Editing Westermarck effect (section)

{{short description|Hypothesis that those who grow up together become desensitized to sexual attraction}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 2035 Kibutz Gan-Shmuel sk3- 331 גן-שמואל-בבית הילדים 1935-40.JPG|thumb|right|250px|The child-rearing practices of the [[kibbutz]] system are sometimes cited as an example of the Westermarck effect. Seen here are a group of children in Kibbutz [[Gan Shmuel]], circa 1935–40.]]

The '''Westermarck effect''', also known as '''reverse [[sexual imprinting]]''', is a psychological hypothesis that states that people tend not to be [[Sexual attraction|attracted]] to peers with whom they lived  like siblings before the age of six. This hypothesis was first proposed by Finnish anthropologist [[Edvard Westermarck]] in his 1891 book, ''[[The History of Human Marriage]]'', as one explanation for the [[incest taboo]].<ref>{{cite book|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-19650-3_3618|first1=Bowen |last1=Hou |first2=Yan |last2=Wang |title=Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science |chapter=Westermarck Effect and Imprinting |isbn=978-3-319-19650-3 |date=21 April 2021 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-19650-3_3618 |volume= |pages= 8496–8498 |s2cid=241044443 |access-date=13 November 2022}}</ref>