality. In-depth analyses revealed gender- and couple effects.

Long-Term Mating Orientation in Men: The Role of Socioeconomic Status, Protection Skills, and Parenthood Disposition.

From an evolutionary perspective, phenotypic, social, and environmental factors help to shape the different costs and benefits of pursuing different reproductive strategies (or a mixture of them) from one individual to another. Since men's reproductive success is mainly constrained to women's availability, their mating orientations should be partially calibrated by features that women prefer in a potential partner. For long-term relationships, women prefer traits that signal access to resources, protection skills, and the willingness to share them. Using generalized linear models with laboratory data taken from a Chilean population (N = 197), this study aimed to test whether real and potential resources (measured as self-reported socioeconomic status), protection skills (measured as handgrip strength), and the willingness to provide resources and protection (measured as their disposition toward parenthood) are related to mating orientation in men. Our predictions were: (1) socioeconomic status would be positively associated with long-term and short-term mating orientation but for long-term-oriented individuals, this would be enhanced by having a more favorable parenthood disposition and (2) strength would be positively related to long-term mating orientation in men with higher socioeconomic status and a favorable disposition toward parenthood and it would have a positive and direct association with short-term mating orientation. Our results partially supported the first hypothesis, since men with higher socioeconomic status were more long-term oriented, but parenting disposition did not moderate this effect. Contrary to our expectations, socioeconomic status was not related to short-term mating orientation. Strength appeared not to be significant for long-term mating orientation, even interacting with other traits. However, strength by itself was powerfully linked with a short-term mating orientation. Our results suggest that only some individuals that are attractive for long-term relationships are indeed long-term oriented and may reflect the overall conflict of interests between mating strategies among sexes.

Perceived Effectiveness of Flirtation Tactics: The Effects of sex, Mating Context and Individual Differences in US and Norwegian Samples.

Flirting involves various signals communicated between individuals. To attract potential mates, men and women exhibit flirtatious behavior to get the attention of, and potentially elicit sexual or romantic interest from, a desired partner. In this first large, preregistered study of judgement of the effectiveness of flirtation tactics based on Sexual Strategies Theory, we considered the effects of flirter's (actor) sex and mating contexts in addition to rater's (participant) sex across two cultures, Norway and the U.S. Culturally relevant covariates such as sociosexuality, extraversion, mate value, age, and religiosity were examined. Participants from Norway (N = 415, 56% women) and the US (N = 577, 69% women) responded to one of four different randomized questionnaires representing a factorial design considering either short-term versus long-term mating context and either female or male sex of actor. We found that sexual availability cues were judged more effective when employed by women in short-term mating contexts. Friendly contact, such as hugs or kissing on the cheek, was not. Cues to generosity and commitment were judged more effective when employed by men in long-term mating contexts. Humor was rated as more effective when used by men and in long-term contexts, and least effective when used by women in short term contexts. However, laughing or giggling at someone's jokes was an effective flirtation tactic for both sexes. Overall, predictions for culturally relevant covariates were not supported, but cultural differences were found in bodily displays, initial contact, and generosity. These findings dovetail neatly with findings from the self-promotion literature, and further support that flirtation is a universal mate signaling strategy.

Perceptions of Sexual Images: Factors Influencing Responses to the Ubiquitous External Ejaculation.

The debate over pornography has drawn attention to sex differences not only in the frequency of pornography consumption but also in the different ways males and females may perceive sexually explicit images and respond to them. Some of these differences may be due to sex differences in a variety of factors including sexual strategies and disgust, in particular, disgust related to pathogen avoidance. There is a large literature that focuses on how pathogen avoidance has shaped human behavior from political ideology to in-group/outgroup behavior to sexual risk taking/avoidance. This study examined sex differences in perceptions and how they are influenced by the emotional context of the image as well as individual difference factors, including disgust sensitivity, mate value, sociosexuality, and sexual orientation. Participants viewed a series of sexually explicit images of external ejaculations and rated them in terms of being positive, neutral, or negative. The factors accounting for the greatest variance in perceptions were target affect and sex, sexual orientation, and respondent sex, followed by pathogen and sexual disgust, self-perceived mate value, and sociosexual attitudes and desire.

The Scent of Monogamy: Self-Reported Olfactory Function Predicts Sexual Well-Being and Infidelity in an Italian Population.

Previous studies have shown that olfactory function plays an essential role in the bonding of a romantic relationship. Body odors, in particular, seem involved in both mate choices and other intimate behaviors. Our sense of smell is also crucial to detect possible pathogen threats, by activating a suitable disgust reaction. Previous studies have shown that disgust sensitivity is negatively related to sociosexuality, and disgust generally inhibits our sexual drive. In the present study, we explored the possible relation between olfactory function, pathogen disgust sensitivity, sociosexuality, sexual well-being, and infidelity through a web survey. Our exploratory analyses found that, in a large Italian sample (N = 1107), among those in a stable relationship, self-reported olfactory function predicted sexual well-being (p < .05) and negatively predicted infidelity (p < .05) when controlling for other relevant sociodemographics variables. Moreover, the relation between self-reported olfactory function and sexual well-being was mediated by pathogen disgust sensitivity. Although significant, these results must be interpreted with caution, because the effect sizes were small.

Sociosexual Orientations and Well-Being: Differences Across Gender.

Background Sociosexuality explains whether people hold an (un)restricted orientation toward casual sex, and its effects on well-being are inconclusive. This study investigates how specifically the facets of sociosexuality relate to three components of well-being in men and women. Methods: Self-report measures of sociosexuality and well-being were assessed in 556 Polish adults. Results: Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis revealed differences in sociosexual attitudes and desire across gender. Structural equation models showed significant results only for men-emotional and psychological well-being were positively predicted by sociosexual behavior and negatively predicted by desire. Conclusions: Sociosexuality predicted well-being differently across gender.

Sex, Drugs, and Genes: Illuminating the Moral Condemnation of Recreational Drugs.

Over the past decade, evolutionary psychologists have proposed that many moral stances function to promote self-interests. At the same time, behavioral geneticists have demonstrated that many moral stances have genetic bases. We integrated these perspectives by examining how moral condemnation of recreational drug use relates to sexual strategy (i.e., being more vs. less open to sex outside of a committed relationship) in a sample of Finnish twins and siblings (N = 8,118). Twin modeling suggested that genetic factors accounted for 53%, 46%, and 41% of the variance in drug condemnation, sociosexuality, and sexual-disgust sensitivity, respectively. Further, approximately 75% of the phenotypic covariance between drug condemnation and sexual strategy was accounted for by genes, and there was substantial overlap in the genetic effects underlying both drug condemnation and sexual strategy (rg = .41). Results are consistent with the proposal that some moral sentiments are calibrated to promote strategic sexual interests, which arise partially via genetic factors.