Evaluating Evidence of Mate Preference Adaptations: How Do We Really Know What Homo sapiens sapiens Really Want?

Schmitt, David P.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-0314-6_1

Cited by 39 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 300 publications

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“…Women can also benefit from short‐term mating (including extra‐pair mating) through the possibility of gaining genetic quality in potential offspring, and in this mating context women seem to desire men possessing phenotypic cues of good genes, such as attractiveness and masculinity. The predictions of Sexual Strategies Theory have been supported by a number of independent studies …”

Section: Factors Affecting Mating Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…The predictions of Sexual Strategies Theory 3 have been supported by a number of independent studies. [116][117][118] At this point, we add some caveats to the necessarily brief description of Sexual Strategies Theory provided above. First, the mating preferences of each sex in each context must be considered as relative rather than absolute.…”

Section: Relationship Typementioning

confidence: 99%

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Human mating strategies: from past causes to present consequences

Marzoli

Havlı́ček

Roberts

2017

WIRES Cognitive Science

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In both humans and nonhuman animals, mating strategies represent a set of evolutionary adaptations aimed at promoting individual fitness by means of reproduction with the best possible partners. Given this critical role, mating strategies influence numerous aspects of human life. In particular, between-sex divergence in the intensity of intrasexual competition could account for robust cross-cultural sex differences in psychology and behavior (e.g., personality, psychiatric disorders, social behavior, violence). Several other factors (including individual differences, relationship type and environment) affect-in an evolutionarily consistent manner-variation in mating strategy that individuals pursue (as one example, awareness of one's own attractiveness impinges on mating standards). Here we provide an overview of relevant theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence on variation in mating strategies. Given its multifaceted nature and intense research interest over several decades, this is a challenging task, and we highlight areas where further investigation is warranted in order to achieve a clearer picture and resolve apparent inconsistencies. However, we suggest that addressing outstanding questions using a variety of different methodological approaches, a deeper understanding of the cognitive representations involved in mating strategies is within reach. WIREs Cogn Sci 2018, 9:e1456. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1456 This article is categorized under: Cognitive Biology > Evolutionary Roots of Cognition Neuroscience > Behavior Neuroscience > Cognition.

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Section: Factors Affecting Mating Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Relationship Typementioning

confidence: 99%

Human mating strategies: from past causes to present consequences

Marzoli

Havlı́ček

Roberts

2017

WIRES Cognitive Science

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“…These sex differentiated mate preferences have been documented in studies of real-life personal ads, online dating choices, and actual marital choice; in studies of older adults and nationally representative samples; and in studies of the outcomes of these preferences on patterns of jealousy, mate retention, and fertility (for a review, see Schmitt 2014). These sex differences also have been shown to vary in adaptive ways across cultures (Gangestad et al 2006).…”

Section: Mate Preferences For Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 93%

The Evolution of Culturally-Variable Sex Differences: Men and Women Are Not Always Different, but When They Are…It Appears Not to Result from Patriarchy or Sex Role Socialization

Schmitt

2014

Evolutionary Psychology

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“…At first blush, this may seem counterintuitive given that physical attractiveness is more important to women's mate value than men's (Buss, 1989;Schmitt, 2014). However, we believe that a physical appearance compliment conveys the rival's interest in a sexual relationship with the mated complimentee.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Verbal Compliments as a Differential Source of Mate Poaching Threat for Men and Women

et al. 2014

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Two studies tested whether people feel threatened by another individual verbally complimenting their romantic partner. Such compliments may indicate that the other person is a potential rival who will try to "poach" their mate. Across two studies, women were more threatened than men when imagining another person complimenting their partner's physical appearance. There were no sex differences in response to imagining another person complimenting their partner's sense of humor. When another person compliments one's partner's physical appearance, this indicates that they may be sexually attracted to the partner. Mediation analyses revealed that the sex difference occurs because women believe men are more open to casual sex, and therefore more vulnerable to mate poaching when another person expresses sexual interest in them.

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Evaluating Evidence of Mate Preference Adaptations: How Do We Really Know What Homo sapiens sapiens Really Want?

Cited by 39 publications

References 300 publications

Human mating strategies: from past causes to present consequences

Human mating strategies: from past causes to present consequences

The Evolution of Culturally-Variable Sex Differences: Men and Women Are Not Always Different, but When They Are…It Appears Not to Result from Patriarchy or Sex Role Socialization

Verbal Compliments as a Differential Source of Mate Poaching Threat for Men and Women

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