Assessment of Male Physical Risk-Taking Behavior in a Sample of Russian Men and Women

Evolutionary Psychological Science. 2018. Vol. 4. No. 3. P. 314–321.

Apalkova J., Butovskaya M., Bronnikova N., Burkova V., Shackelford T., Fink B.

Research has documented sex differences in risk-taking behavior, and young men in particular are more prone than women to engage in activities associated with physical risks. Evolutionary scientists have proposed that this sex difference is a consequence of male competition over mating opportunities. Thus, mating motives promote risk-taking in men more than in women. Here, we report analyses of assessments of male physical risk-taking in a Russian sample (n = 546). Men and women judged vignettes describing men who differed in risk-taking propensity for short- and long-term attractiveness, provisioning quality, and aggres- sion. Risk-taking propensity had an effect on all attributes. Occasional (but not high) risk-takers received the highest ratings on short-term attractiveness. Low risk-takers were judged highest on long-term attractiveness and provisioning quality. High risk- takers were judged as more aggressive than occasional and low risk-takers. Thus, male risk-taking behavior affects assessments of male quality, but high risk-taking is not regarded as positive. We discuss the results with reference to evolutionary investiga- tions of risk-taking behavior and cultural characteristics of masculinity ideology.

Keywords: Russia, perception, risk-taking, men, aggression, attractiveness, Provisioning quality