About

David Puts, Ph.D., is a Professor of Anthropology and Psychology at Penn State and serves as Associate Director for Graduate Education at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, co-funded by the Social Science Research Institute and the Huck. He earned his B.A. from Kenyon College in 1995, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1998 and 2004, respectively. Before joining Penn State in 2007, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Neuroscience Program at Michigan State University. Dr. Puts directs the Behavioral Endocrinology and Evolution Lab, which employs tools of evolutionary biology and behavioral endocrinology to study the evolution and physiological basis of human behavior and psychology. His research addresses both evolution and development, focusing especially on sexual selection in humans, nonhuman primates, and other mammals, as well as the evolutionary endocrinology of social behavior, including human mating, status competition, sexuality, and sex differences. He is actively involved in the academic community as President-Elect of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, Senior Editor of the journal Human Nature, and holds editorial roles in several other scientific publications.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Social psychology
• Speech recognition
• Biology
• Communication
• Evolutionary biology
• Ecology
• Developmental psychology
• Audiology
• Endocrinology

Selected publications

• How Artist Morality Shapes Music Perception: A Cross-Cultural Examination

  Open Science Framework · 2026-01-01

  otherOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Throughout history, artists have fascinated audiences not only through their work but also through their personal lives and identities. This phenomenon has contributed to the emergence and persistence of celebrity culture. The values artists embody extend beyond their private choices and can shape how their art is perceived. Recent psychological research has begun to examine the relationship between artists' perceived morality and the evaluation of their work (e.g., Christensen et al., 2022; Paruzel-Czachura et al., 2024; Song, 2018). Although still limited, findings suggest that perceived morality significantly affects aesthetic judgments: negative information about an artist decreases liking and increases emotional arousal, whereas works by artists perceived as morally attractive are judged as more attractive (Liang et al., 2024; Kaube et al., 2023; Kaube & Abdel Rahman, 2025). However, this effect also depends on the type of artwork and the cultural background of the perceiver (Liang et al., 2024). It is possible that the visual art is not the only domain influenced by such moral evaluations. Our study focuses on how the perceived morality of musicians affects the perceived attractiveness of their music. Because musical styles are often associated with specific subcultures and worldviews, they may convey the values of their creators (i.e. Lynxwiler & Gay, 2000; Marshall, 2014; Rose, 2019). Moreover, considering potential cultural influences, we aim to examine how evaluations of songs by morally positive, neutral, or negative artists vary across cultural contexts. Prior work shows that moral judgments are shaped not only by individual dispositions but also by broader cultural value systems. People in different cultures emphasise different moral domains, which can be understood through the individualism–collectivism distinction (Trandis, 2018), widely utilised in cross-cultural psychology, or through the distinction between WERID and non-WERID societies (Henrich et al., 2010). For example, cultures that emphasize collectivism tend to prioritize social harmony, group obligations, and community-focused moral norms, whereas more individualistic and WEIRD cultures emphasize individual rights and independence, shaping both moral evaluations and responses to moral transgressions (Atari et al., 2023; Graham et al., 2016; Henrich, 2015; Smith et al., 2007). Our study, therefore, considers whether the perceived morality of artists and subsequent assessments of their musical work differ across cultural contexts.

  PublisherDOI

• Sexual orientation is associated with 2D:4D finger length ratios in both sexes: an updated and expanded meta-analysis

  Frontiers in Psychology · 2025-04-25 · 5 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  The ratio of the lengths of the 2nd and 4th fingers (2D:4D) is a putative marker for prenatal gonadal hormone signaling and has been linked to human sexual orientation. Although 2D:4D is consistently found to be lower in males than females, the association with sexual orientation is variable across studies, with one meta-analysis finding lower (more masculine) digit ratios in lesbians than heterosexual females, but no overall association in males. However, this previous meta-analysis considered neither unpublished datasets nor bisexual individuals separately from homosexual and heterosexual individuals. Moreover, 17 datasets examining relationships between 2D:4D and sexual orientation have been published since that time, and we located an additional 11 unpublished datasets. We therefore conducted an updated and expanded meta-analysis comprising 51 studies, including 44 male and 34 female datasets, totaling 227,648 participants. This meta-analysis also explored whether 2D:4D differed between heterosexual and bisexual and/or non-exclusive individuals in both sexes. Results indicate lower (more male-typical) digit ratios in homosexual women (right hand g = 0.26, left hand g = 0.16; both adjusted following trim-and-fill), and higher (more female-typical) ratios in homosexual men (right hand g = −0.17, left hand g = −0.20; both adjusted) compared to heterosexual same-sex counterparts. Moderator analyses do not support publication bias for females. For males, positive findings were more likely to be published, but robustness tests, including trim-and-fill and leave-one-out, support the findings’ robustness. No significant differences were observed in 2D:4D between male or female bisexual and heterosexual individuals. These findings are consistent with evidence that prenatal androgens increase attraction to females and/or that prenatal estrogens increase attraction to males.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A meta-analysis of sex differences in neonatal rodent ultrasonic vocalizations and the implication for the preclinical maternal immune activation model

  Biology of Sex Differences · 2025-01-25 · 2 citations

  reviewOpen access

  As the earliest measure of social communication in rodents, ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in response to maternal separation are critical in preclinical research on neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). While sex differences in both USV production and behavioral outcomes are reported, many studies overlook sex as a biological variable in preclinical NDD models. We aimed to evaluate sex differences in USV call parameters and determine if USVs are differently impacted based on sex in the preclinical maternal immune activation (MIA) model. Results indicate that sex differences in USVs vary with developmental stage and are more pronounced in MIA offspring. Specifically, developmental stage is a moderator of sex differences in USV call duration, with control females emitting longer calls than males in early development (up to postnatal day [PND] 8), but this pattern reverses after PND8. MIA leads to a reduction in call numbers for females compared to same-sex controls in early development, with a reversal post-PND8. MIA decreased call duration and increased total call duration in males, but unlike females, developmental stage did not influence these differences. In males, MIA effects varied by species, with decreased call numbers in rats but increased call numbers in mice. MIA timing (gestational day ≤ 12.5 vs. > 12.5) did not significantly affect results. Our findings highlight the importance of considering sex, developmental timing, and species in USVs research. We discuss how analyzing USV call types and incorporating sex as a biological variable can enhance our understanding of neonatal ultrasonic communication and its translational value in NDD research.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effects of Voice Pitch on Social Perceptions Vary With Relational Mobility and Homicide Rate

  Psychological Science · 2024-01-30 · 12 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Fundamental frequency ( f o ) is the most perceptually salient vocal acoustic parameter, yet little is known about how its perceptual influence varies across societies. We examined how f o affects key social perceptions and how socioecological variables modulate these effects in 2,647 adult listeners sampled from 44 locations across 22 nations. Low male f o increased men’s perceptions of formidability and prestige, especially in societies with higher homicide rates and greater relational mobility in which male intrasexual competition may be more intense and rapid identification of high-status competitors may be exigent. High female f o increased women’s perceptions of flirtatiousness where relational mobility was lower and threats to mating relationships may be greater. These results indicate that the influence of f o on social perceptions depends on socioecological variables, including those related to competition for status and mates.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Masculine voice is associated with better mucosal immune defense in adolescent and adult males

  Evolution and Human Behavior · 2024-06-24 · 3 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• A meta-analysis of sex differences in neonatal rodent ultrasonic vocalizations and the implication for the preclinical maternal immune activation model

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2024-08-19

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract As the earliest measure of social communication in rodents, ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in response to maternal separation are critical in preclinical research on neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). While sex differences in both USV production and behavioral outcomes are reported, many studies overlook sex as a biological variable in preclinical models of NDDs. We aimed to evaluate sex differences in USV call parameters and to determine if USVs are differently impacted based on sex in the preclinical maternal immune activation (MIA) model. Results indicate that sex differences in USVs vary with developmental stage and are more pronounced in MIA offspring. Specifically, control females exhibited longer call durations than males in early development (up to postnatal day [PND] 8), but this pattern reverses after PND8. MIA leads to a reduction in call numbers for females compared to same-sex controls in early development, with a reversal post-PND8. MIA decreased call duration and increased total call duration in males, but unlike females, developmental stage did not influence these differences. In males, MIA effects varied by species, with decreased call numbers in rats but increased call numbers in mice. The timing of MIA (gestational day ≤ 12.5 vs. >12.5) did not significantly affect the results. Our findings highlight the importance of considering sex, developmental timing, and species in USVs research. We discuss how analyzing USV call types and incorporating sex as a biological variable can enhance our understanding of neonatal ultrasonic communication and its translational value in NDD research.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Voice Pitch

  2023-10-26

  book-chapterSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Organizational Effects of Gonadal Hormones on Human Sexual Orientation

  Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology · 2023-09-20 · 8 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Contest Competition for Mates and the Evolution of Human Males

  Oxford University Press eBooks · 2023-01-26 · 10 citations

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Accumulating evidence suggests that the phenotypes of human males were shaped by contest competition, the mode of sexual selection in which mating opportunities are obtained by using force or threat of force to exclude same-sex competitors. Phylogenetic, paleontological, and archaeological data indicate a great antiquity for male–male violence in our lineage, and human males possess a constellation of traits that suggest specialization for contest competition. Relative to females, males exhibit greater stature, muscle mass, strength, speed, aerobic capacity, ability to dissipate exercise heat loads, craniofacial robusticity, pain tolerance, risk-taking, behavioral displays of physical prowess and acuity to the formidability of same-sex conspecifics, outgroup discrimination, and a propensity to participate in dyadic and coalitional violence. Parallel evidence suggests that some characteristics that distinguish hominins from the other great apes increase formidability in fights (e.g., handheld weapons, habitual bipedalism, and proportions of the hand and face) or function to increase perceptions of dominance (e.g., low vocal frequencies). Many of these traits are consistent with having been shaped by contest competition over mates: they develop or elaborate at sexual maturity and predict success in male contests, mating, and reproduction. Although alternative evolutionary explanations for some of these sexually dimorphic traits are possible, the most parsimonious explanation is that they have been preserved by selection because they aided in contest competition among males throughout human evolutionary history. The evolutionary roots of much of the aggression, intolerance, and violence that plagues modern societies may ultimately lie in the selection that shaped our mating system.

  PublisherDOI

• Articulatory effects on perceptions of men’s status and attractiveness

  Scientific Reports · 2023-02-14 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  Research on heterosexual mating has demonstrated that acoustic parameters (e.g., pitch) of men's voices influence their attractiveness to women and appearance of status and formidability to other men. However, little is known about how men's tendency to clearly articulate their speech influences these important social perceptions. In the current study, we used a repeated-measures design to investigate how men's articulatory clarity or conformity influenced women's (N = 45) evaluations of men's attractiveness for both short- and long-term relationships, and men's (N = 46) evaluations of physical formidability and prestige. Results largely supported our hypotheses: men who enunciated phonemes more distinctly were more attractive to women for long-term relationships than short-term relationships and were perceived by other men to have higher prestige than physical dominance. These findings suggest that aspects of articulatory behavior that influence perceptions of prestige and long-term mating attractiveness may indicate an early social history characterized by high socioeconomic status, likely owing to crystallization of articulatory patterns during the critical period of language development. These articulatory patterns may also be honest signals of condition or disposition owing to the nature of complex, multicomponent traits, which deserve further empirical attention.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Lisa L. M. Welling

  Oakland University

  33 shared

• Rodrigo A. Cárdenas

  Pennsylvania State University

  29 shared

• Khytam Dawood

  25 shared

• Robert P. Burriss

  University of Basel

  22 shared

• Talia Shirazi

  Pennsylvania State University

  21 shared

• Kevin A. Rosenfield

  Pennsylvania State University

  16 shared

• Alexander K. Hill

  Pennsylvania State University

  16 shared

• S. Marc Breedlove

  Michigan State University

  15 shared

Labs

• Center for Human Evolution and DiversityPI