Men Who Compliment a Woman's Appearance Using Metaphorical Language: Associations with Creativity, Masculinity, Intelligence and Attractiveness

Exploring Turkish women's gynecological examination perceptions based on their metaphors: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

During the gynecological examination, women especially feel uncomfortable with the lithotomy position and experience shame and anxiety. This study aims to explore metaphors used by women who have experienced gynecological examinations.

METHODS

This study is qualitative and phenomenological. The study group consisted of 90 women. Data were collected online using a data form in May-June 2021. It consisted of the sociodemographic characteristics of women and their metaphorical perceptions of gynecological examination. Data were analyzed and interpreted using a metaphorical analytical method inspired by Kochis and Gillespie. Metaphoric linguistic expressions, sequences, words, and sentences related to each other, were highlighted. The Consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative research (COREQ) checklist was used in the study report.

RESULTS

The average age of the women was 37.29 ± 10.14, and 73.0% were high school graduates. Three different conceptual categories were created by associating each metaphor image with a certain theme concerning women's perspective on gynecological examination. The characteristics compiled during the category development phase were used to collect 24 metaphors under a specific category. The metaphor revealed that the process, instrument (examination table), and affective aspects of the gynecological examination are in interaction. In this study was found that the main metaphor image for the gynecological table was a "fork," the gynecological examination brought to mind "the pregnancy" because of the reason for the procedure, and most of the women used the metaphors of "ache/pain" for their gynecological examination experience.

CONCLUSIONS

The metaphors used for the gynecological examination expressions suggested that women's experiences were negative. Such metaphors may reflect physical and emotional discomfort experienced during the examination. Health professionals' understanding of these negative perceptions and their empathy may facilitate positive experiences for women and the detection and treatment of health problems.

Can Brain Activities of Guided Metaphorical Restructuring Predict Therapeutic Changes?

The present study examined whether brain activities of metaphorical restructuring could predict improvements in emotion and general self-efficacy (GSES). Sixty-two anxious graduates were randomly assigned to either the metaphor group (n = 31) or the literal group (n = 31). After completing the pretest (T1), the participants were first presented with micro-counseling dialogues (MCD) to guide metaphorical or literal restructuring, and their functional brain activities were simultaneously recorded. They then completed the posttest (T2) and 1 week's follow-up (T3). It was found that (1) compared with the literal group, the metaphor group had more insightful experiences, a greater increase in positive affect and GSES at T2, and a greater decrease in psychological distress at T2 and T3; (2) the metaphor group showed a greater activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and bilateral temporal gyrus, and further activation in the left hippocampus positively predicted T2 GSES scores while that in the IFG and left hippocampus positively predicted the reduction slope of distress over the three time points. One important limitation is that the results should be interpreted with caution when generalizing to clinical anxiety samples due to the participants were graduate students with anxiety symptoms rather than clinical sample. These results indicated that metaphor restructuring produced greater symptom improvements, and activation in the hippocampus and IFG could predict these symptom improvements. This suggests that the activation of the two regions during the restructuring intervention may be a neural marker for symptom improvements.

Oxytocin Reduces the Attractiveness of Silver-Tongued Men for Women During Mid-Cycle

In humans, the neuropeptide oxytocin promotes both attraction toward and bonds with romantic partners, although no studies have investigated whether this extends to the perceived attractiveness of flirtatious language. In a within-subject, randomized double-blind placebo-controlled behavior and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm (https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT03144115), 75 women rated the attractiveness of either a male face alone or paired with a verbal compliment which varied in terms of topic (women or landscapes) and figurativeness (novel or conventional metaphors or literal expressions). Subjects were tested in fertile and luteal phases of their cycle and on both occasions received either 24 IU intranasal oxytocin or placebo. Results showed that, whereas under placebo women in the fertile phase rated the facial attractiveness of men producing novel metaphorical compliments higher than in their luteal phase, following oxytocin treatment they did not. Correspondingly, under oxytocin the faces of individuals producing novel metaphorical compliments evoked greater responses in brain regions involved in processing language (middle frontal gyrus) and cognitive and emotional conflict (posterior middle cingulate and dorsal anterior cingulate) but reduced functional connectivity between the dorsal anterior cingulate and right orbitofrontal and medial frontal gyri. Thus, sex hormones and oxytocin may have opposite effects in regulating mate selection in women during their fertile phase. Novel metaphorical compliments convey a greater sexual than bonding intention and thus while sex hormones at mid-cycle may promote attraction to individuals communicating sexual rather than bonding intent, oxytocin may bias attraction away from such individuals through increasing cognitive and emotional conflict responses toward them.

Originality in online dating profile texts: How does perceived originality affect impression formation and what makes a text original?

This paper investigates origins and consequences of perceived profile text originality. The first goal was to examine whether the perceived originality of authentic online dating profile texts affects online daters' perceptions of attractiveness, and whether perceptions of (less) desired partner personality traits mediate this effect. Results showed the positive impact of perceived profile text originality on impression formation: text originality positively affects perceptions of intelligence and sense of humor, which improve impressions of attractiveness and boost dating intention. The second goal was to explore what profile text features increase perceptions of profile text originality. Results revealed profile texts which were stylistically original (e.g., include metaphors) and contained more and concrete self-disclosure statements were considered more original, explaining almost half of the variance in originality scores. Taken together, our results suggest that perceived originality in profile texts is manifested in both meaning and form, and is a balancing act between novelty and appropriateness.

A new dimension in publishing ethics: social media-based ethics-related accusations

Purpose

Whistle-blowing, which has become an integral part of the post-publication peer-review movement, is being fortified by social media. Anonymous commenting on blogs as well as Tweets about suspicions of academic misconduct can spread quickly on social media sites like Twitter. The purpose of this paper is to examine two cases to expand the discussion about how complex post-publication peer review is and to contextualize the use of social media within this movement.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines a Twitter-based exchange between an established pseudonymous blogger and science critic, Neuroskeptic, and Elizabeth Wager, the former COPE Chair, within a wider discussion of the use of social media in post-publication peer review. The paper also discusses false claims made on Twitter by another science watchdog, Leonid Schneider. The policies of 15 publishers related to anonymous or pseudonymous whistle-blowing are examined.

Findings

Four issues in the Neuroskeptic–Wager case were debated: the solicitation by Wager to publish in RIPR; the use of commercial software by Neuroskeptic to make anonymous reports to journals; the links between “publication ethics” leaders and whistle-blowers or pseudonymous identities; the issues of transparency and possible hidden conflicts of interest. Only one publisher (Wiley) out of 15 scientific publishers examined claimed in its official ethical guidelines that anonymous reports should be investigated in the same way as named reports, while three publishers (Inderscience, PLOS and Springer Nature) referred to the COPE guidelines.

Originality/value

No such Twitter-based case has yet been examined in detail in the publishing ethics literature.