Heightened left-wing authoritarianism is associated with greater aversion to physical strength in male status allocation

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2025

Department

Philosophy and Religion

School

Humanities

Abstract

Men's physical formidability is putatively diagnostic of their interest in facilitating social rules that favor competition from which perceivers infer their conservatism. The presence of this heuristic may be viewed opportunistically by some perceivers who view strong men as interested in enacting social rules favoring competition. Nonetheless, some perceivers, namely more left-wing authoritarian (LWA) individuals, may view such men as threatening to their own pursuit over resources. Because LWA refers to antipathy toward political systems favoring traditional hierarchies and related norms, higher LWA may be associated with an aversion to strong men in leadership. Participants evaluated physically strong and weak men as leaders and reported their individual differences in left-wing authoritarianism and conservatism. Left-wing authoritarianism fostered an aversion to leaders with greater upper body strength. Conceptually replicating previous research, conservative perceivers preferred physically strong leaders, especially among conservative men. Findings highlight how ideological differences influence coalitional preferences, integrating evolutionary theory with modern political discourse.

Publication Title

Personality and Individual Differences

Volume

244

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