Evolutionary Explanations for Partner Preferences

EVOLUTIONARY EXPLANATIONS FOR PARTNER PREFERENCES

The Nature of Sexual Selection

Intrasexual Selection - individuals compete with other members of their sex.

Intersexual Selection - individuals evolve preferences for desirable qualities in potential mates.

Sexual Selection and Long-Term Mate Preferences

- Females most attracted to males who can provide resources.

- Males most attracted to females who display signals of fertility.

Key Study: Buss (1989)

Procedure - male and females from 37 cultures asked to rate 18 characteristics that they looked for in a mate.

Findings - Women looked for men who were 'good financial prospects'. Men looked for physical attractiveness and youth.

Evaluation

- Cultural traditions just as important as evolutionary forces, according to Bernstein.

- Buller claims evidence for a universal female mating preference for high-status men is weak.

- Studies of mate-selection in real-life also support these mate-choice hypotheses, according to Buss.

- Females choose creative mates because of the potential adaptive value of creativity and ingenuity.

- Female mate choice is not consistent but varies across the menstrual cycle.