lec 24 Notes on Female Long-Term Mating Preferences

Importance of Preferences and Behaviors

• Preferences are important but must be validated by actual behaviors.

  • Stated preferences (what people say they want) may not reflect true behavior.

  • Example: People claim to enjoy certain locations or activities but often fail to act accordingly (e.g., moving away from Saskatchewan).

• Behavioral evidence is necessary to confirm the validity of preferences.

  • Preferences must influence reproductive success for evolution to shape them.

  • Requires actual mate selection and reproductive outcomes (mating and offspring).

Compromises in Mating Preferences

• Not all preferences can be perfectly met.

  • Ideal mates as depicted in media do not exist in reality.

• Factors influencing mate selection:

  • Mate Value: Attractiveness and desirability of individuals. What our vale is really matters in attaining mate.

  • Social Limitations: Opportunities for mating can be limited.

  • Social Influences: Cultural and familial press ures can affect choices.

• Result: It is often necessary to compromise on preferences to engage in mating. the super picky ppl end up alone.

Evidence of Behavioral Preferences in Women

• Personal Ads Studies

  • Analysis of responses to personal ads provides insights into actual preferences.

  • Men receive more replies when:

  • They are older than the women responding.

  • Their ads imply wealth (important factor for attractiveness).

  • years of education (resources)

• Marriage Studies

  • Studies indicate that attractive women tend to marry wealthier men with higher social status.

  • Illustrations include:

  • Examples of attractive women (Selma Hayek, Carrie Underwood) paired with wealthy partners.

• Retrospective Studies

  • Previous studies confirmed that attractive teen girls are likely to marry wealthy men, independent of their own social status or intelligence.

  • longitudinal study ^ attractiveness of teens was ranked and social status. her attractivness was her mate value rather than social status.

• Age Differences in Marriages

  • Insights show that women often prefer men a few years older.

  • Average age difference in first marriages is about 3.4 years (men being older).

  • age gaps can widen in their second marriage

Behavioural Evidence from Men

• Selective Pressures

  • Women's preferences exert selective pressures on men to cultivate desirable traits.

  • Men exhibit behaviors that signal resource availability or potential. to woo females.

• Men's Social Behaviors

  • Men emphasize career success and resource display more than women.

  • Seeking to show off wealth through possessions (e.g., cars, luxury items).

• Intersexual Selection Dynamics

  • Men often denigrate rivals using resource-related attributes (e.g., calling them lazy or he is a barista!)

• Deception in Mating

  • Men may misrepresent their income or job status to appear more attractive.

  • Examples from media portray how men exaggerate their earnings or status.

Influence of Attractive Women on Men's Behaviour

• Exposure to attractive women increases men's motivation to emphasize resources and ambition.

  • picture viewing study- show men adjust responses based on the attractiveness of women present:

  • Men were shown pictures of attractive women (e.g., models).

  • Then they were asked about what traits they value in themselves or in partners.

  • Compared to a control group (who didn’t see the pictures), the men who saw the attractive women:

    • Rated income as more important

    • Were more likely to describe themselves as ambitious

  • Rated the importance of income higher after viewing attractive models.

  • More men identified themselves as ambitious in the presence of attractive women.

• Conclusion: Resource-related attributes are validated through both male and female behavioral preferences in mating contexts.