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Evolutionary Personality Theory and Mate Selection 247 What Women Look for in Men From an evolutionary perspective, women prefer to mate with men who can provide for their offspring. In nonhuman species, this may simply mean a mate who can provide food and protection. In humans, this means providi...

Evolutionary Personality Theory and Mate Selection 247 What Women Look for in Men From an evolutionary perspective, women prefer to mate with men who can provide for their offspring. In nonhuman species, this may simply mean a mate who can provide food and protection. In humans, this means providing the financial resources required to raise the children, and some men are better able to do this than others. Men also differ in their ability to take care of and nurture their offspring and in their ability to transfer status or power to their children. Evolutionary personality psychologists argue that women prefer partners who possess these abilities to provide for their sons and daughters. Again, some research supports this speculation. When investigators asked married couples to describe what they found attractive in their spouse, women were more likely to identify such characteristics as dependable, good earning capacity, ambitious, and career-oriented (Buss & Barnes, 1986). Other investigations find women are more interested than men in locating a partner high in socioeconomic status and ambitiousness (Ben Hamida, Mineka, & Bailey, 1998; Feingold, 1992). In another study, more women than men said they would be upset if their partner was unable to hold a good job (Cramer et al., 2000). When forced to make choices about hypothetical romantic partners, women in one study were more willing than men to give up physical attractiveness in their partner than give up high status and resources (Fletcher, Tither, O’Loughlin, Friesen, & Overall, 2004) Researchers find that men often are aware of these preferences and, like women, compete among themselves for the most desirable partner. Newlywed husbands in one study were more likely than their spouses to have bragged about their financial resources as a way to catch their future wives’ attention (Buss, 1988). In other words, the men let it be known that they made a lot of money or went out of their way to show off a new car or condominium. Men also are more interested in purchasing flashy items like expensive cars and watches when looking for a romantic partner (Sundie et al., 2011). Similarly, men are more likely to display their material resources when trying to retain a partner’s affection (Buss & Shackelford, 1997). Other studies find that women prefer dominant men over relatively meek men (Sadalla, Kenrick, & Vershure, 1987). This preference for a dominant man is even stronger when women have first been made to think about objects related to being a parent (Miller & Ostlund, 2006). According to evolutionary personality theorists, a dominant man is better able to provide needed resources for his family than a man at the bottom of the pecking order. But do these findings mean that, given a choice, women prefer loud and brutish men? In other words, in the game of love, do nice guys finish last? Additional studies indicate that this is not necessarily the case (Burger & Cosby, 1999; Graziano, Jensen-Campbell, Todd, & Finch, 1997). Mating with a dominant man may have its advantages, but not if he is unwilling to share resources or invest in the welfare of his children. In other words, dominance alone may not be a very attractive trait. In support of this reasoning, when undergraduate women observed and evaluated interactions between men, they reported that helpful and generous men were far more appealing for both short- and long-term relationships than men who were simply dominant (Jensen-Campbell, Graziano, & West, 1995). Copyright 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. 248 Chapter 10 / The Biological Approach In summary, research finds patterns of attraction that support evolutionary theory’s predictions about what women find attractive in men. But once again, we need to ask if the findings are limited to American samples. Data from the 37-culture study described earlier indicate that women around the world report similar preferences (Buss, 1989). As shown in Table 10.6, women in each culture were more likely than men to prefer a spouse who had good financial prospects. Only in Spain did this difference fail to reach statistical significance. Similar patterns were found when the men and women rated the importance of characteristics like ambition and industriousness in a partner. In short, there is a nearly universal tendency for women to prefer men who can provide financial resources. Table 10.6 Importance of “Good Financial Prospects” When Selecting a Mate Sample Males Females Nigeria 1.37 2.30 South Africa(Whites) 0.94 1.73 South Africa (Zulus) 0.70 1.14 Zambia 1.46 2.33 China 1.10 1.56 Indonesia 1.42 2.55 India 1.60 2.00 Iran 1.25 2.04 Israel (Jewish) 1.31 1.82 Israel (Palestinian) 1.28 1.67 Japan 0.92 2.29 Taiwan 1.25 2.21 Bulgaria 1.16 1.64 Estonia 1.31 1.51 Poland 1.09 1.74 Yugoslavia 1.27 1.66 Africa Asia Eastern Europe (Continued) Copyright 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. Evolutionary Personality Theory and Mate Selection Table 10.6 249 Importance of “Good Financial Prospects” When Selecting a Mate (Continued) Sample Males Females Belgium 0.93 1.36 Finland 0.65 1.18 France 1.22 1.68 Germany 0.67 1.16 Great Britain 1.14 1.81 Greece 1.16 1.92 Ireland 0.82 1.67 Italy 0.87 1.33 Netherlands 0.69 0.94 Norway 1.10 1.42 Spain 1.25 1.39 Sweden 1.18 1.75 Canada (English) 1.02 1.91 Canada (French) 1.47 1.94 United States (Mainland) 1.08 1.96 United States (Hawaiian) 1.50 2.10 Australia 0.69 1.54 New Zealand 1.35 1.63 Brazil 1.24 1.91 Colombia 1.72 2.21 Venezuela 1.66 2.26 Western Europe North America Oceania South America Note: Participants rated on a scale from 0 (Unimportant) to 3 (Indispensable). Source: Buss (1989). Copyright 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. 250 Chapter 10 / The Biological Approach Conclusions and Limitations Research findings on what men and women look for in romantic partners tend to be consistent with the predictions from evolutionary personality psychology. Men around the world prefer younger and physically attractive women whereas women look for a man who can provide the material resources they need to raise their children. However, as intuitive and consistent as these findings may be, there are reasons to take them with a grain of salt. As described in the previous chapter, researchers testing these hypotheses are necessarily limited in their ability to make strong tests of causal relationships. Because they cannot manipulate variables like gender and physical attractiveness, investigators are unable to rule out many alternative explanations for their findings (Wood & Eagly, 2002). For example, differences in the ages men and women marry may simply have to do with differences in maturity level, with women becoming physically and perhaps emotionally mature more quickly than men. Moreover, investigations do not always produce findings consistent with evolutionary personality theory’s predictions (Costa, Terracciano, & McCrae, 2001; Eastwick & Finkel, 2008). For example, evolutionary personality psychologists argue that men should be more upset when discovering their spouse’s sexual infidelity whereas women will be more concerned about losing their partner’s emotional fidelity. These predictions stem from the men’s theoretical needs to be assured the offspring they raise are their own and from the women’s desire that their partners continue to support them and the offspring after reproduction. However, studies often fail to support either of these predictions (Berman & Frazier, 2005; DeSteno, Bartlett, Braverm an, & Salovey, 2002; Harris, 2003). It is also entirely possible that instincts inherited from our ancestors are largely overshadowed by learned preferences we develop for romantic partners. The basic needs of animals in the wild may be quite different from the needs of men and women in modern society. Many women probably prefer a partner who spends time with them rather than one devoted to an ambitious climb up the corporate ladder. This is not to say that tendencies passed down from our ancestors do not influence our choices. Research suggests that they do. But our preferences for a physically attractive woman or a wealthy man might play a relatively small role in this process (Eastwick, Luchies, Finkel, & Hunt, 2014). In one study, both men and women rated mutual love and affection the most important consideration when selecting a romantic partner (Ben Hamida et al., 1998). Moreover, researchers find gender differences in sexual behavior and mate preferences are significantly smaller in cultures that promote gender equality (Petersen & Hyde, 2010; Zentner & Mitura, 2012). Common sense also tells us there are a number of exceptions to the rule. Many women no doubt prefer a man who is more sensitive than dominant. Many men prefer an older woman to a less mature partner. Evolutionary personality psychology also is limited to heterosexual mating choices. The prediction of partner choice based on parental investment says little or nothing about choices for lesbians and gays. The analysis also may not apply to women who are past their reproductive years or to older men who are interested in an intimate relationship but not in raising a family. Copyright 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. Key Term 251 Summary 1. Research suggests both genetics and the environment have an influence on the development of adult personalities. Psychologists use a variety of methods to determine the extent to which personality is inherited, most notably the twin-study method. However, questions surface when interpreting these studies, particularly with some of the underlying assumptions of the methods. Nonetheless, the cumulative evidence argues strongly for a significant heritability component in adult personality. 2. Extraversion–introversion is probably the most widely researched aspect of Eysenck’s personality theory. Evidence indicates that this personality variable has a large heritability component. Consistent with Eysenck’s theory, researchers find extraverts seek out stimulating environments and perform better in these environments than introverts. Research also finds that extraverts are generally happier than introverts. 3. Evolutionary personality theory predicts that men and women look for different features when selecting romantic partners. Consistent with this view, research shows that men are more likely to consider physical attractiveness when selecting a dating partner or spouse. In addition, men are more likely to prefer a younger partner. Studies also indicate that women prefer a man who possesses the resources necessary for raising a family. Cross-cultural research suggests that these preferences may be universal Key Term twin-study method (p. 229) Copyright 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.