The study, “Getting that female glance: Patterns and consequences of male nonverbal
behavior in courtship contexts” seeks to find reasons or patterns that show in men who are more
desirable to women and are more successful with women when initiating conversation in a social
nightclub scene. This study focuses mainly on body language and environmental conditions that
men create for themselves in social settings such as if he is surrounded by a group of people or is
he by himself? This study keeps in mind that women respond to non verbal communication such
as a stare or a gaze and that women are the choosier sex when it comes to mate selection because
they invest so much into their offspring, while the men do not need to invest as much as women.
The study divided the nonverbal communication in men in different categories such as male
nonverbal signals: intra-sexual touch, space-maximization movements, closed-versus open-body
positioning, glancing behavior, gesticulation patterns, and auto-manipulations. Intra-sexual touch
is touch that is seen as affectionate and usually touchers are perceived as having more status and
more social power. Males who touched other males were more dominant and those males who
touched women were more successful in initiating conversation. Closed versus open body
positioning is when a person would stand and they would have a position that is open to the other
person they would not have their arms crossed against their chest and would be more open to
touch and more approachable, which would make them more successful in social situations with
women. Glancing behavior is when a man would stare or glance at a woman that he was
interested in and more importantly a man that exhibited more glancing behavior was more likely
to successful in social situations. Gesticulation patterns are the hand movements that go along
with a person’s conversation, these movements show a person’s openness and agreeableness
which makes them more attractive and wanted. Auto-manipulations are behaviors such as
rubbing of the face or of the chin and these are viewed as signs of nervousness, so if a male
exhibits more of this behavior it is a sign that the social situation he is in, he is either not in the
dominant position or the social situation is not going well with a member of the opposite sex.
The method of the study was that forty males were unobtrusively observed (with the
mean age of twenty-four) on fourteen evenings from 9:30-11:00pm on alternating Friday and
Saturday nights in three bars located ear college campuses in Pennsylvania. The categories of
the men were (1) men who were seated at a booth (2) men who were surrounded by ten or more
people and (3) men who were not accompanied by a female. One focal female was randomly
selected for each observation session, and they were observed for thirty minutes. A narrative
account was kept for each subject. There was also a focal male for each session. After the
observation period ended, a male researcher administered a survey to all individuals within the
vicinity of the focal male, as well as to the focal male. The survey asked them about nightlife,
bar environments, and the bar experience. Later, the actions of the focal male were calculated
and if he was able to maintain a conversation for longer than a minute with a female he was
considered contact successful. Those were not able to initiate conversation were considered noncontact. All males were debriefed before leaving the bar and were asked to sign a consent form.
In study 1, researchers found out that male nonverbal behavior in courtship is relevant to
mate selection. Another study further investigated the nonverbal behaviors with or without
women present. Earlier in the evening of the research site, there are only a few women present
creating the absence of females scene. Later on in the evening, more females arrive thus
observing the “females-present” condition. Observations were done through security footage. In
study 2, when females were present there was an increase in the movements of, space-
maximization movement, amount of auto manipulation and total amount of glancing behavior.
Men experienced twice as much auto manipulation (jaw/beard growth area) and glancing with
females present.
It may be said that increasing attention to the jaw/beard growth area draws attention
towards male secondary sex characteristics, thus leading unconsciously towards masculinity.
Research on male faces has found that females are more attracted to mature male features such as
the broad chin and large lower jaw bone.
Research previously focused on females, but current research suggests that non-verbal
behavior of males may be relevant to mate-selection. Males use nonverbal cues to present
aspects of themselves or signal claims to females they have not met yet. In courtship settings the
female must make the selection based on limited information, making inferences. The males
task is to display health, status, intelligence, strength so that a desired mate may perceive them.
There still needs to be more research in naturalistic observation in courtship settings. It is
expected that males nonverbal cues will be used by females to assess intentions(interest v. non
interest, friendly v. hostile) and his evolutionary affordances(health, status etc.). Males who
show positive intentions will receive preferential attention over males who do not show such
valued affordances and intentions. The researchers hypothesize that nonverbal signals work
unconsciously as a stimuli for female affective behavior. “Such quick-onset responses motivating
approach-avoidance behaviors would have great adaptive value, for example, in picking a
habitat, detecting dangerous stimuli, and in a current study, giving preferential attention to more
appropriate males.
Since mate-value signals are effective, why is it that they must be honest have costs.
There are several hypothesis as to what might limit male cheating: 1)Males have not yet learned
how to exploit the system 2) The research may have only found one type of courtship behavior,
while females attract different males based on long or short term relations 3)Males cooperate in
courtship settings 4) Cheating is limited through detection of cheating 5) It is the honesty of
males that is linked to the signals. Lastly mate selection is communicated not only through
quantity of movement but quality of movement as well. Testosterone levels in males and
estrogen in females are visible in male and female movement. Males encode their risk-taking
potential in body motion. “Such qualitative changes based on hormone production would
provide a real handicap for the production of nonverbal behavior, based on the association of the
immune system competency and sex hormone production.” Researching nonverbal cues may be
an important additional area for understanding of mate choice and evolved social cognition
heuristics. Females may be the selectors in mating but males have the ability through nonverbal
cues to encourage interaction.
In this research there were two types of glancing behavior. Type 1 was room directed:
sweeping continuous and indirect. This type of glance is overtly “room encompassing”. It is not
focused on anything identifiable. Subject would return head to position before. Type 2 glancing
is other-directed: targeted, direct. Has an observable horizontal movement of the head and must
land momentarily on a target. Excludes glances towards a conversational partner.
In physical space changes there were three types used. The location change is when a
subject may or may not have returned to their original space. The space maximization is when
the subject enacts that he “takes up space”. It is an exaggerated expansion of the body usually
through arms or legs. It must be a held position while gesture patterns are excluded. The closedbody movement is when the medial area of the upper body/sternum remains shielded from view.
This includes hand gripping on opposite shoulder, arms crossed or touching of an object that the
limb obstructs view of torso.
In touching behavior there were five mainly observed. These were the nonreciprocal
touch by focal male to another male such as elbow on shoulder, brief tough of back or upper arm,
a tap on shoulder to get attention etc. The second is reciprocated touch which is more of a
mutual body contact; may include a hand shake or shoving and punching. In the received touch
it is the males’ receipt of touch from other males. The noisy touch is the intentional touch to
create noise such as slapping the bar with hand, slamming a glass on table thus drawing
attention. In auto-manipulation it is self/bodily directed. Possibly being a scratch or caressing of
ones own face, neck, hair or clothing. This category is broken into three areas: 1)automanipulation targeting beard growth area, includes touching of jaw and lip 2) auto-manipulation
targeting the head including hair, neck, nose and forehead; all areas above collarbone excluding
the beard growth area 3)auto-manipulation targeting the body.
In gestures there was only one kind referred to as gesticulation which is the movement of
one hand or both to accompany verbal messages. “Palm upward refers to the ventral side of the
hand turned overtly toward the ceiling. Palm neutral refers to the ventral side of the hand held
perpendicular to the ceiling, or facing downward.