Sex differences and similarities in human mate selection preferences:

1
Sex differences and similarities inhuman mate
selection preferences

• Stereotypes versus self-report.
• James S. Boster
• University of Connecticut

2
Mating Preferences

• Mens and womens criteria for mate preferences
  show strong similarities and small differences.
• Why are the small differences so much more
  salient than the strong similarities?

3
Men and women agree about what they want in a
mate

• Character traits like dependability, stability
  and mutual attraction are most important to both
  sexes
• Accidents of birth or child rearing like
  political beliefs, religion, and ethnicity are
  least important to both sexes.

4
CT mate preferences
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Men and women agree that the sexes want
different things

• Both men and women agree that women are choosier,
  that most characteristics of a mate are more
  important to the stereotypical woman than to the
  stereotypical man.
• The only exceptions are that looks, housekeeping
  skills, and political beliefs are judged to be
  more important to men.

6
CT mate stereotypes
More important to females
More important to males
7
The stereotypes have a grain of truth

• The stereotypes capture and exaggerate the small
  differences in mate preferences.

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CT mate stereotypes vs. difference in preference
9
Interpretation Humans are humane

• The self-reports of preferences are honest and
  accurate. Both men and women, as members of a
  mostly monogamous and bi-parentally investing
  species, share interests in finding a trustworthy
  partner with whom to pursue a common reproductive
  career.

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Humans are humane (continued)

• The most important criteria for both sexes
  reflect that shared interest mutuality,
  dependability, stability, pleasant disposition,
  and intelligence.
• The least important criteria have to do with
  criteria irrelevant to that shared interest
  accidents of birth (religion, status) or history
  (politics, chastity).

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Humans are humane (continued)

• Effective mating tactics involve self-promotion
  or derogation of rivals on criteria that match
  the preferences of the potential mate.
• Sex similarities in mate preference are easy to
  learn (just consult ones own preferences) but
  differences require selective attention.
• The small sex differences in mate preferences are
  especially salient because they have a
  disproportionate effect on mating competition.

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Sex stereotypes as an adaptive cognitive illusion

• The pattern of results suggests the existence of
  a cognitive illusion that heightens attention to
  fitness-relevant differences at the expense of
  attention to similarities or fitness-irrelevant
  differences.

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A fitness-irrelevant difference

• Different age groups of respondents differ almost
  as much as the sexes do As men and women get
  older, they become more feminized in their mate
  preferences.
• Good looks become less important
• (CT F 20.39, p lt .001).
• Ambition becomes more so (F 5.08, p lt .01).
• No one notices this.

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Shift in importance of looks
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Shift in importance of ambition
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Sex stereotypes as an adaptive cognitive illusion

•  We do not need another evolved domain-specific
  mental module classic mechanisms of attention,
  learning, and memory can do the job.

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Sunset