2024/08/31 by Lindsie C. Arthur, Brock Bastian, Khandis R. Blake · 1 voice
Psychology · Business, Management and Accounting · Social Sciences · #Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior #Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification #Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
paper · doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2024.106616
openalex publication_date 2024/08/31 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Despite numerous studies attempting to understand the influence of fertility and hormonal contraceptives on competitive outcomes, the association between these variables remain a contentious issue. Using a longitudinal, online diary study with over 5600 daily observations ( N = 302 community and undergraduate student participants), we explored the effects of fertility probability and hormonal contraceptive use on a range of self-report competitive outcomes. Specifically, we sought to replicate existing findings by examining whether self-reported competitive motivation increases mid-cycle and how hormonal contraceptive use affects these patterns. We also sought to extend this literature by collecting a range of self-report measures of competitive behavior across the menstrual cycle. Using an evolutionary and data-driven framework, we combined six behaviors females use to compete for mates and status: gossip, social comparison, negative evaluations of others, appearance enhancement, giving advice and taking sexy self-portraits. Contrary to our predictions, fertility probability was not associated with fluctuations in self-reported competitive motivation or behavior. However, replicating existing literature, hormonal contraceptive users reported a general lack of interest in competition compared to non-users. This latter finding raises important questions about the long-term implications of hormonal contraceptive use and suggests a need for further research to investigate the psychosocial effects of hormonal contraceptives. Finally, as a near direct replication of an existing longitudinal study, the current research offers a unique contribution by considering the role of context in hormone mediated research. We question the idea that a failure to replicate reflects the quality of the theory or the research, but instead suggest that context should be considered when developing psychological theory.