Female fertility affects men's linguistic choices

February 8, 2012 in Other

The likelihood that a man will match his language to that of a female conversation partner depends on how fertile she is, according to a study published Feb. 8 in the open access journal PLoS ONE.

Linguistic alignment between conversation partners is well documented, and is often interpreted to reflect affiliation between the speakers.

This study, however, reports that higher levels were associated with lower levels of linguistic matching from male conversation partners. The authors, led by Jacqueline Coyle of at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, write that this result could be explained in the context of recent data suggesting that such non-conforming behavior may be a way for men to display their mating fitness.

More information: Coyle JM, Kaschak MP (2012) Female Fertility Affects Men's Linguistic Choices. PLoS ONE 7(2): e27971. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0027971

Journal reference: PLoS ONE search and more info website

Provided by Public Library of Science search and more info website

3 /5 (1 vote)  

Rank 3 /5 (1 vote)
Related Stories
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Transvaginal mesh op restores pelvic organ prolapse at price

(HealthDay) -- Transvaginal mesh (TVM) procedures are effective for anatomical restoration of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), but patients report a worsening of sexual function following surgery, according to ...

Other created 13 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Tongue analysis software uses ancient Chinese medicine to warn of disease

For 5,000 years, the Chinese have used a system of medicine based on the flow and balance of positive and negative energies in the body. In this system, the appearance of the tongue is one of the measures used to classify ...

Other created May 25, 2012 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Neck strength, cervical spine mobility don't predict pain

(HealthDay) -- Neither isometric neck muscle strength nor passive mobility of the cervical spine, two physical capacity parameters found to be associated with neck pain in other studies, predicts later neck ...

Other created May 25, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Pool access for the disabled sparks controversy

(AP) -- The Obama administration is sidestepping an election-year confrontation with the hotel industry and other pool owners to give them more time to comply with access rules for the disabled.

Other created May 25, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Chile to cover sex change operations

Chile will soon cover sex change surgeries under its public health plan in order to allow citizens of limited means to "recover their true sexual identity," Health Minister Jaime Manalich said.

Other created May 25, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Keep food safety in mind this memorial day weekend

(HealthDay) -- Picnics, parades and cookouts are as much a part of Memorial Day weekend as tributes to the United States' war veterans.

Travel to high altitudes tied to Crohn's, colitis flare-ups

(HealthDay) -- People with inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's disease and colitis, may be at increased risk for flare-ups when they fly or travel to high altitudes for skiing or mountain climbing, ...

Family history of Alzheimer's affects functional connectivity

(HealthDay) -- Cognitively normal individuals with a family history of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) may display lower resting state functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) of the brain, ...

Of mice and mental models: Neuroscientific implications of risk-optimized behavior in the mouse

(Medical Xpress) -- Regardless of an organism’s biological complexity, every encephalized animal continuously makes under-informed behavioral choices that can have serious consequences. Despite its ubiquity, ...

Weight struggles? Blame new neurons in your hypothalamus

New nerve cells formed in a select part of the brain could hold considerable sway over how much you eat and consequently weigh, new animal research by Johns Hopkins scientists suggests in a study published in the May issue ...

Thioridazine kills cancer stem cells in human while avoiding toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments

A team of scientists at McMaster University has discovered a drug, thioridazine, successfully kills cancer stem cells in the human while avoiding the toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments.