The author hypothesizes that physical violence is strongly related to the deprivation of physical pleasure. The author tests this hypothesis by looking at the relationship between physical affection towards infants, as well as attitudes towards premarital sex, and several variables related to violence. Results support the hypothesis.

This article explores biological, psychological, and social explanations for menstrual taboos. Attention is paid to the role of men in rituals associated with reproduction--i.e. before, during and after childbirth, as well as during girls' puberty rites.

This article examines three theories regarding the existence of pollution rules. Results show support for a psychological theory put forward by Freud that predicts a relationship between father-child contact, post-partum sex taboos, and menstrual taboos.

This study tests a broad hypothesis that alcohol is employed to relieve anxiety and feelings of powerlessness. Frequency of drunkenness and drunken brawling were associated with several variables, including supernatural beliefs, political systems, settlement patterns, and division of labor.

This study was designed to determine whether there is a significant correlation between the number (or intensity) of restrictions on consumption of animal protein and a low level of animal protein. Findings do not support a correlation.

The author attempts to test the "Oedipus-complex" hypothesis--the psychoanalytic idea that under certain conditions (such as the long-post partum sex taboo) males are sexually attracted to their mothers and as a consequence certain fears and anxiety are generaated. The hypothesis is tested at the societal-level using ethnographic data.

Cultures vary widely in regards to beauty standards for female body fat: while industrialized nations typically prefer thinness in women, ethnographic reports indicate that plumpness is valued in many small-scale societies. Here the authors evaluate several hypotheses that relate variation in female body fat preference to variation in socioecology such as food storage, climate, male social dominance, valuation and restriction of women's work, and female stress during adolescence.

This article examines shamans and other types of magico-religious healers. Agriculture and political integration are suggested to influence the transformation of shamans into shaman/healers, healers, or possession-trance mediums.

The reasons "primitive" peoples engaged in warfare are discussed. In order to resolve any inconsistencies in previous studies of warfare, this article looks closely at Textor's (1967) warfare variables and their correlations with other variables included in Textor's (1967) anthropological summary.

This dissertation discusses the divided theoretical approach to how reincarnation, animism, spirits, and general religious beliefs occur within societies cross-culturally. Matlock offers evidence to support Tyler, contradicting the generally accepted Durkheimian approach, arguing that the belief about souls and spirits may originate in dreams and other empirical experiences, in turn informing and shaping social organization. Durkheim argued the opposite, claiming that religious beliefs reflect social organization such as the clan and kinship. The author states 33 quantitative hypotheses to be tested using 30 of the first 60 sample societies available in the HRAF Probability Sample.