Sex differences in partner preferences in humans and animals

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
J Balthazart

Abstract

A large number of morphological, physiological and behavioural traits are differentially expressed by males and females in all vertebrates including humans. These sex differences, sometimes, reflect the different hormonal environment of the adults, but they often remain present after subjects of both sexes are placed in the same endocrine conditions following gonadectomy associated or not with hormonal replacement therapy. They are then the result of combined influences of organizational actions of sex steroids acting early during development, or genetic differences between the sexes, or epigenetic mechanisms differentially affecting males and females. Sexual partner preference is a sexually differentiated behavioural trait that is clearly controlled in animals by the same type of mechanisms. This is also probably true in humans, even if critical experiments that would be needed to obtain scientific proof of this assertion are often impossible for pragmatic or ethical reasons. Clinical, epidemiological and correlative studies provide, however, converging evidence strongly suggesting, if not demonstrating, that endocrine, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms acting during the pre- or perinatal life control human sexual orientation,...Continue Reading

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Citations

Feb 3, 2016·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Margaret M McCarthy
Oct 19, 2016·Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology·Timm B PoepplSimon B Eickhoff
Mar 7, 2017·Developmental Psychobiology·Scott W SemenynaPaul L Vasey
Dec 21, 2017·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jacques Balthazart
Oct 1, 2019·Brain and Behavior·Rocco S CalabròGiuseppe Anastasi
Jan 5, 2017·Archives of Sexual Behavior·Francisco R GómezPaul L Vasey
Jul 17, 2020·Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience·Itztli Trejo-SánchezGabriel Gutiérrez-Ospina
Jun 12, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Ashlyn Swift-GallantDoug P VanderLaan
Nov 22, 2016·Hormones and Behavior·Natalie V Motta-Mena, David A Puts

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