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14Chapter 1standardized and validated. Therefore, the reported results could be due toan artefact, as for example facial redness has been shown to increase perceptions of aggression and attractiveness in men (Stephen, Oldham, Perrett,& Barton, 2012). Thus, in Chapter 4, I conceptually replicate the methodsof Maner et al. (2005) to examine the effect of emotional states on socialperception.The finding about men being more likely to perceive arousal and interestin women while being themselves aroused is well-known. This finding iscalled the sexual overperception bias (Abbey, 1982) and has been replicatedconsistently for the past fifty years (e.g., see La France, Henningsen, Oates,& Shaw, 2009). The effect is supposed to be because men incur fewer costsassociated with selecting the wrong mate; on the contrary, men would incurdamages if they were to miss a mating opportunity, as outlined by the ErrorManagement Theory (EMT, Haselton, 2003; Haselton & Buss, 2000). Thus,it is more likely that men exhibit a higher percentage of false positives interms of detecting attraction in others compared to women, who tend to bemore cautious when selecting a romantic partner (Trivers, 1972).Previous research has examined the underlying mechanism of the sexualoverperception bias (e.g., Howell, Etchells, & Penton-Voak, 2012; Perilloux,Easton, & Buss, 2012). One of the main mechanisms suggested is trait sexualdesire levels, self-rated attractiveness, and projecting one’s own emotionalstate onto others (A. J. Lee, Sidari, Murphy, Sherlock, & Zietsch, 2020).In fact, it was argued that projection can fully explain gender differencesand thus, accounts for the sexual overperception bias. In Chapter 7, I argue against this explanation. Furthermore, in Chapter 5, I examined thishypothesis in a speed-dating paradigm (Samara, Roth, & Kret, 2021).If our own interest in others influences how we perceive their intentions (Samara et al., 2021; Prochazkova, Sjak-Shie, Behrens, Lindh, & Kret,2022), then it would follow that when we are not interested in another, wewould be able to accurately infer their interest. Indeed, previous researchhas found exactly this effect (Place, Todd, Penke, & Asendorpf, 2009; Place,Todd, Zhuang, Penke, & Asendorpf, 2012). In a computerized task, participants watched excerpts from speed-dating videos and indicated whether thedaters were attracted to their partners. Indeed, participants were accuratesignificantly more than chance level. The authors argued that being ableto accurately infer the interest of others facilitates creating a map of interpersonal connections in our immediate social environment (Simao & Todd,2002), which might facilitate future partner selection (Penke & Asendorpf,2008; Penke & Denissen, 2008). In Chapter 6, I examine whether third-partyobservers are able to detect attraction in strangers on a brief blind date.Iliana Samara 17x24.indd 14 08-04-2024 16:34