Men’s Mating Psychology

Previous research suggests that assessment of mate preferences has received relatively little psychometric attention from researchers, particularly in non-Western cultures. The current research was designed to (1) extend previous findings on long-term mate preferences by using a qualitative strategy, (2) develop a psychometrically sound scale for assessment of long-term mate preferences in men, and (3) develop a sex-neutral scale for assessment of long-term mate preferences. Six dimensions of mate preferences emerged for men: F = family/domesticity, A = attractiveness/sexuality, K = kindness/dependability, E = education/intelligence, R = religiosity/chastity, and S = status/resources. These male-specific dimensions of mate preferences showed satisfactory concurrent and convergent validity as well as high internal consistency coefficients. We mixed the female- and male-specific measures of mate preferences and arrived at 20 characteristics without culture- or sex-specific content. We further hypothesized that the 20-item scale of mate preferences would have a five-factor structure (i.e., kindness/dependability, attractiveness/sexuality, status/resources, education/intelligence, religiosity/chastity [KASER]) in men and women and that this model would replicate sex differences cited in the evolutionary psychological literature. Measurement invariance was evidenced across sexes and sex differences accorded with those in the literature. Therefore, the five-factor model of long-term mate preferences (i.e., KASER model) as measured by the Iranian Mate Preferences Scale-20 may be used to evaluate long-term mate preferences in men and women in Iran. Limitations are noted and future directions are discussed in the light of evolutionary perspective on human mating psychology.

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Contrasting Computational Models of Mate Preference Integration Across 45 Countries

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-52748-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Daniel Conroy-Beam ◽

David M. Buss ◽

Kelly Asao ◽

Agnieszka Sorokowska ◽

Piotr Sorokowski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Computational Models ◽

Computational Design ◽

Romantic Partners ◽

Mate Preferences ◽

Mate Preference ◽

Mate Value ◽

The World ◽

Power Of Choice ◽

Mating Psychology ◽

Human Mating

AbstractHumans express a wide array of ideal mate preferences. Around the world, people desire romantic partners who are intelligent, healthy, kind, physically attractive, wealthy, and more. In order for these ideal preferences to guide the choice of actual romantic partners, human mating psychology must possess a means to integrate information across these many preference dimensions into summaries of the overall mate value of their potential mates. Here we explore the computational design of this mate preference integration process using a large sample of n = 14,487 people from 45 countries around the world. We combine this large cross-cultural sample with agent-based models to compare eight hypothesized models of human mating markets. Across cultures, people higher in mate value appear to experience greater power of choice on the mating market in that they set higher ideal standards, better fulfill their preferences in choice, and pair with higher mate value partners. Furthermore, we find that this cross-culturally universal pattern of mate choice is most consistent with a Euclidean model of mate preference integration.

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Additional references for ‘Ovulation, sex hormones, and women’s mating psychology’

10.31234/osf.io/jz3c6 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Benedict C Jones ◽

Amanda Hahn ◽

Lisa Marie DeBruine

Keyword(s):

Sex Hormones ◽

Review Article ◽

Annotated Bibliography ◽

Methodological Issues ◽

Final Version ◽

Mating Psychology

Since the final version of our review article was accepted for publication, several new papers have come out that are relevant to our thesis or further discuss methodological issues with this type of research. This annotated bibliography gives a brief summary of each these articles and how they related to our thesis. We intend to continue to update this list semi-regularly (last updated 5th March 2020).

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Importance of Daily Sex Hormone Measurements Within the Menstrual Cycle for Fertility Estimates in Cyclical Shifts Studies

Evolutionary Psychology ◽

10.1177/1474704919897913 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 147470491989791 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Urszula M. Marcinkowska

Keyword(s):

Menstrual Cycle ◽

Luteal Phase ◽

Cycle Length ◽

High Fertility ◽

Ongoing Debate ◽

Lh Surge ◽

Menstrual Cycles ◽

Mating Psychology ◽

Crucial Part ◽

Estradiol Levels

Recent discussions have highlighted the importance of fertility measurements for the study of peri-ovulatory shifts in women’s mating psychology and mating-related behaviors. Participants in such studies typically attend at least two test sessions, one of which is, at least in theory, scheduled to occur during the high-fertility, peri-ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle. A crucial part of this debate is whether luteinizing hormone (LH) tests alone are sufficient to accurately assign test sessions to the peri-ovulatory phase. This article adds to this ongoing debate by presenting analyses of a detailed database of daily estradiol levels and LH tests for 102 menstrual cycles. Based on more than 4,000 hormonal measurements, it is clear that individual differences in length of the cycle, length of the luteal phase and, perhaps most importantly, the discrepancy between the timing of the LH surge and the drop in estradiol that follows it are pronounced. Less than 40% of analyzed cycles followed the textbook pattern commonly assumed to occur in fertility-based research, in which the LH surge is assumed to occur not more than 48 hr before the estradiol drop. These results suggest that LH tests alone are not sufficient to assign test sessions to the peri-ovulatory phase and that analyses of sex hormones are essential to identify whether the participant was tested during the peri-ovulatory phase.

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