Effect of gender-types on interpersonal stress measured by blink rate and questionnaires: Focusing on stereotypically sex-typed and androgynous types

This study was conducted to determine how differences of self gender-type a nd partner's gender-type in Japan had an effect on interpersonal stress (an xiety/uneasiness) during a conversation among mixed-sex pairs. The level of interpersonal stress was discussed in relation to blink rate. The particip ants were assigned to one of the following four pair types: (a) Male and fe male were androgenous (maleA-femaleA); (b) Male was androgenous and female was stereotypically sex-typed as feminine (maleA-femaleST); (c) Male was st ereotypic ally sex-typed as masculine and female was androgynous (maleST-fe maleA); (d) Both were stereotypically sex-typed (maleST-femsleST), Dependen t measures were (1) Blink rate during five-minute conversation of one-minut e intervals, and (2) Questionnaires (State-Trait,Anxiety Inventory I and Ic eberg profile). Results suggested that participants who had a conversation with an androgynous partner reduced their interpersonal stress.