Evolutionary Psychology Workshop 5: Partner-Wanted Ad

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Evolutionary Psychology Workshop 5
Partner-Wanted Ads.
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Learning Outcomes.

• 1. Review the evidence concerning the use of
  lonely-heart personal advertisements (LHPAs) to
  understand human mate preferences.
• 2. Carry out a content analysis of lonely-heart
  advertisements.
• 3. Discuss the findings in light of theoretical
  predictions.

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Background.

• Lonely-hearts personal advertisements (LHPA's)
  are a highly popular means of meeting potential
  short- or long-term mating partners.
• Around 80 of major newspapers and magazines
  surveyed ran LHPA's (Thiessen et al., 1993).
• There are problems in that submitters of LHPA's
  may represent a biased sample, or that the
  information provided may be inaccurate
  (Wiederman, 1993).
• However, according to Thiessen et al., (1993) and
  Greenless Mcgrew (1994) LHPA's provide an
  ecologically valid dating and mating arena in
  which to analyse human reproductive strategies
  and mate preferences.

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Advantages of Content Analysis of LHPAs.

• 1. Use of LHPA's is common, and those who place
  a LHPA do so for valid interpersonal reasons and
  not just because they want to be volunteers in
  research.
• 2. The placing of a LHPA is a 'real-life' act
  with genuine consequences and so is akin to a
  naturalistic observation rather than a controlled
  laboratory study.
• 3. LHPA users offer a broader range of age,
  class, and experiences than do most studies on
  mate preferences, which rely on undergraduate
  students.
• 4. The commodities of exchange are clear - both
  sexes provide information about themselves and
  their preferences.
• 5. The success or failure of a strategy can be
  followed-up.
• 6. The technique is simple to conduct and
  evaluate.

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General Predictions.

• Based on sexual selection / parental investment
  we could argue that females may seek males who
  demonstrate their ability and willingness to
  contribute to a relationship or on their genetic
  quality.
• Males place a higher emphasis on female fertility
  and could thus be predicted to seek information
  concerning youth, attractiveness, parental
  skills, and fertility.

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Female Predictions.

• We might expect females to offer
• Youth and attractiveness ('cute', 'buxom'
  'petite', 'shapely'), caring behaviour ('kind',
  'gentle', 'sincere'), perhaps the promise of sex
  ('cuddly', 'sensual' 'into fun times').
• They may seek
• Resources, and the willingness to invest them
  (i.e. 'homeowner', 'employed', 'professional'
  'generous', 'sharing' etc).
• Intelligence ('educated'), mate reliability
  ('honesty'), and a partner who is older than
  themselves ('mature').
• Certain physical features (i.e. 'tall',
  'muscular') but may not particularly emphasise
  'good looks'.

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Male Predictions.

• We might expect males to principally offer
• Resources (i.e. status, job description, property
  ownership, likes holidays abroad) and reliability
  ('honest', 'mature' etc).
• While they may not offer good looks they may
  emphasise their height or physique ('tall',
  'rugged', 'healthy').
• They will seek
• Younger attractive partners and will probably not
  demand intelligence, social status, or resources.
  
• Certain characteristics such as 'generosity',
  'good sense of humour', 'kindness', 'caring
  nature' etc may be sought by both sexes.

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Previous Content-Analysis Studies.

• In an analysis of more than 1000 LHPA's,
  Wiederman (1993) reported than female advertisers
  sought resources 11 times more often than males.
• Males were likely to offer resources and the
  willingness to invest them (e.g. homeowner,
  employed educated, generous nature) than
  women.
• Males who mentioned resources were significantly
  more likely to receive a reply.
• Thiessen et al., (1993) also reported that males
  were significantly more likely to offer
  resources, while women were more likely to seek
  them.
• Greenless Mcgrew (1993) reported that males
  sought youth, attractiveness, and sexual
  availability, while women sought evidence of
  resources, financial security, and possible
  long-term commitment.

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Resource Offering and Requests.
From Thiessen et al., 1993, p216.
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The Factor of Age.

• In a review of age preferences, Kenrick Keefe
  (1992) found that females typically preferred
  males who were around 5-10 years older than
  themselves, and this remained fairly consistent
  over the life span.
• Greenless McGrew (1994) reported that the
  average age of male advertisers was 36 as opposed
  to 34.9 for women and women are significantly
  more likely to stipulate the age of their
  preferred partner (older than themselves).
• In around 900 LHPA's from the 'Observer'
  newspaper Pawlowski Dunbar (1999) found that
  women typically prefer males 2-3 years older than
  themselves and this remains stable across the age
  range, males however request increasingly younger
  partners as they age.

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Age Preferences.
Data from Kenrick Keefe, 1993, p80.
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Age Preferences continued.
Data from Pawlowski Dunbar, 1999, in Barrett et
al., (2002) p100.
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Characteristics of the Sender.

• Waynforth Dunbar (1995) showed that individual
  preferences are contingent upon what the person
  has to offer. In more than 800 LHPA's they found
• Women become less demanding as they get older (as
  their reproductive value declines).
• Males become more demanding as they get older
  (resources increase).
• Women offering attractiveness are more demanding.
• Males offering resources are more demanding.
• Males with fewer resources offer family
  commitment.
• Males and females with dependant offspring make
  lower demands.
• Individuals from higher socio-economic groups
  make higher demands than those from lower groups.

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Successful LHPA's.

• Lynn Shurgot (1984) found that females
  describing themselves as 'slim' received more
  replies.
• Tall, males with dark hair received more replies
  than shorter males with lighter hair.
• Green et al., (1984) compared the most popular
  male and female 'dates' with the most 'unpopular
  from a video dating agency.
• Younger and more attractive females were most
  popular as were older males with high status.
• Rajecki et al., (1991) reported that in general
  women received more replies than men, with
  younger women and older males receiving the most
  replies.

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Pawlowski Koziel (2002)

• Using matrimonial bureau records of 551 male and
  617 female LHPA's they analysed which particular
  stated traits influenced the 'hit rate'.
• As in previous studies males offered resources
  and sought attractiveness, while females offered
  attractiveness and sought resources/commitment.
• For males the most important predictors of hit
  rate (in order of success) were education, age
  (older), height (tall) and marital status
  (single) and resources.
• For females the most important factors
  influencing hit rate were as follows weight
  (thin), height (medium), and education (less).
• Surprisingly attractiveness offered was not a
  significant predictor.

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Activities.

• 1. Use the table provided to put together a tally
  sheet of features offered and requested by each
  sex.
• We will collect the data together and discuss the
  findings.
• 2. Using your knowledge concerning successful
  LHPA's, write an LHPA for a male and female that
  you think should bring them success.

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Results.
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Results.
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Results.
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Results.
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References.

• Green, S.K., Buchanan, D.R., Heuer, S.K.
  (1984). Winners, losers, and choosers a field
  investigation of dating initiation. Personality
  and Social Psychology Bulletin, 10 502-511.
• Greenless, I.A., McGrew, W.C. (1994). Sex and
  age differences in preference and tactics of mate
  attraction analysis of published advertisements.
  Ethology and Sociobiology, 15 59-72.
• Kenrick, D.T., Keefe, R.C. (1992). Age
  preferences in mates reflect sex differences in
  human reproductive strategies. Behavioural and
  Brain Sciences, 15 75-133.
• Lynn, M., Shurgot, B.A. (1984). Responses to
  lonely hearts advertisements effect of reported
  physical attractiveness, physique and coloration.
  Personality and Social psychology Bulletin, 10
  349-357.
• Pawlowski, B., Dunbar, R.I.M. (1999). Impact of
  market value on human mate choice decisions.
  Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B,
  266 281-285.

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References continued.

• Pawlowski, B., Koziel, S. (2002). The impact of
  traits offered in personal advertisements on
  response rates. Evolution and Human Behaviour,
  23 139-149.
• Rajecki, D.W., Bledsoe, S.B., Rasmussen, J.L.
  (1991). Successful personal ads gender
  differences and similarities in offers,
  stipulations, and outcomes. Basic and Applied
  Social Psychology, 12 457-469.
• Thiessen, D., Young, R.K., Burroughs, R.
  (1993). Lonely hearts advertisements reflect
  sexually dimorphic mating strategies. Ethology
  and Sociobiology, 14 209-229.
• Waynforth, D., Dunbar, R.I.M. (1995).
  Conditional mate choice strategies in humans
  evidence from 'lonely hearts' advertisements.
  Behaviour, 132 755-779.
• Wiederman, M.W. (1993). Evolved gender
  differences in mate preferences evidence from
  personal advertisements. Ethology and
  Sociobiology, 14 331-352.