Society and the State in Russia and the World during the Coronavirus Epidemic.

This article is based on a report presented at the Scientific Session of the RAS General Meeting (Moscow, December 15, 2021). The reaction of society to the pandemic in Russia and other countries of the world is analyzed from an anthropological point of view. The features of the behavior and psychological reaction of residents of different regions, professional groups, and ethnocultural communities are considered with account for gender, age, and cultural characteristics (collectivism‒individualism, looseness‒tightness, power distance). Particular attention is paid to phobias and social activity during the pandemic; the growing role of nation-states in overcoming the consequences of the pandemic is discussed. The results presented can be used as an additional source of information for taking effective measures finally to overcome the pandemic and, most importantly, its negative social and political consequences.

Sex differences in emotional perception: Evidence from population of Tuvans (Southern Siberia).

Prior studies have reported that women outperform men in nonverbal communication, including the recognition of emotions through static facial expressions. In this experimental study, we investigated sex differences in the estimation of states of happiness, anger, fear, and disgust through static photographs using a two-culture approach. This study was conducted among the Tuvans and Mongolian people from Southern Siberia. The respondents were presented with a set of photographs of men and women of European and Tuvan origin and were asked to interpret each of them. They were asked: "What does the person in the photo feel?" We found that the Tuvans easily identified happiness and anger; however, the level of accuracy of fear and disgust recognition was low. No sex differences in the recognition of happiness, disgust, and fear were observed. However, anger recognition was significantly moderated by the perceiver's sex and the origin of the model. Compared to Tuvan men, Tuvan women were significantly less accurate in identifying anger in male Tuvans. Furthermore, the age effect was found in recognition of fear: older Tuvans were more accurate while recognizing the fearful faces of Tuvan, but not the European models.

Variations in limited resources allocation towards friends and strangers in children and adolescents from seven economically and culturally diverse societies.

Humans are unique among primates in altruism and sharing limited recourses towards non-kin. Our study revealed the differences in proportions of individuals ready to share limited resources with virtual friend compared to virtual stranger in children and adolescents from seven ethnic groups, represented by four traditional rural African societies from Tanzania with different types of economy and three societies from Russia. The study was conducted between 2015 and 2020, and the data on 2253 individuals (1104 males and 1149 females) were obtained. Six economic games with limited resource allocations were conducted: Prosocial, Envy, and Sharing games with imagined friends and stranger partners accordingly. All players were later classified according to their decisions in all six games into four behavioral types: egoistic, egalitarian, altruistic, and mixed. The effects of population origin, gender, age, and stranger/friend type of interaction on the behavior were estimated by multinomial logistic regression. It was demonstrated that more respondents prefer altruistic and egalitarian behavior than egoistic and mixed in the whole sample. However, significant parochial effect was found. The study revealed significant main effects of ethnicity, age, and the interaction effects of ethnicity and parochial tendencies, and ethnicity and age on the behavior of players.

Theoretical Reproductive Outcomes of the Sexual Conflict in Humans.

This paper presents an updated mathematical model of the evolutionary dynamics of the sexual conflict ("battle of the sexes") and its simulated reproductive outcomes. The authors highlight a whole range of life-history traits unique to our species, such as prolonged childhood, growth in parental care, etc. Based on these biosocial premises, the sexual conflict between men and women shifts into the mathematical realm of the "Prisoner's Dilemma" game. The evolutionarily stable strategy of mutual rejection of parenthood would be dominant with this PD strategy in both parents; oscillation dynamics predicted in previous models would not be expected. Despite fatal theoretical prediction of the PD evolutionary game, the newish genetic data of the EPP rates in the historical populations reveals prevalence of cooperation between both sexes, predominantly utilizing the monogamous form of sexuality. Presumably, this sexual norm could have potentially ensured reproductive success in the societies in the past.

Strategies for Sharing Limited Resources among Children and Adolescents in Three Traditional Societies of East Africa: Sociocultural and Genetic Factors.

Egalitarianism, pursuit for equality, and altruism are the most important evolutionarily stable strategies in the human society. This study presents data on the results of economic games for sharing with a potential friend or unfamiliar peer in three ethnic groups of East Africa (Hadza, Iraqw, and Meru). The total sample was 583 children and adolescents; mean age, 13.5 ± 3.1 years. In addition, DNA analysis was carried out and the OXTR gene rs53576 single nucleotide polymorphism was genotyped for 162 Meru individuals. The pronounced individual variability in making decisions on sharing with a potential partner was established. Children and adolescents behaved altruistically towards friends significantly more frequently as compared with strangers. Carriers of the OXTR rs53576 GG variant displayed altruism significantly more frequently both to friends (U = 3376.500, p = 0.047; OR = 3.075, p = 0.032) and to strangers (U = 3478.000, p = 0.025; OR = 3.133, p = 0.007). Significant intergroup differences in egalitarianism, egoism, and altruism were also demonstrated. Data obtained suggest a positive group selection towards altruists.

The association between 2D:4D ratio and aggression in children and adolescents: Cross-cultural and gender differences.

BACKGROUND: Two recent meta-analyses have suggested the association between digit ratio (2D:4D) and aggression is weak. This conclusion has been criticised because the meta-analyses conflate forms of aggression that show strong sex differences with those that do not, and most studies have considered post-pubertal participants. AIMS: We test the influence of 2D:4D and ethnicity in the expression of aggression in children and adolescents in four ethnic groups of European and African origin. STUDY DESIGN: Buss and Perry aggression questionnaire. Direct measurement of the 2nd and 4th digits. SUBJECTS: 1296 children and adolescents from Tanzania and Russia from 4 ethnic groups - Datoga, Meru, Russians, Tatars. RESULTS: There were ethnic and gender differences in ratings on aggression with boys consistently reporting more physical aggression. In all four samples right 2D:4D was significantly lower in boys, compared to girls. With regard to our total sample of boys, the right 2D:4D was significantly and negatively associated with self-ratings on physical aggression, but no association was found for left 2D:4D. No associations between 2D:4D and physical aggression were found for girls. Hostility was negatively correlated with 2D:4D for boys, and anger was positively correlated with 2D:4D in girls. CONCLUSION: Sex differences were strongest for right 2D:4D (boysgirls). Right 2D:4D was negatively related to physical aggression in boys only, suggesting possible relationship to prenatal androgenization.

Waist-to-hip ratio, body-mass index, age and number of children in seven traditional societies.

It has been suggested that the preference for low WHRs evolved because low WHR provided a cue to female reproductive status and health, and therefore to her reproductive value. The present study aimed to test whether WHR might indeed be a reliable cue to female reproductive history (with lower WHRs indicating lower number of children). Previous studies showed such a relationship for modern and industrialized populations, but it has not been investigated in natural fertility, indigenous, more energy constrained populations facing greater trade-offs in energy allocation than do modern societies. Our sample comprised 925 women aged 13 to 95 years from seven non-industrial societies including tribes from Sub-Saharan Africa (Hadza, Datoga, and Isanzu), Western Siberia (Ob Ugric people: Khanty and Mansi), South America (Tsimane) and South Asia (Minahasans and Sangirese). We demonstrated a culturally stable, significant relationship between number of children and WHR among women, controlling for BMI and age. Based on these data, we suggest that WHR is a reliable cue to female reproductive history, and we discuss our results in the context of previous studies indicating usefulness of WHR as an indicator of health and fertility.

[Comparative Analysis of Polymorphisms of the Serotonin Receptor Genes HTR1A, HTR2A, and HTR1B in Hadza and Datoga Males].

The distribution of the allele and genotype frequencies of polymorphic loci of serotonin receptor genes (HTR1A, rs6295; HTR2A, rs6311; HTR1B, rs6296) in Hadza (n = 197) and Datoga males (n = 230) living in Tanzania was determined. It was shown that the populations significantly differ by the frequencies of alleles and genotypes of the rs6295 locus of the HTR1A gene. The G-allele (0.779) and the genotype G/G (0.590), which are markers of increased risk of suicidal and impulsive behavior, respectively, are revealed in Hadza with high frequency. It was found that the frequency of homozygous G/G of the rs6296 locus of the HTR1B gene, which is a marker of increased risk of outward directed aggression, is higher in Datoga (0.563) than in Hadza (0.457). The allele and genotype frequencies of the rs6311 locus of the HTR2A gene do not differ among the Hadza and Datoga males. The data on the distribution of allele and genotype frequencies of the HTR1A, HTR2A, and HTR1B genes can be used to determine the associations of the identified markers with various forms of human aggressive behavior.

[ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FOUR SEROTONIC GENES POLYMORPHISM (5HTTL, 5HT1A, 5HT2A, AND MAOA) AND PERSONALITY TRAITS IN WRESTLERS AND CONTROL GROUP].

This study presents the data on the polymorphisms of the serotonin system genes (5-HTTL, 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and MAOA) in male and female wrestlers and in the control group. The population genetics analysis of the 5HTTL gene showed the highest frequency of the SS genotype 5-HTTLPR in sportsmen (p = 0.04), as well as the trend toward higher frequency of united genotypes of the locus of 5-HTTLPR VNTR and SNP rs25531--SASA (p = 0.06) in comparison with the control group. As for the polymorphisms for other genes 5-HT1A (rs6295), 5-HT2A (rs6311), and MAOA (VNTR), we found no significant differences between the groups tested. Using the NEO PI-R questionnaire we analyzed the possible correlations between the genotypes and the psychological traits in our samples. It was demonstrated that the athletic success in elite sportsmen was associated with lower openness to experience and higher conscientiousness. The interaction effect of the gender and 5-HT2A on the self-rating for openness to experience, interaction effect of the level of the sport success and 5-HT2A, and the interaction effect of the gender and 5-HT1A genotype on self-reported conscientiousness were observed as a trend.

[Molecular genetic polymorphism of androgen receptor gene (AR) in African populations of Hadza and Datoga].

The molecular genetic analysis of the polymorphic variants of the CAG repeat-containing locus of the andro- gen receptor (AR) gene was performed in the populations of Hadza and Datoga. Allele frequency distribution patterns were established. Alleles containing 20-25 repeats were the most abundant in both populations were the. The populations studied were compared with Asians (Han), white Americans, and Africans (Ariaal). Sta- tistically significant difference between populations of Hadza and Datoga in the distribution of the AR allelic variants was demonstrated.

Height preferences in humans may not be universal: evidence from the Datoga people of Tanzania.

Many studies in Western societies have shown that women prefer relatively taller men as potential partners, whereas men prefer women who are slightly shorter than themselves. Here, we discuss possible limitations of previous results within the context of the stimuli used (i.e., differences in the perceived body size of female silhouettes). Our results show that, at least in a Polish sample (N=231), modified stimuli did not essentially change the observed male-taller preferences. In contrast, we report height preferences in a traditional ethnic group, the Datoga people from Tanzania (N=107), in which men and women preferred extreme sexual dimorphism in stature (SDS) sets (i.e., men and women chose women much taller or much shorter than themselves). Thus, our data do not accord with the suggestion of a universal preference for taller men, but rather suggests that height preferences may be influenced by cultural, environmental, and ecological conditions.

Studies of reconciliation in anubis baboons.

Studies of post-conflict reconciliation were performed on anubis baboons living in corrals. Reconciliation was found to occur after more than a third of the conflicts observed; the mean reconciliatory tendency was 27.3 +/- 2.4. Different categories of conflict pairs showed similar reconciliation frequencies. In 75% of cases, reconciliation occurred within the first 2 min of completion of the conflict. The set of behavioral fragments demonstrated by participants in reconciliation depended on gender and role in the conflict. Differences were seen in the magnitudes of the reconciliatory tendencies of monkeys of high and low rankings.

Urban begging and ethnic nepotism in Russia : An ethological pilot study.

Ethnic nepotism theory predicts that even in times of communal peace altruism is more pronounced within than between ethnic groups. The present study tested the hypothesis that altruism in the form of alms giving would be greater within than between ethnic groups, and greater between more closely related groups than between more distant groups. The three groups chosen for study were ethnic Russians, Moldavians, and Gypsies. Russians are genetically closer to Moldavians than to Gypsies. Observations were made of 128 ethnic Russian, 25 Moldavian, and 25 Gypsy beggars receiving gifts from ethnic Russians in Moscow trains. The Gypsies were mainly girls, contrary to the Russian sample. Multivariate analysis identified three main strategies: active, personified, and appeasing-undirected. Russian strategies were most variable. Gypsies presented strong charity releasers: 84% were children who played music and sang and showed appeasing-undirected behavior. The few adults were highly submissive or friendly. Nevertheless, their success was limited compared with that of ethnic Russians despite the latter's demanding behavior and their being mostly mature or elderly persons. Moldavians received an intermediate amount of charity. The hypothesis was supported.

Gender-related factors affecting primate social behavior: grooming, rank, age, and kinship in heterosexual and all-male groups of stumptail macaques.

The structure of grooming relations was studied in three captive groups of stumptail macaques, two heterosexual (consisting mainly of females) and one all male. Compared to the heterosexual groups, social hierarchy in the all-male group was less linear, and agonistic and peaceful activity of low-ranking individuals toward high-ranking ones was higher. In addition, in the all-male group received grooming was more variable than performed grooming and showed stronger dependence on age. No effect of maternal kinship was found in the all-male group, and individual preferences were also less marked in this group than in heterosexual groups. These differences tend to be related to dominance style and dispersal patterns.

Kinship and different dominance styles in groups of three species of the genus Macaca (M. arctoides, M. mulatta, M. fascicularis).

Single groups with small matrilines of 3 species of the genus Macaca (M. arctoides, M. mulatta, M. fascicularis) were investigated. The aim of the study was to find out how affiliative preferences towards close kin correlate with the distribution of aggression and support in agonistic encounters among individuals, and whether such tendencies differ between species with different dominance styles. It was found that aggression between kin was less frequent than between non-kin in all 3 groups. Kinship was not a decisive factor in the choice of partners for close spatial proximity in any of the 3 species. Animals preferred to groom relatives significantly more frequently only in the M. mulatta group. A kin effect was clearly expressed in the choice of objects of support in aggressive conflicts in M. mulatta and M. fascicularis, whereas in M. arctoides such an effect was absent. In the M. mulatta and M. arctoides groups, animals preferred to support victims, while in the M. fascicularis group aggressors were preferentially supported. Our data supported conclusions about differences in the number of social parameters in species with different dominance styles. In species with relaxed social hierarchies (M. arctoides), there is a strong tendency towards cohesive relations with all social categories, while in groups with rigid hierarchies (M. mulatta; M. fascicularis) cohesive tendencies are largely concentrated in the direction of related individuals.