Evolution Lab
Welcome to the Evolution Lab at the University of Melbourne
Welcome to our research laboratory, where we explore the fascinating intersection between behavioral science and evolutionary biology to understand sexual politics. At the heart of our work lies the fundamental question of how our evolved biology shapes our social behavior, particularly in the realm of human mating and reproduction. By employing cutting-edge tools and methodologies from these fields, we strive to uncover the underlying mechanisms driving sexual conflict, cooperation, and power dynamics between the sexes.
News and Media Coverage
People in the Lab
We are an active research group comprising post-doctoral research fellows, PhD candidates, Masters of Psychology students, Honours of Psychology students, Research Assistants, and a Lab Manager.
- Dr Khandis Blake
Director of Lab
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
+61 3 9035 5733
- Sylvia Harmon-Jones
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Economic inequality, romantic and childhood attachment, early life adversity, and development
- Auguste Harrington
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Masculinity
- Jacob Kuek
Laboratory Manager
- Lindsie Arthur
PhD Candidate
Hormonal contraceptives, menstrual cycle, female competitiveness, status seeking
- Tomas Cartmill
PhD Candidate
Radical extremism, deradicalization, political ideology, emotions
- Macken Murphy
PhD Candidate
Mating behaviour, mate value, inequality, infidelity
- Wahidah Pan
PhD Candidate
Beauty, physical attractiveness, self-objectification, status seeking
- Mark Leak
Honours Candidate 2023
Intimate partner violence, attachment theory, romantic relationship dynamics, personality and social psychology
- Ash Neilson
Honours Candidate 2023
Masculinity, behaviour change implementation, emotional repression, heteronormativity
- Kabir Manandhar Shrestha
Research Data Specialist (MDAP)
Natural language processing, machine learning, artificial intelligence, cloud computing
- Claire Lin
Research Intern
- Meila Wong
Research Intern
Gender and sexuality norms
- Alsa Wu
Research Intern
Interpersonal influences, menstrual cycle, sex hormones
Other Members
- Sulaman Sarwar, Masters Student
Lu Korth, Research Intern
Michelle Li, Research Intern
Join the Lab
If our research interests you, don’t be afraid to reach out and see if you might join our lab. We are always looking for colleagues with similar interests, and students who want to gain more experience in these topics.Twice a year, we recruit research interns to gain more experience in conducting research. Typically, there are only a small number of these positions, and we preference students with at least third or fourth year training in psychology or related fields. If you are interested, please send a recent CV and transcript to the Evolution Lab Director, Dr Khandis Blake (khandis.blake@unimelb.edu.au).If you are interested in completing a PhD in the Evolution Lab, please send a recent CV, transcript and writing sample to the Evolution Lab Director, Dr Khandis Blake. Also ensure you let Dr Blake know what your research interests are.
Collaborators
Dr Gulnaz Anjum, Institute of Business Administration, Pakistan
Dr Ruben Arslan, University of Leipzig
Dr Brock Bastian, University of Melbourne
Dr Rob Brooks, University of New South Wales, Sydney
Dr Kathleen Casto, Kent State University
Dr Thomas Denson, University of New South Wales, Sydney
Dr Barnaby Dixson, University of the Sunshine Coast
Dr Steven Gangestad, University of New Mexico
Dr Scott Griffiths, University of Melbourne
Dr Michael Kasumovic, University of New South Wales, Sydney
Dr Isabel Krug, University of Melbourne
Dr Siobhan O’Dean, University of Sydney
Dr Tania Reynolds, The University of New Mexico
Dr Julia Stern, University of Bremen
Dr Stephen Whyte, Queensland University of Technology
Some of our publications
We typically investigate ideologically divisive topics and try to understand how they are driven by biological and cultural forces. Below is a sample of some of our recent work. You can also find more of our work by viewing Dr Blake’s Google Scholar profile.
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Female sexualisation, sexy selfies, and physical appearance
Blake, K. R., Portingale, J., Giles, S., Griffiths, S., Krug, I. (2022). Dating app usage and motivations for dating app usage are associated with increased disordered eating. Journal of Eating Disorders, 10(1), 186–195. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-022-00693-9
Griffith, S., Cowley-Court, T., Austen, E., Russo-Batterham, D., & Blake, K. (2022). "Spring is the best time to lose weight”: Evidence that dieting is seasonal and reaches peak intensity during Spring. Body Image, 41, 406-416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.04.011
Griffith, S., Austen, E., Krug, I., Blake, K. R. (2021). Beach body ready? Shredding for summer? A first look at “Seasonal Body Image”. Body Image, 37, 269-291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.03.004
Krug, I., Selvarajaa, P, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M., Hughes, E, Slater, A., Griffiths, S., Yee, Z. W., Richardson, B., & Blake, K. (2020). The effects of Fitspiration images on body attributes, mood and eating behaviors: An experimental daily monitoring study in females. Body Image. 35, 279-287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.09.011
Krug, I., Yee, Z., Griffiths, S., Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M., Blake, K., & Richardson , S. (2020). The differential impact of viewing fitspiration and thinspiration images on male body image: An experimental ecological momentary assessment study. Body Image. 35, 96-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.08.008
*Arthur, L., Brooks, R. & Blake, K. R. (2020). Female self-sexualization covaries with mate value but not mate availability. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology. 6, 277-291. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s40750-020-00133-5
Blake, K. R. & Brooks, R. (2019). Status anxiety mediates the positive relationship between income inequality and female sexualization. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 116(50), 25029–25033. Available at https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1909806116
- Altmetrics score of 333; News circulation reached >480 million people
*Kellie, D., Blake, K., & Brooks, R. (2019). What drives female objectification? An investigation of appearance-based interpersonal perceptions and the objectification of women. PLoS One. Available at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221388
- Noted in Scopus for economic impact: United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 Gender Equality
Blake, K. R., Bastian, B., Denson, T., Grosjean, P., & Brooks, R. (2018). Income inequality not gender inequality positively covaries with female sexualization on social media. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(35), 8722-8727. Available at https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1717959115
- Altmetrics score of 1258; 99.9999th percentile of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetrics (N = 11.8m); Top ranked paper for 2018 in School of Psychology UNSW Sydney (Altmetrics)
Blake, K.R., Fourati, M., & Brooks., R. (2018). Who suppresses female sexuality? An examination of support for Islamic veiling in a secular Muslim democracy as a function of sex and offspring sex. Evolution & Human Behavior, 39(6), 632-638. Available athttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.06.006
- 98th percentile of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetrics (N = 11.8m)
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Male:male competition, violence, and incels
Blake, K. R. & Brooks. R. (2023). Societies should not ignore their incel problem. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2022.11.007
Brooks, R., Blake, K. R., Fromhage, L. (2022). Effects of gender inequality and wealth inequality on within-sex mating competition under hypergyny. Evolution and Human Behavior, 43(6), 501-509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.08.006
Brooks, R., Russo-Batterham, D. & Blake, K. R. (2022). Incel activity on social media linked to local mating ecology. Psychological Science, 33(2), 249-258. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976211036065
- Altmetrics score of 263
- Scopus FWCI of 9.01
Blake, K. R., *O’Dean, S., *Lian, J., & Denson, T. (2021). Misogynistic tweets correlate with and prospectively predict domestic violence incidents over time. Psychological Science, 32(3), 315-325. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620968529
- Top 10 of the most cited by all APS journals in 2021; Altmetrics score of 317; Scopus FWCI of 2.23
Lyon, D., Owen, S., Osborne, M., Blake, K. R., *Andrades, B. (2020). Left / Write / Hook: A mixed method study of a writing and boxing workshop for survivors of childhood sexual abuse and trauma. International Journal of Wellbeing. 10(5), 20201206.
- Noted in Scopus for economic impact: United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 Gender Equality, and Goal 16 Peace, justice, and strong institutions.
Blake, K., Godwin, M., Letheren, K., Russell-Bennett, R., & Whyte, S. (2020). “I sexually identify as an Attack Helicopter”: Incels, trolls, and non-binary gender politics online. First Monday. 25(9). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v25i9.10601
Blake., K. R., & Brooks., R. (2019). Income inequality and its implications for gendered conflict. In J. Jetten & K. Peters (eds.), The Social Psychology of Income Inequality. Springer. Available at 10.1007/978-3-030-28856-3_11
Blake, K. R., & Brooks, R. (2018). High mate value men become more accepting of intimate partner abuse when primed with gender equality. Frontiers in Sociology, 3:28. Available at https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2018.00028
Dixson B., Blake, K. R., Denson, T. F., Gooda-Vossos, A., Sulikowski, D., Rantala, M. J., & Brooks, R. C. (2018). The role of mating context and fecundability in women’s preferences for men’s facial masculinity and beardedness. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 93, 90–102. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.04.007
Blake, K. R., Bastian, B., & Denson, T. (2017). Heightened male aggression toward sexualized women following romantic rejection: The mediating role of sex goal activation. Aggressive Behavior. 44, 40–49. Available at https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21722
- Picked up by the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age; Top #20 downloads for Aggressive Behavior in 2017–18; Featured in Women’s Health Victoria Government Policy document
Blake, K. R., Hopkins, R., Sprunger, J., Eckhardt, C. I., & Denson, T. (2017). Relationship quality and cognitive reappraisal moderate the effect of negative urgency on intimate partner violence. Psychology of Violence. 8, 218–28. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/vio0000121
Blake, K. R. & Denson, T(2017). Contexts for men’s aggression against men. In T. K. Shackelford & V. A. Weekes-Shackelford (eds.), Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer Nature. Available at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_862-1
Blake, K. R., Bastian, B., & Denson, T. (2016). Perceptions of low agency and high sexual openness mediate the relationship between sexualization and sexual aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 42, 483–97. Available at https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21644
- 90th percentile for Altmetrics Attention Score for outputs of same age
Kasumovic, M. M., Blake, K. R, Dixson, B. & Denson, T. F. (2015). Why do people play violent video games? Demographic, status-related, and mating-related correlates in men and women. Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 204–11. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.06.018
- 97th percentile for Altmetrics Attention Score for outputs of same age
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The menstrual cycle, steroid hormones and female competition
Casto, K., *Arthur, L., *Lynch-Wells, S., & Blake, K. (2023). Women in their mid-follicular phase outcompete hormonal contraceptive users, an effect partially explained by relatively greater progesterone and cortisol reactivity to competition. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 157, 106367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106367
.Arslan, R., Blake. K. R., … Stern. J. (2023). Not within spitting distance: Salivary immunoassays of estradiol have subpar validity for cycle phase. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105994
Blake, K. R. (2022). When fertile, women seek status via prestige but not dominance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(46), e2205451119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2205451119
Brooks, R., Blake, K. R., Fromhage, L. (2022). Effects of gender inequality and wealth inequality on within-sex mating competition under hypergyny. Evolution and Human Behavior, 43(6), 501-509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.08.006
*Arthur, L., Casto, K., & Blake, K. R. (2022). Hormonal contraceptives as disruptors of competitive behavior: Theoretical framing and review. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 66, 101015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.101015
Blake, K. R., *McCartney, M., & Arslan. R. (2022). Menstrual cycle and hormonal contraception effects on self-efficacy, assertiveness, regulatory focus, optimism, impulsiveness, and risk-taking. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 103, 104382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2022.104382
- Scopus FWCI of 2.93
*Arthur, L. & Blake, K. R. (2022). Fertility predicts self-development-oriented competitiveness in naturally cycling women but not hormonal contraceptive users. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 8, 489-519. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-022-00198-4
- Altmetrics score of 101. One of the highest-scoring outputs from this source (#8 of 170).
- Scopus FWCI of 2.14
- Article (including interviews) was featured in news outlets such as SBS News, the Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times, and ABC Radio.
Blake, K. R., Anjum, G., & Brooks, R. (2021). Family and gendered fitness interests effects on female stereotyping, attitudes toward female autonomy, and status-seeking in Pakistan. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 7, 382-402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-021-00174-4
*Kellie, D., Blake, K. R., & Brooks, R. (2021). Behind the makeup: The effects of cosmetics on women’s self-objectification, and their objectification by others. European Journal of Social Psychology, 51(4-5), 703-721. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2767
Blake, K. (2021). Attractiveness helps women secure mates, but also status and reproductively relevant resources. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51, 39-41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-01949-2
- Scopus FWCI of 24.65
Blake, K. R., Brooks, R., *Arthur, L., & Denson, T. (2020). In the context of romantic attraction, beautification can increase assertiveness in women. PLoS One. 15(3): e0229162. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229162
Blake., K. R., & Brooks., R. (2019). Income inequality and its implications for gendered conflict. In J. Jetten & K. Peters (eds.), The Social Psychology of Income Inequality. Springer. Available at 10.1007/978-3-030-28856-3_11
Denson, T., *O’Dean, S., Blake, K., & Beames, J. (2018). Aggression in women: Behavior, brain, and hormones. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 12:81. Available at https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00081
- Altmetrics score of 172; Article has more views than 99% of all articles in Frontiers journals
Dixson B., Blake, K. R., Denson, T. F., Gooda-Vossos, A., Sulikowski, D., Rantala, M. J., & Brooks, R. C. (2018). The role of mating context and fecundability in women’s preferences for men’s facial masculinity and beardedness. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 93, 90–102. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.04.007
- 90th percentile for Altmetrics Attention Score for outputs of same age and source
Dixson, B., Lee, A., Blake, K. R., Jasienska, G., & Marcinkowska, U. (2018). Women’s preferences for men’s beards do not change with their likelihood of conception. Hormones and Behavior. 97, 137–44. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.11.006
- 97th percentile for Altmetrics Attention Score for outputs of same age and source
Blake, K.R., Dixson, B., O'Dean, S., & Denson, T. (2017). No compelling positive association between ovarian hormones and wearing red clothing when using multinomial analyses. Hormones and Behavior, 90, 129–35. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.03.005
- Selected as cover article for this issue of the journal by editor-in-chief
Blake, K. R., Bastian, B., *O'Dean, S., & Denson, T. (2016). High estradiol and low progesterone positively predict assertiveness in women. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 75, 91–99. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.10.008
Blake, K.R., Dixson, B., *O'Dean, S., & Denson, T. (2016). Standardized protocols for characterizing women’s fertility: A data-driven approach. Hormones and Behavior, 81, 74–83. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.03.004
- 678 downloads of researcher protocols from Open Science Framework; 96th percentile in Behavioral Neuroscience articles of the same age and type
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Political attitudes
Weaving, M., Alshaabi, T., Arnold, M. V., Blake, K., Danforth, C. M., Dodds, P. S., Haslam, N., Fine, C. (2023). Misogyny as backlash: The trajectory of Twitter misogyny during Hillary Clinton’s 2016 election campaign. Scientific Reports, 13, 5266. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31620-w
Blake, K. R., Wu, A., McGovern, H., & Brooks, R. (2023). Number of close kin but not gendered fitness interests shapes sex role attitudes. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 9, 37-53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-022-00207-6
Kerry, N., Al-Shawaf, L., Barbato, M., Batres, C., Blake, K.…. (2022). Experimental and cross-cultural evidence that parenthood and parental care motives increase social conservatism. Proceedings of The Royal Society B, 289(1982), 20220978. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.0978
*Luberti, F., Blake, K., & Brooks, R. (2022). Changes in positive affect due to popularity in an experimental dating context influence some of men’s, but not women’s, socio-political attitudes. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 8, 202-237. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-022-00188-6
*Luberti., F., Blake., K. R., & Brooks., R., (2022). Widespread promiscuity and cheap weddings: Can “low-value" sexual relationships make certain individuals more sexually conservative?. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51, 2791-2811. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02216-0
*Kellie, D., Blake, K., & Brooks, R. (2021). Prejudice towards sex workers depends on the sexual activity and autonomy of their work, hobbies and daily activities. Collabra: Psychology, 7(1): 24386. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.24386
Kerry, N., Blake, K. R., Murray, D., & Brooks, R. (2021). Male descendant kin promote conservative views on gender issues and conformity. Evolutionary Human Sciences, 3, e34. https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2021.29
Brooks, R., & Blake, K. R. (2021). Gendered Fitness Interests: A proposal explaining how relatives affect socio-political attitudes and behaviours. Evolution & Human Behavior, 42(4), 295-303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.12.002
Jones, B.C., DeBruine, L.M., Flake, J.K., … Blake., K. R.,… Chartier,C.R. (2021). To which world regions does the valence–dominance model of social perception apply? Nature Human Behavior. 5, 159-169. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-01007-2
- Scopus FWCI of 27.53
*Luberti., F., Blake., K. R., & Brooks., R., (2020). Does the quality of mating competitors affect socio-political attitudes? An experimental test. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 6, 501-531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-020-00151-3
Kasumovic, M. Hatcher, E., Blake, K. R., & Denson, T. (2020). Performance in video games affects self-perceived mate value and mate preferences. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 15(2), 191–207. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000231
*Luberti, F., Blake, K., & Brooks, R. (2019). The effects of the mating market, sex, age, and income on socio-political orientation: Insights from Evolutionary Theory and Sexual Economics Theory. Human Nature, 31, 88-111. Available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-019-09361-5
- Scopus FWCI of 2.27
What is TwitPlat?
TwitPlat is a searchable database of 3.2 billion geolocated twitter posts spanning 10 years. We conceived, developed and now maintain TwitPlat for research purposes, and we allow other reseachers to access it, too. What sets Twitplat apart is the sheer size of data availability. Adding to this strength, all posts are geolocated to very fine granularity using an algorithm we developed. This algorithm allows us to see variation in cultural ideology across time and place, gaining valuable insights into important predictors of behaviour and attitudes. To access Twitplat or find out more, click here.
The Daily Cycle Diary
Here at the Evolution Lab, we think knowledge is power. That’s why we developed and now run The Daily Cycle Diary, a citizen science project investigating the effects of the menstrual cycle on women’s psychology and and health. Our online platform allows women to track their menstrual cycles, understand how their cycle affects them, share their results with medical professionals, and compare their patterns to other women worldwide – all entirely for free. To access The Daily Cycle Diary or find out more, click here.
Image from The Menstrual Cycle at Hello Clue.
Lab Contact Details
Address:
The Evolution Lab
Redmond Barry Building
Tin Alley, The University of Melbourne
Parkville, 3010, VIC, Australia