At a first glance, dating may seem irrelevant to other aspects of an individual’s life, especially their socio-political attitudes. Yet, there is mounting scientific evidence that romantic successes and failures, and the feedback that individuals receive on the dating market, can impact politics.
One needs to look no further than the “Incel” phenomenon to have a practical example of how dating can affect politics. The involuntary celibates (Incels) are an internet subculture mostly comprised of heterosexual men. Incels say they hold misogynistic attitudes and oppose gender equality because they are unfairly rejected by women. Incels not only post hateful comments on the internet, but they have also been responsible for terrorist attacks aimed at hurting and killing women.
Unstable dating markets characterized by an abundance of men and a scarcity of women, pronounced income inequality, and high “bride prices” (the price in some places that a groom’s family must pay to the bride’s family, usually consisting of money or presents) can lead to radicalization and violence. In other words, in places where many men are unable to find and secure romantic partners or afford marriage, violence, conflicts, and phenomena like the Incel movement become more common.
But why does dating popularity have such a strong influence over socio-political attitudes and behavior? Why do our experiences in the dating market affect the way we think and see the world?
Empirical evidence suggests that dating influences attitudes because people, although often unconsciously, adopt the socio-political attitudes that best reflect their dating and reproductive interests. That is, people who are sexually conservative and are threatened by casual sex hold attitudes that best defend monogamy and traditional values, whereas people who are sexually liberal hold attitudes that allow free sexual expression. Studies have found that sexually conservative people are, for example, significantly more religious, against gay marriage, and in support of authorities than sexually liberal people.
A person’s popularity in the dating market depends, however, on many ever-changing circumstances. A successful gamer is popular at a gaming convention, but perhaps not at a body-building convention. A person who earns a six-figure salary is popular if they are in an area where most people earn five-figure salaries, but not if they are in an area full of millionaires. It is then possible that a person shifts their socio-political attitudes to promote values that best serve their interests in different circumstances.
While observing how dating and socio-political attitudes are related to each other in the real world is important, experiments manipulating dating popularity are necessary to establish causation between dating and attitudes. These experiments allow researchers to test whether dating popularity affects socio-political attitudes, and eliminate alternative explanations, such as that a person’s socio-political attitudes affect their dating popularity or that both dating popularity and socio-political attitudes are caused by another factor.
One experiment showed that heterosexual men, but not women, reported more positive attitudes towards casual sex after being told that they were rated as excellent dating partners. In another experiment, heterosexual men, but not women, who were romantically rejected on an ostensible dating website, reported higher hostility towards the opposite sex. Therefore, dating popularity can affect some attitudes, at least in heterosexual men.
In collaboration with my Ph.D. supervisors, Rob Brooks and Khandis Blake, I aimed to expand upon these findings and tested whether heterosexual people who are popular among potential dating partners report significantly different socio-political attitudes than unpopular people. We created an experimental manipulation of dating popularity that mimicked realistic dating scenarios, such as talking with several potential partners on Tinder, or mingling with strangers in a bar, and receiving positive or negative feedback from each of them.
We recruited young, heterosexual participants (aged 18 to 25) and told them they would participate in a dating game. Each participant recorded an introductory video, in which they described themselves with the goal of making a good first impression. We then ostensibly sent participants’ videos to five opposite-sex peers, who in turn sent back short video feedback indicating whether they would date the participants or not (the feedback videos were pre-recorded with paid actors).
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either positive or negative romantic feedback from each of the five peers, forming a continuous dating popularity experimental manipulation: from high to low popularity. The “popular participants” received a higher number of positive feedback videos, whereas “unpopular participants” received a higher number of negative feedback videos. We then measured participants’ attitudes towards casual sex, traditional gender roles, the minimum wage and healthcare, and implicit sexual and political attitudes.
We found that “unpopular” men reported less support for casual sex than “popular” men. Dating popularity did not influence any of women’s attitudes. Men’s emotions were impacted by their dating popularity, with “unpopular” men reporting feeling positive emotions such as happiness, enthusiasm, and pride to a lesser extent than “popular” men. This, in turn, resulted in “unpopular” men reporting less support for casual sex and less support for increasing the minimum wage and expanding access to healthcare.
In line with previous studies, results from our experiment suggest that heterosexual men are sensitive to changes in their dating market prospects and adjust their socio-political attitudes accordingly. Unpopular and popular men in the experiment adopted the attitudes that best defended their interests. “Unpopular” men, unable to attract dating partners, reported that they were more unwilling to have casual sex and more opposed to others having casual sex than the “popular” men, who instead attracted many partners. Interestingly, feeling fewer positive emotions resulted in “unpopular” men reporting more anti-egalitarian attitudes than “popular” men, which is an important finding that should be further tested in future research.
With research showing that dating, reproduction, and politics are intertwined, it is becoming clearer that the experiences people have in different dating markets can impact everyday political life. Experimental evidence can be key in our understanding of the mechanisms through which dating can cause shifts in socio-political attitudes.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
