This event is from the archives of The Notice Board. The event has already taken place and the information contained in this post may no longer be relevant or accurate.
The Psychology Colloquium Series is pleased to present Psychology graduate student Francisco Gomez Jimenez speaking on the topic of:
"Avuncular Tendencies and the Evolution of Male Androphilia among Istmo Zapotec Muxes"
The existence of male androphilia (i.e., sexual attraction to adult males) has been described as one of the outstanding paradoxes in evolutionary biology. In humans, this trait is influenced by genetic factors, reliably occurs across diverse cultures, and has persisted over evolutionary time, yet it reduces reproduction. One of the hypothesis that has been proposed as a potential solution to this evolutionary conundrum is the Kin Selection Hypothesis (KSH). This hypothesis holds that genes for male androphilia persist over evolutionary time if androphilic males behave altruistically to their close kin, with whom they share identical genes. Doing so, functions, in theory, to increase the fitness of close kin, thereby offsetting the costs of not producing one’s own offspring. I sought to test the KSH among the Istmo Zapotec—an indigenous, non-Euro-American culture located in the Istmo region of Oaxaca, Mexico—where cisgender and transgender androphilic males identify as third gender muxes. Our results indicated that androphilic muxes (n = 203) reported being more willing to invest time and resources towards their nieces and nephews than heterosexual men (n = 167), thus providing support for the KSH.
Greeting and refreshments at ~3pm; talk at ~3:15; discussion and question period to follow.
Contact: Dr Javid Sadr, Psychology Dept.
free to all campus community
Contact:
Javid Sadr | sadr@uleth.ca | directory.uleth.ca/users/sadr