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Following bereavement, continuing bonds (CBs) include engaging with memories, illusions, sensory and quasi-sensory perceptions, hallucinations, communication, actions, and belief that evoke an inner relationship with the deceased. To date, the literature has been unable to confirm whether retaining, rather than relinquishing, bonds is helpful. A mixed studies systematic literature search explored how CBs affect grief. Studies on the effect or experience of CBs on adjustment following bereavement were eligible for inclusion. Six computerized databases were searched. A total of 79 of 319 screened studies were included. Three themes were derived from the thematic analysis: (1) comfort and distress, (2) ongoing bonds and relational identity, and (3) uncertainty, conceptualizing, and spirituality. Themes describe the role of CBs for the accommodation of the death story, transformation of the relationship, meaning reconstruction, identity processes, and affirmation of spiritual belief. Results shed light on the adaptive potentials for CBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Author(s): Manpal Singh Bhogal [sup.1] , Daniel Farrelly [sup.2] , Niall Galbraith [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000000106935374, grid.6374.6, Centre for Psychological Research, Evolution and Human Behaviour Research Group, Department of [...], Research has focused on the role of prosocial behaviors in mate choice, across both social and evolutionary psychology. Several studies provide strong support for the role of altruism in mate choice, whereby people find prosociality attractive in potential mates. As most research focuses on the role of altruism in mate choice, most research has found that people exhibit altruism towards attractive people, suggesting altruistic behavior is driven by mate choice motivation. Although studies have supported the notion that men's altruism towards women is driven by mate choice, the findings are inconsistent, which may be due to the methodologies adopted by researchers. To our knowledge, this review paper is the first to critically review the literature concerning prosociality and mate choice. We provide an outline of the research thus far, methodological issues, and considerations for future research.

Author(s): Manpal Singh Bhogal [sup.1] , Niall Galbraith [sup.1] , Ken Manktelow [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton, 0000000106935374, grid.6374.6, [...], Explaining cooperative tendencies through an evolutionary lens has been problematic for theorists. Traditional explanations derive from theories of reciprocity, biological markets, and more recently via partner choice and sexual selection. The sexual selection hypothesis has been tested within game-theoretic frameworks gaining empirical support in explaining the evolution of altruism. Males have been found to be more altruistic towards attractive females. However, previous research has predominantly adopted a design where participants are not engaging with 'real people'. Instead, participants make decisions when viewing images or hypothetical scenarios without visual cues. The present study aimed to investigate the sexual selection hypothesis using a face-to-face game theoretic framework. One hundred and thirty-eight participants played a 2-round ultimatum game with chocolate coins as the monetary incentive. We find, that physical attractiveness had no influence on generosity and cooperation when participants play a face-to-face ultimatum game. Instead, proposers were fair when allocating stakes, offering an average of half the endowment to responders. This study refutes the link between the sexual selection hypothesis and generosity when playing economic games with real people. Fairness appeared to drive generosity and cooperation.

The link between subclinical delusional ideation and heightened tendency for self-reference is investigated. The results support the fact that delusional ideation is linked to excessive self-focus and vigilance for material that one thinks is related to self.

Increasing physical activity (PA) among inactive middle‐older aged adults in rural communities is challenging. This study investigates the efficacy of a PA intervention supporting inactive adults in rural/semirural communities. Inactive participants enrolled on either a single signposting session (n =427) or a multisession pathway combining signposting with motivational interviewing (MI; n = 478). Pre‐post outcomes data assessed activity levels (International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form; Single Item Sport England Measure), self‐efficacy (New General Self‐Efficacy scale [NGSE]) and well‐being (five‐item World Health Organization Well‐Being Index [WHO‐5]). Measures were repeated at longitudinal time points (26, 52 weeks) for the MI pathway. Outcomes were contrasted with results from an unmatched comparison group receiving treatment as usual (TAU). Cost‐utility (quality‐adjusted life years [QALY]‐incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio) and return on investment (NHS‐ROI; QALY‐ROI) were estimated for short (5 years), medium (10 years) and long (25 years) time horizons. Both pathways significantly increased participants' PA. The MI pathway resulted in significantly greater increases in PA than signposting‐only and TAU. Improvements in psychological outcomes (NGSE; WHO‐5) were significantly greater in the MI pathway than TAU. Longitudinal results indicated MI pathway participants sustained increases in light‐intensity PA at 52 weeks (p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.16). Regression analyses found baseline self‐efficacy predicted increased PA at 52 weeks, while baseline well‐being did not. The relationship between self‐efficacy and PA increased successively across time points. However, magnitude of participants' increased self‐efficacy did not predict PA at any time point. Both pathways were cost‐effective and cost ‐saving for participants aged ≥61 years from the short time horizon, with the MI pathway having greater ROI estimates. Overall, MI increased efficacy of a signposting PA intervention and was cost‐saving for older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous literature suggests that altruism may have evolved as a sexually selectable trait. Recent research suggests that women seek altruistic traits for long-term, not short-term relationships, as altruism can serve as an honest signal of one's character. We tested this hypothesis by asking 102 participants to complete a modified version of Buss's Mate Preferences Questionnaire. We found that women placed higher importance on altruism in a mate compared to men, and this preference was greater when seeking a long-term mate, compared to a short-term mate. We also found that although women placed greater importance on cooperativeness in a mate compared to men, this preference was not influenced by whether they were seeking a short-term or a long-term mate. We successfully replicate previous literature exploring the role of altruism in mate choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]