Sex and cross-cultural comparison of self-enhancement practices: Data from four distinct societies

Abstract

People worldwide invest substantial resources in improving their physical attractiveness. We employed a qualitative approach to investigate the ‘what’, ‘how intensely’, and ‘why’ behind this phenomenon. We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 96 members of four distinct societies, including the Cook Islands, Guatemala, Pakistan, and Poland. The thematic analysis, guided by the four Tinbergen's questions, provided valuable insight on the beauty-enhancing practices across the studied societies. Commonly shared practices included maintaining hygiene, using make-up, cosmetics, accessories, perfumes, exercising, and caring for clothing and hair. Additionally, interviewees from different countries placed particular importance on some distinctive characteristics, such as flowers in the Cook Islands, fashionable clothing in Guatemala, beards and golden jewelry in Pakistan, and body shape in Poland. Conforming with evolutionary theories, all interviewees unanimously agreed that women devote more time than men to the pursuit of beauty, albeit with variations across the four societies. Furthermore, aligning with basic principles of mate choice, the present research delineated fundamental motives driving appearance enhancement, that is, inter-sexual and intra-sexual competition. We also shed more light on other motives, seldomly investigated in the past, including, for instance, religious reasoning. By juxtaposing perspectives from culturally and geographically diverse societies, we offer a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted nature of self-enhancement practices.