Evolutionary Psychology and Mate Preferences Quiz

Women's Long-Term Mating Strategies

Theoretical Background

• Parental investment theory: women's greater initial investment in offspring leads to choosiness about mates
• Sexual selection theory: individuals with desirable traits are more likely to mate and pass on those traits
• In humans, women's parental investment is higher due to internal fertilization, gestation, and lactation

Mate Preferences as Evolved Psychological Mechanisms

• Women prefer men with resources, such as meat from the hunt, because it increases their reproductive success
• Generosity in men is a valuable trait, and women have evolved to prefer it
• Women's preferences have evolved to prioritize adaptively relevant characteristics in a mate

The Content of Women's Mate Preferences

• Preference for economic resources: women value resources in a mate more than men do
• Good financial prospects are important to women, and they rate it higher than men do
• Women want a mate with a high earning capacity (above the 70th percentile)
• This preference is not limited to Western societies and is seen across 37 cultures

Adaptive Problems and Hypothesized Solutions

• Selecting a mate who is able to invest: good financial prospects
• Selecting a mate who is able to physically protect her and children: bravery, athletic ability
• Selecting a mate who will show good parenting skills: positive interactions with children
• Selecting a mate who is compatible: similar values, personalities, and ages
• Selecting a mate who is healthy: physical attractiveness, symmetry, and health

Mate Copying

• Women prefer men who are already in a relationship or who have been chosen by other women
• This is because it signals that the man is of high value and is willing to commit