Love is Not Colorblind: An Investigation of the Racial Hierarchy of Mate Preferences

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mykel Rodriguez ◽  
Gareth Disler ◽  
Zhiying Wang ◽  
Samantha Yim ◽  
Daniel Javidi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Interracial Relationships ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Mating Preferences ◽  
Racial Hierarchy

Not my type is the usual invocation when rejecting potential lovers who don’t align with the racial hierarchy of mating preferences. The largely unchallenged norm of interracial intimacy aversion, particularly how the desire for some racial groups and rejection of others reinforces existing racial inequities, is inconsistent with the blanket notion of greater interracial acceptance. We contend that this acceptance is unequally divided along the same racial hierarchy that exists in the broader public sphere. Our investigation assessed the openness of monoracial and biracial individuals to form interracial romantic relationships. In addition, we partially replicated an interracial mate preference known as the Multiracial Dividend Effect: a pattern whereby monoracial individuals prefer to date multiracial individuals as these interracial relationships may be less likely to carry the perceived disadvantages of interracially dating someone from another monoracial group. Most monoracial groups equally preferred same-race lovers and interracially dating biracials, and they preferred interracially dating someone biracial over any monoracial group. Lastly, biracials were more open to interracially dating any monoracial group than monoracials were to interracially dating each other.

Who gets mad and who feels bad? Mate value discrepancies predict anger and shame in response to transgressions in romantic relationships

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (10) ◽  
pp. 2963-2982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cari D. Goetz ◽  
Nestor M. Maria
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Satisfaction ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Value ◽  
Committed Relationships ◽  
Relational Transgressions ◽  
Medium Level ◽  
Theories Of Emotions

Mate value discrepancies (MVDs) predict multiple outcomes in romantic relationships, including relationship satisfaction, jealousy, and forgiveness. We tested the hypotheses that MVDs would predict anger and shame in response to both medium and strong transgressions within romantic relationships. Participants in long-term committed relationships read scenarios describing relational transgressions and rated how much anger and shame they would feel if they were either the victim or the perpetrator of the transgressions in their current relationship. We found partial support for our hypotheses. Victims of medium-level transgressions were angrier the more alternative potential mates there were that were closer to their ideal mate preferences than their current partner. Perpetrators of strong transgressions felt more shame the higher in mate value their partner was compared to them. Results suggest that different MVDs may predict different outcomes in relationships and highlight the importance of using functional theories of emotions to predict individual differences in emotional responses.

scholarly journals Does meiotic drive alter male mate preference?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Ronan Finnegan ◽  
Leslie Nitsche ◽  
Matteo Mondani ◽  
M Florencia Camus ◽  
Kevin Fowler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Frequency ◽  
Meiotic Drive ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Male Preference ◽  
Male Mate ◽  
A Minor ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Organismal Fitness ◽  
Minor Extent

AbstractMale mate preferences have been demonstrated across a range of species, including the Malaysian stalk-eyed fly, Teleopsis dalmanni. This species is subject to sex-ratio (SR), an X-linked male meiotic driver, which causes the dysfunction of Y-sperm and the production of all-female broods. While there has been work considering female avoidance of meiotic drive males, the mating decisions of drive-bearing males have not been considered previously. Drive males may be less able to bear the cost of choice as SR is associated with a low-frequency inversion that causes reduced organismal fitness. Drive males may also experience weaker selection for preference maintenance if they are avoided by females. Using binary choice trials, across two experiments, we confirmed male preference for large (fecund) females but found no evidence that the strength of male preference differs between drive and standard males. We showed that large eyespan males displayed strong preference for large females, whereas small eyespan males showed no preference. Taken together, these results suggest that, even though meiotic drive is associated with lower genetic quality, it does not directly interfere with male mate preference among available females. However, as drive males tend to have smaller eyespan (albeit only ~5% on average), this will to a minor extent weaken their strength of preference.

scholarly journals Female northern grass lizards judge mates by body shape to reinforce local adaptation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kun Guo ◽  
Chen Chen ◽  
Xiao-Fang Liang ◽  
Yan-Fu Qu ◽  
Xiang Ji
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Differentiation ◽  
Genetic Distance ◽  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Population Divergence ◽  
Female Mate Preference ◽  
Local Adaptations ◽  
Female Mate

Abstract Background: Identifying the factors that contribute to divergence among populations in mate preferences is important for understanding of the manner in which premating reproductive isolation might arise and how this isolation may in turn contribute to the evolutionary process of population divergence. Here, we offered female northern grass lizards (Takydromus septentrionalis) a choice of males between their own population and another four populations to test whether the preferences that females display in the mating trials correlate with phenotypic adaptation to local environments, or to the neutral genetic distance measured by divergence of mitochondrial DNA sequence loci. Results: Females showed a strong preference for native over foreign males. Females that mated with native versus foreign males did not differ from each other in mating latency, or copulation duration. From results of the structural equation modelling we knew that: 1) geographical distance directly contributed to genetic differentiation and environmental dissimilarity; 2) genetic differentiation and environmental dissimilarity indirectly contributed to female mate preference, largely through their effects on morphological divergence; and 3) females judged mates by body shape (appearance) and discriminated more strongly against morphologically less familiar allopatric males.Conclusions: Local adaptation rather than neutral genetic distance influences female mate preference in T. septentrionalis. The tendency to avoid mating with foreign males may indicate that, in T. septentrionalis, local adaptations are more valuable than genetic novelties. Our results highlight the importance of comprehensive studies integrating ecological, molecular and behavioral approaches to understand population divergence in female mate preferences as the consequence of local adaptations.

scholarly journals Contrasting Computational Models of Mate Preference Integration Across 45 Countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Variation in preference for a male ornament is positively associated with female eyespan in the stalk-eyed fly Diasemopsis meigenii

2006 ◽  
Vol 273 (1591) ◽  
pp. 1287-1292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Cotton ◽  
David W Rogers ◽  
Jennifer Small ◽  
Andrew Pomiankowski ◽  
Kevin Fowler
Keyword(s):  
Significant Variation ◽  
Sequential Sampling ◽  
Individual Preference ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Sexual Ornaments ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Rejection Response ◽  
Male Ornament

There is currently much interest in mate preferences for sexual ornaments. However, few studies have focused on individual variation in mate preference despite its importance for the rate and direction of sexual selection. Females of the sexually dimorphic stalk-eyed fly, Diasemopsis meigenii , exhibit an unambiguous rejection response towards unattractive males bearing small ornaments. We investigated individual mate preferences using repeated sequential sampling of female rejection or acceptance responses to a wide range of male ornament phenotypes. We found significant variation in the strength of individual preference. In addition, preference was positively associated with female eyespan, a condition-dependent trait putatively linked to visual acuity.

scholarly journals Diversification under sexual selection: the relative roles of mate preference strength and the degree of divergence in mate preferences

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 964-974 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael L. Rodríguez ◽  
Janette W. Boughman ◽  
David A. Gray ◽  
Eileen A. Hebets ◽  
Gerlinde Höbel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Preference Strength

Variation in male mate preference for female size in the swordtail Xiphophorus malinche

Behaviour ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 146 (6) ◽  
pp. 727-740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scarlett Tudor ◽  
Molly Morris
Keyword(s):  
Preference Test ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Large Female ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Size ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Male Mate

AbstractMale and female mate preferences have the potential to influence one another, and such interactions could help explain variation in female mate preferences. In Xiphophorus malinche, larger females prefer asymmetrical males while smaller females prefer symmetrical males. We used a two-part preference test to determine if there were differences in mate preferences between symmetrical and asymmetrical males for female size that could influence female mate preference. We found no significant difference between symmetrical and asymmetrical male's preferences. A preference for large female size was detected during the time males directly interacted with females and in standard dichotomous choice tests that followed, as long as the males had been isolated less than 30 days. We did detect variation in male preference for female size depending on male size and the amount of time a male was isolated. These results suggest that variation in male mate preference is not likely to have produced the difference in female preference for symmetry between large and small females, but should be considered where females vary in their preference for male size. In addition, our results suggest that males may shift their preferences from large to small females depending on time since last mating opportunity.

scholarly journals Influence of lighting environment on social preferences in sticklebacks from two different photic habitats. II. shoaling and mate preferences of lab-bred fishes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meike Hiermes ◽  
Michael B Marder ◽  
Stephanie Reher ◽  
Ingolf P Rick ◽  
Simon Vitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Social Preferences ◽  
Uv Light ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Short Wave ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Clear Water ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
Absent Condition

Abstract Different environmental conditions may lead to diverse morphological, behavioral and physiological adaptations of different populations of the same species. Lighting conditions, for example, vary vastly especially between aquatic habitats, and have been shown to elicit adaptations. The availability of short-wave ultraviolet (UV) light is especially fluctuating, as UV wavelengths are attenuated strongly depending on water properties. The island of North Uist, Scotland, comprises two differential habitat types, tea-stained and clear-water lakes, varying considerably in UV transmission. In previous studies, wild-caught three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus populations (three populations of each habitat type) were tested with respect to their shoaling and mate preferences for fish viewed under UV-present and UV-absent conditions. The results revealed a habitat-dependent preference of UV cues during shoal choice (tea-stained populations: preference for UV-absent condition in tea-stained water; clear-water populations: no preference in clear-water) but an overall preference for UV-present conditions during mate choice. To assess genetic influences on these behavioral patterns, similar experiments were conducted with lab-bred F1-generations of the same stickleback populations that were raised in a common environment (i.e. standardized clear-water conditions). Offspring of sticklebacks from tea-stained lakes tended to prefer shoals viewed under UV-absent conditions (only in tea-stained water), while sticklebacks from clear-water lakes showed a significant preference for the shoal viewed under UV-present conditions in clear-water but not in tea-stained water. Mate-preference experiments demonstrated that females from the tea-stained lakes significantly preferred and females from the clear-water lakes preferred by trend the male viewed under UV-present conditions in the clear-water treatment. The results for both shoaling- and mate-preference tests were largely similar for wild-caught and lab-bred sticklebacks, thus hinting at a genetic basis for the preference patterns.

scholarly journals Evolved human male preferences for female body shape

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Rebecca Chastain ◽  
Daniel Taub
Keyword(s):  
Resource Availability ◽  
Female Body ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Mate Preference ◽  
Human Male ◽  
Male Mate ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Apparent Influence

Female body shape has an apparent influence on mate value as perceived by males. Some researchers have suggested that human male mate preference has evolved to universally favor a specific body shape which can be quantified with a particular value for Waist-Hip Ratio and/or Body Mass Index. Other research has presented evidence that populations of males exhibit differentiated preferences for female body shape. The research literature largely supports the hypothesis that male mate preference for female body shape is variable and dependent upon local resource availability. These conclusions provide insight into the evolutionary processes that have acted to produce adaptive flexibility in human male mate preferences in accordance with the environment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document