Fear of crime and preference for aggressive-formidable same-sex and opposite-sex friends



Meskelyte, Justina and Lyons, Minna
(2022) Fear of crime and preference for aggressive-formidable same-sex and opposite-sex friends. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY, 41 (3). pp. 1434-1439.

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Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Previous research has found that when faced with dangerous environments, women may have an evolved preference for physically strong and aggressive men. This phenomenon has been named as the Bodyguard hypothesis. The aim of the present studies was to explore whether the same principle exists in non-romantic male friend selection. In Study 1, (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 118), an on-line sample of British women was assessed for objective crime rates in their childhood and current environment, subjective vulnerability to crime, and preference for aggressive and formidable opposite-sex friends. Women’s subjective fear of crime predicted their preference for aggressive-formidable ideal male friends, as well as aggressive-formidable actual male friends. In Study 2 (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 228), an internet sample of both sexes was assessed for their subjective fear of crime, as well as their preference for aggressive-formidability and other characteristics in same and opposite-sex friends. Fear of crime was not correlated with characteristics (intelligence, funniness, kindness) that were unrelated to aggressive-formidability. There was a small positive correlation between fear of crime and preference for aggressive-formidable friends in both sexes. The correlation between fear of crime and preference for ideal male friend’s aggression-formidability was the only statistically significant one, and none of the correlations differed significantly from each other. Together, these two studies provide some tentative evidence for the Bodyguard hypothesis in preferred friendship characteristics. Environmental influence on friendship selection is an under-investigated area of research, benefiting from future research replicating the methodology from studies on romantic partner characteristics.</jats:p>

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Opposite-sex friendships, bodyguard hypothesis, Objective childhood crime rates, Objective current crime rates, Fear of crime
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 23 Jul 2021 10:08
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 21:35
DOI: 10.1007/s12144-020-00679-3
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00679-3
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3131057