Associate Professor Brendan Zietsch
Associate Professor

Brendan Zietsch

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 56230

Background

Brendan's PhD studies were based in the Genetic Epidemiology Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, where he investigated the genetics of sexual behaviour. He joined UQ in 2010 on a UQ Postdoctoral Fellowship, followed by an ARC DECRA and then an ARC Future Fellowship.

His work focuses on understanding the evolutionary and genetic underpinnings of human behaviour, in terms of what humans are like in general and what makes individuals differ from one another. Topics include personality, sexual and romantic preferences and choices, mental and physical determinants of attractiveness, sex differences and masculinity/femininity, and evolutionary modelling.

Availability

Associate Professor Brendan Zietsch is:
Not available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours) of Psychological Science, The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Search Professor Brendan Zietsch’s works on UQ eSpace

129 works between 2005 and 2025
All (129) Journal Article (104) Book Chapter (6) Conference Publication (16) Other Outputs (3)

41 - 60 of 129 works

2019

Journal Article

Twenty-Five and Up (25Up) Study: A New Wave of the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study

Mitchell, Brittany L., Campos, Adrian I., Rentería, Miguel E., Parker, Richard, Sullivan, Lenore, McAloney, Kerrie, Couvy-Duchesne, Baptiste, Medland, Sarah E., Gillespie, Nathan A., Scott, Jan, Zietsch, Brendan P., Lind, Penelope A., Martin, Nicholas G. and Hickie, Ian B. (2019). Twenty-Five and Up (25Up) Study: A New Wave of the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 22 (03) PII S1832427419000276, 154-163. doi: 10.1017/thg.2019.27

Twenty-Five and Up (25Up) Study: A New Wave of the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study

2019

Conference Publication

Insights from the largest genetic study of sexual orientation

Ganna, A., Beecham, G., Day, F., Martin, E., Meier, R., Neale, B., Nivard, M., Perry, J., Sanders, A., Verweij, K., Wedow, R. and Zietsch, B. (2019). Insights from the largest genetic study of sexual orientation. 51st Conference of the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) in conjunction with the European Meeting on Psychosocial Aspects of Genetics (EMPAG), Milan, Italy, 16-19 June, 2018. London, United Kingdom: Nature Publishing Group.

Insights from the largest genetic study of sexual orientation

2018

Journal Article

Erratum: Reply to Woodley of Menie et al (Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2018) 285 (20181427) DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0092)

Arslan, Ruben C., Willführ, Kai P., Frans, Emma M., Verweij, Karin J. H., Bürkner, Paul-Christian, Myrskylä, Mikko, Voland, Eckart, Almqvist, Catarina, Zietsch, Brendan P. and Penke, Lars (2018). Erratum: Reply to Woodley of Menie et al (Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2018) 285 (20181427) DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0092). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285 (1884) 20181427. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1427

Erratum: Reply to Woodley of Menie et al (Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2018) 285 (20181427) DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0092)

2018

Journal Article

Male and female nipples as a test case for the assumption that functional features vary less than nonfunctional byproducts

Kelly, Ashleigh J., Dubbs, Shelli L., Barlow, Fiona Kate and Zietsch, Brendan P. (2018). Male and female nipples as a test case for the assumption that functional features vary less than nonfunctional byproducts. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 4 (4), 344-353. doi: 10.1007/s40750-018-0096-1

Male and female nipples as a test case for the assumption that functional features vary less than nonfunctional byproducts

2018

Journal Article

A high-powered replication study finds no effect of starting or stopping hormonal contraceptive use on relationship quality

Jern, Patrick, Kärnä, Antti, Hujanen, Janna, Erlin, Tatu, Gunst, Annika, Rautaheimo, Helmi, Öhman, Emilia, Roberts, Craig and Zietsch, Brendan P. (2018). A high-powered replication study finds no effect of starting or stopping hormonal contraceptive use on relationship quality. Evolution and Human Behavior, 39 (4), 373-379. doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.02.008

A high-powered replication study finds no effect of starting or stopping hormonal contraceptive use on relationship quality

2018

Journal Article

Nineteen and Up study (19Up): Understanding pathways to mental health disorders in young Australian twins

Couvy-Duchesne, Baptiste, O'Callaghan, Victoria, Parker, Richard, Mills, Natalie, Kirk, Katherine M., Scott, Jan, Vinkhuyzen, Anna., Hermens, Daniel F., Lind, Penelope A., Davenport, Tracey A., Burns, Jane M., Connell, Melissa, Zietsch, Brendan P., Scott, James, Wright, Margaret J., Medland, Sarah E., McGrath, John, Martin, Nicholas G., Hickie, Ian B. and Gillespie, Nathan A. (2018). Nineteen and Up study (19Up): Understanding pathways to mental health disorders in young Australian twins. BMJ Open, 8 (3) e018959, 1-13. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018959

Nineteen and Up study (19Up): Understanding pathways to mental health disorders in young Australian twins

2018

Journal Article

Relaxed selection and mutation accumulation are best studied empirically: reply to Woodley of Menie

Arslan, Ruben C., Willführ, Kai P., Frans, Emma M., Verweij, Karin J. H., Bürkner, Paul-Christian, Myrskylä, Mikko, Voland, Eckart, Almqvist, Catarina, Zietsch, Brendan P. and Penke, Lars (2018). Relaxed selection and mutation accumulation are best studied empirically: reply to Woodley of Menie. Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences, 285 (1873) 20180092, 1-3. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0092

Relaxed selection and mutation accumulation are best studied empirically: reply to Woodley of Menie

2018

Conference Publication

Results from the largest genetic study of sexual orientation

Wedow, Robbee, Abdellaoui, Abdel, Beecham, Gary, Day, Felix, Ganna, Andrea, Guo, Shengru, Maier, Robert, Martin, Eden, Neale, Benjamin, Nivard, Michel, Perry, John, Sanders, Alan, Verweij, Karin and Zietsch, Brendan (2018). Results from the largest genetic study of sexual orientation. 48th Annual Meeting of the Behavior Genetics Association (BGA), Boston, Massachusetts, 20-23 June 2018 . New York, NY, United States: Springer.

Results from the largest genetic study of sexual orientation

2017

Journal Article

Longitudinal Relationships Between Parents' and Children's Behavior Need Not Implicate the Influence of Parental Behavior and May Reflect Genetics: Comment on Waldinger and Schulz (2016)

Sherlock, James M and Zietsch, Brendan P (2017). Longitudinal Relationships Between Parents' and Children's Behavior Need Not Implicate the Influence of Parental Behavior and May Reflect Genetics: Comment on Waldinger and Schulz (2016). Psychological science, 29 (1), 154-157. doi: 10.1177/0956797617717041

Longitudinal Relationships Between Parents' and Children's Behavior Need Not Implicate the Influence of Parental Behavior and May Reflect Genetics: Comment on Waldinger and Schulz (2016)

2017

Conference Publication

Reproductive success versus fitness: testing the genetic correlation between number of children and grandchildren in a range of preindustrial societies

Zietsch, Brendan, Abdellaoui, Abdel, Bailey, Drew, Walker, Robert and Verweij, Karin (2017). Reproductive success versus fitness: testing the genetic correlation between number of children and grandchildren in a range of preindustrial societies. 47th Annual Meeting of the Behavior-Genetics-Association (BGA), Oslo Norway, Jun 28-Jul 01, 2017. NEW YORK: SPRINGER.

Reproductive success versus fitness: testing the genetic correlation between number of children and grandchildren in a range of preindustrial societies

2017

Journal Article

Reasons for Caution About the Fraternal Birth Order Effect

Zietsch, Brendan P (2017). Reasons for Caution About the Fraternal Birth Order Effect. Archives of sexual behavior, 47 (1), 47-48. doi: 10.1007/s10508-017-1086-2

Reasons for Caution About the Fraternal Birth Order Effect

2017

Journal Article

Reported associations between receptor genes and human sociality are explained by methodological errors and do not replicate

Jern, Patrick, Verweij, Karin J. H., Barlow, Fiona Kate and Zietsch, Brendan P. (2017). Reported associations between receptor genes and human sociality are explained by methodological errors and do not replicate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114 (44), E9185-E9186. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1710880114

Reported associations between receptor genes and human sociality are explained by methodological errors and do not replicate

2017

Journal Article

Older fathers' children have lower evolutionary fitness across four centuries and in four populations

Arslan, Ruben C., Willfuehr, Kai P., Frans, Emma M., Verweij, Karin J. H., Buerkner, Paul-Christian, Myrskylae, Mikko, Voland, Eckart, Almqvist, Catarina, Zietsch, Brendan P. and Penke, Lars (2017). Older fathers' children have lower evolutionary fitness across four centuries and in four populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 284 (1862) 20171562, 20171562. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1562

Older fathers' children have lower evolutionary fitness across four centuries and in four populations

2017

Journal Article

Assessing the accuracy of perceptions of intelligence based on heritable facial features

Lee, Anthony J., Hibbs, Courtney, Wright, Margaret J., Martin, Nicholas G., Keller, Matthew C. and Zietsch, Brendan P. (2017). Assessing the accuracy of perceptions of intelligence based on heritable facial features. Intelligence, 64, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.intell.2017.06.002

Assessing the accuracy of perceptions of intelligence based on heritable facial features

2017

Journal Article

An all-positive correlation matrix is not evidence of domain-general intelligence

Arden, Rosalind and Zietsch, Brendan P. (2017). An all-positive correlation matrix is not evidence of domain-general intelligence. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40 e197, e197. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X16001990

An all-positive correlation matrix is not evidence of domain-general intelligence

2017

Journal Article

Facial trustworthiness is associated with heritable aspects of face shape

Lee, Anthony J., Wright, Margaret J., Martin, Nicholas G., Keller, Matthew C. and Zietsch, Brendan P. (2017). Facial trustworthiness is associated with heritable aspects of face shape. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 3 (4), 351-364. doi: 10.1007/s40750-017-0073-0

Facial trustworthiness is associated with heritable aspects of face shape

2017

Journal Article

Genetic evidence of assortative mating in humans

Robinson, Matthew R., Kleinman, Aaron, Graff, Mariaelisa, Vinkhuyzen, Anna A. E., Couper, David, Miller, Michael B., Peyrot, Wouter J., Abdellaoui, Abdel, Zietsch, Brendan P., Nolte, Ilja M., van Vliet-Ostaptchouk, Jana V., Snieder, Harold, The LifeLines Cohort Study, Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium, Medland, Sarah E., Martin, Nicholas G., Magnusson, Patrik K. E., Iacono, William G., McGue, Matt, North, Kari E., Yang, Jian and Visscher, Peter M. (2017). Genetic evidence of assortative mating in humans. Nature Human Behaviour, 1 (1) 0016, 0016. doi: 10.1038/s41562-016-0016

Genetic evidence of assortative mating in humans

2017

Journal Article

The link between deprivation and its behavioural constellation is confounded by genetic factors

Sherlock, James M. and Zietsch, Brendan P. (2017). The link between deprivation and its behavioural constellation is confounded by genetic factors. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 40 e343. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X17001121

The link between deprivation and its behavioural constellation is confounded by genetic factors

2017

Book Chapter

Estimating heritability from twin studies

Grasby, Katrina L., Verweij, Karin J. H., Mosing, Miriam A., Zietsch, Brendan P. and Medland, Sarah E. (2017). Estimating heritability from twin studies. In Robert C. Elston (Ed.), Statistical human genetics: methods and protocols 2nd ed. (pp. 171-194) New York, NY, United States: Humana Press. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-7274-6_9

Estimating heritability from twin studies

2016

Conference Publication

The role of genes and environment in degree of partner self-similarity

Sherlock, James, Verweij, Karin, Murphy, Sean, Heath, Andrew, Martin, Nicholas and Zietsch, Brendan (2016). The role of genes and environment in degree of partner self-similarity. 46th Annual Meeting of the Behavior-Genetics-Association, Brisbane Australia, Jun 20-23, 2016. NEW YORK: SPRINGER.

The role of genes and environment in degree of partner self-similarity

Past funding

  • 2017 - 2023
    Analysis of the drivers and constraints of romantic partner choice
    ARC Future Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2014
    Developing novel individual-difference measures of human brain structure: Masculinity/femininity and deviation-from-average
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Investigating the evolution of human traits and the maintenance of heritable individual differences
    ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    ResTeach 2011 0.1 FTE School of Psychology
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2012
    The evolutionary behaviour genetics of human mate preferences, mate choices, and mating strategies
    UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
    Open grant

Availability

Associate Professor Brendan Zietsch is:
Not available for supervision

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Applying Advanced Statistical and Computational Methods to Attractiveness Research

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Michael Bulmer

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Impact of Intergroup Violence on the Evolution of Human Psychology

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Thomas Suddendorf

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Evolution of Beneficial Misperceptions of Objective Reality Within Social Environments

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jonathan Redshaw

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Applying Advanced Statistical and Computational Methods to Attractiveness Research

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Michael Bulmer

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Predictors of perceived versus actual sexual interest

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr David Sewell

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Desirable Dad Hypothesis: An Ultimate Evolutionary Account of Male Same-Sex Attraction

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr David Smerdon

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Applying advanced statistical and computational methods to attractiveness research

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Michael Bulmer

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Evolutionary Psychology and Mate Choice: Advanced Methodological Approaches

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr David Sewell

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Norm Maintenance Behaviour: Strong Reciprocity as a Maintenance Mechanism

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr David Smerdon

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Associate Professor Brendan Zietsch directly for media enquiries about:

  • disgust sensitivity
  • female orgasm
  • mate choice
  • mate preferences
  • Personality
  • sexual dimorphism

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