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To identify the factors that influence educational assortment in an online dating setting, we analyse 219,013 participant contacts by 41,936 members of the Australian online dating web site RSVP over a four-month period. Consistent with prior research, we find that more educated online daters are consistently likely to assort positively (homogamy) meaning that they are more likely to contact potential mates with the same level of education. However, as the more educated cohort gets older they care less about homogamy while less educated daters become more interested in homogamy which leads to an increase in similarity towards caring for the same educational level. On the other hand, older and more educated online daters are less likely to contact those with lower educational levels compared to their own while women are more likely to contact a potential mate with higher educational levels relative to their own (hypergamy). Our interaction analysis also reveals fewer differences in educational hypergamy among older online participants but a greater likelihood of online daters contacting mates with lower levels of education among younger males and older females. Further research is therefore warranted on technology's impact on human mating behaviour; in particular, the psychology employed by humans using the Internet to maximize their chances of matching their educational preferences in a mate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study uses the BIG 5 personality traits to quantitatively explore correlates of sexual frequency and reproductive success of a large sample (N Male = 2998; N Female = 1480) of heterosexuals advertised to on an Australian dating website. Consistent with previous research we find that for both sexes, extraversion has a positive linear relationship with sexual frequency. The same is also observable for males that are more conscientious, more emotionally stable, and less agreeable; indicating that for men, a greater number of personality factors matter in explaining the variation in sexual activity. Higher extraversion or lower openness in males correlates with more offspring. Conversely, only more agreeable females have more offspring. Our non-parametric thin-plate spline analysis suggests certain combinations of the traits extraversion & agreeableness, extraversion & conscientiousness, and agreeableness & conscientiousness provide select males a mating market competitive advantage in relation to sexual frequency, compared to other males. Our findings suggest that greater variance in male traits and their particular combinations thereof may provide a fitness comparative advantage for males, but not necessarily for females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To measure the importance of personality and individual characteristics in such extreme environments as high-altitude mountaineering, this study investigated how physical, physiological, and/or hormonal markers provide insights into individual predilections for competitive and risk-taking behaviours. Because climbing outcomes depend on the ability to overcome adverse environmental conditions, avoid unnecessary risks, and exert sufficient self-regulation to handle extreme physiological and psychological stressors, it focused particularly on the relation between the successful scaling among Mount Everest climbers and risk attitudes, personality factors (from the Big Five Inventory) or traits associated with prenatal androgen exposure (2D:4D ratio). The results indicate not only that the 2D:4D ratio positively predicts lifetime mountaineering success but that the more risk averse open-minded and emotionally stable the climbers, the more active and successful compared to their peers. These findings, in addition to suggesting that human biological and psychological traits substantially influence success and long-term performance in extreme situations, offer valuable insights into how humans with different tendencies are likely to behave under such stressful conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]