Exploring Attitudes Toward “Sugar Relationships” Across 87 Countries: A Global Perspective on Exchanges of Resources for Sex and Companionship

Norbert Meskó, Marta Kowal, András Láng, Ferenc Kocsor, Szabolcs A. Bandi, Adam Putz, Piotr Sorokowski, David A. Frederick, Felipe E. García, Leonardo A. Aguilar, Anna Studzinska, Chee Seng Tan, Biljana Gjoneska, Taciano L. Milfont, Merve Topcu Bulut, Dmitry Grigoryev, Toivo Aavik, Mahmoud Boussena, Alan D.A. Mattiassi, Reza AfhamiRizwana Amin, Roberto Baiocco, Hamdaoui Brahim, Ali R. Can, Joao Carneiro, Hakan Çetinkaya, Dimitri Chubinidze, Eliane Deschrijver, Yahya Don, Dmitrii Dubrov, Izzet Duyar, Marija Jovic, Julia A. Kamburidis, Farah Khan, Hareesol Khun-Inkeeree, Maida Koso-Drljevic, David Lacko, Karlijn Massar, Mara Morelli, Jean C. Natividade, Ellen K. Nyhus, Ju Hee Park, Farid Pazhoohi, Ekaterine Pirtskhalava, Koen Ponnet, Pavol Prokop, Dušana Šakan, Singha Tulyakul, Austin H. Wang, Sibele D. Aquino, Derya D. Atamtürk, Nana Burduli, Antonio Chirumbolo, Seda Dural, Edgardo Etchezahar, Nasim Ghahraman Moharrampour, Balazs Aczel, Luca Kozma, Samuel Lins, Efisio Manunta, Tiago Marot, Moises Mebarak, Kirill G. Miroshnik, Katarina Misetic, Marietta Papadatou-Pastou, Bence Bakos, Fatima Zahra Sahli, Sangeeta Singh, Çağlar Solak, Tatiana Volkodav, Anna Wlodarczyk, Grace Akello, Marios Argyrides, Ogeday Çoker, Katarzyna Galasinska, Talía Gómez Yepes, Aleksander Kobylarek, Miguel Landa-Blanco, Marlon Mayorga, Barış Özener, Ma Criselda T. Pacquing, Marc Eric S. Reyes, Ayşegül Şahin, William Tamayo-Agudelo, Gulmira Topanova, Ezgi Toplu-Demirtaş, Belgüzar N. Türkan, Marcos Zumárraga-Espinosa, Simone Grassini, Jan Antfolk, Clément Cornec, Katarzyna Pisanski, Sabrina Stöckli, Stephanie Josephine Eder, Hyemin Han

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

The current study investigates attitudes toward one form of sex for resources: the so-called sugar relationships, which often involve exchanges of resources for sex and/or companionship. The present study examined associations among attitudes toward sugar relationships and relevant variables (e.g., sex, sociosexuality, gender inequality, parasitic exposure) in 69,924 participants across 87 countries. Two self-report measures of Acceptance of Sugar Relationships (ASR) developed for younger companion providers (ASR-YWMS) and older resource providers (ASR-OMWS) were translated into 37 languages. We tested cross-sex and cross-linguistic construct equivalence, cross-cultural invariance in sex differences, and the importance of the hypothetical predictors of ASR. Both measures showed adequate psychometric properties in all languages (except the Persian version of ASR-YWMS). Results partially supported our hypotheses and were consistent with previous theoretical considerations and empirical evidence on human mating. For example, at the individual level, sociosexual orientation, traditional gender roles, and pathogen prevalence were significant predictors of both ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS. At the country level, gender inequality and parasite stress positively predicted the ASR-YWMS. However, being a woman negatively predicted the ASR-OMWS, but positively predicted the ASR-YWMS. At country-level, ingroup favoritism and parasite stress positively predicted the ASR-OMWS. Furthermore, significant cross-subregional differences were found in the openness to sugar relationships (both ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS scores) across subregions. Finally, significant differences were found between ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS when compared in each subregion. The ASR-YWMS was significantly higher than the ASR-OMWS in all subregions, except for Northern Africa and Western Asia.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)811-837
Number of pages27
JournalArchives of Sexual Behavior
Volume53
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.

Keywords

  • Cross-cultural comparison
  • Human mating
  • Resources for sex
  • Sugar relationships

Cite this