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Evolutionary approaches to human mating strategies have associated facial and physical attractiveness with cues of health, fertility, and personality traits both in men and women. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that these associations may be mediated by psychological flexibility (an indicator of mental health) and/or sociosexual orientation (an indicator of mating strategy). Study aims were: (1) to examine potential correlations between self-perceived attractiveness, self-reported health, minor ailments, mating effort, sociosexual orientation, and psychological flexibility, (2) to test whether psychological flexibility and sociosexual orientation mediate these associations, and (3) to explore potential directional relationships between the study variables. A mixed-sex sample of 211 young adults completed an online battery of questionnaires that gathered demographic, personality, and behavioral data. We found low-to-moderate positive partial correlations (controlling for age, sex, and BMI) between self-perceived attractiveness, self-reported health, mating effort, sociosexual orientation, and psychological flexibility. In contrast, minor ailments were negatively correlated with self-reported health and psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility and sociosexual orientation independently and partially mediated the association between self-perceived attractiveness and mating effort. Potential causal effects between all the study variables were also discussed. This study contributes to our understanding of the evolutionary aspects of human attractiveness and mating strategies. Further studies are needed to test causality and covariation between these variables to disentangle their potential bidirectional impact on mental health and psychological wellbeing., Author(s): Javier I. Borráz-León [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] , Indrikis A. Krams [sup.4] [sup.5] [sup.6] , Ana Lilia Cerda-Molina [sup.3] , Markus J. Rantala [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/05vghhr25, grid.1374.1, 0000 [...]

Makeup usage in women serves as a behavioral tactic of both intersexual attraction and intrasexual competition. However, this tactic may incur costs to men due to the artificially enhanced mate value achieved by makeup usage. Therefore, to avoid these potential costs, men may be sensitive to the makeup cues and lower their preference for women wearing makeup during mate choice, especially for men who are pursuing a long-term relationship. In the present research, we systematically tested this hypothesis by three studies. Specifically, the three studies consistently showed that adult males who were naïve in applying makeup still displayed the ability to perceive the makeup status of female faces after exposure to female faces for sufficient time (at self-paced speed) or for moderately short time (6500 ms), even when the physical attractiveness and the possibilities that the target faces had undergone cosmetic surgery were controlled. Studies further revealed that the more long-term-mating oriented male participants were able to perceive makeup cues even after exposure to female faces for only 50 ms, and they tended to lower their perceived mate value for female targets wearing makeup in long-term mating scenarios even after exposure to female faces for only 6500 ms. Taken together, these results suggest that men are sensitive to the authenticity of the physical characteristics of potential mates and they can alter their tendency of mate choices accordingly, especially for men who are pursuing a long-term relationship., Author(s): Qi Wu [sup.1] [sup.2] , Zheying Liu [sup.1] [sup.2] , Xuanchen Liu [sup.1] [sup.2] , Dongfang Chen [sup.1] [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411427.5, 0000 0001 0089 3695, Department of [...]

Women's physical attractiveness is associated with health and fertility, but various fashion accessories could act, however, as supernormal stimuli and may enhance physical attractiveness to the opposite sex. Wearing high heels could contribute to women's physical attractiveness in various ways. Across three independent studies, I investigated whether high heels influence the perception of leg length and consequently their physical attractiveness in both sexes and their role in women's intrasexual competition. Heeled legs were more attractive than non-heeled legs and heeled legs were also viewed as longer than non-heeled legs. Furthermore, high heels promote women's mates guarding of their own partners as well as their perception of the sexual receptivity of the target wearing high heels. In conclusion, visually prolonged leg length by wearing high heels make legs more sexually attractive and high heels promote competition between women for access to the opposite sex., Author(s): Pavol Prokop [sup.1] [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.7634.6, 0000000109409708, Department of Environmental Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, , Mlynská dolina B2 418, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovakia (2) [...]

The idea that individuals tend to choose a romantic partner following similarities on personality traits has always attracted much attention in the psychological literature, although results were controversial. We conducted a new data analysis approach to personality traits of 235 newlywed couples. Univariate analysis revealed that a neurotic husband is usually paired with a lesser extrovert and open wife. To figure out if this mating selection pattern may be translated in a mathematical predictive model a twofold approach was employed by using Partial Least Squares regression and machine learning algorithm. The experimental results demonstrate that marital assortment for personality is a multi-trait complementarity process but these data are unable to predict human mating., Author(s): Antonio Cerasa [sup.1] [sup.2] , Emiliano Cristiani [sup.3] , Barbara De Luca [sup.4] , Maria Luisa De Narda [sup.5] , Maria Concetta Cundò [sup.5] , Sara Concetta Bottani [sup.4] [...]

Author(s): Pavitra Muralidhar [sup.1] [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA (2) Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA Main Female mating [...], The evolution of female mating preferences for harmful male traits is a central paradox of sexual selection.sup.1-9. Two dominant explanations for this paradox.sup.8,10 are Fisher's runaway process, which is based on genetic correlations between preference and trait.sup.1,3,4, and Zahavi's handicap principle, in which the trait is an honest costly signal of male quality.sup.2,6,8,11. However, both of these explanations require the exogenous initial spread of female preferences before harmful male traits can evolve.sup.1-4,6,8,11. Here I present a mechanism for the evolution of female mating preferences for harmful male traits that is based on the selfish evolutionary interests of sex chromosomes. I demonstrate that female-biased genetic elements--such as the W and X sex chromosomes--will evolve mating preferences for males who display traits that reduce their fitness and/or that of their male offspring, but increase fitness in female offspring. In particular, W-linked preferences can cause nearly lethal male traits to sweep to fixation. Sex-linked preferences can drive the evolution of traits such as ornamental handicaps and male parental care, and can explain variation in ornamentation and behaviour across taxa with divergent sex-determining mechanisms. Population genetic modelling shows that mate preferences encoded on sex chromosomes can drive the evolution of extremely male-costly traits.

More than 30 years ago research found that alliteration is a factor in assortative mating (i.e., marriages). Alliterative matches were even more frequent when using nicknames than when using given names. Subsequently, researchers have confirmed the higher than chance occurrence of alliterative matches for given names. But nicknames have not been examined over the past 30 years. The present research finds support for three hypotheses. As predicted, nicknames are more associated with alliterative matches than are given names. Implications for practice are discussed., Author(s): Ann Cohen Brandwein [sup.1] , Richard E. Kopelman [sup.2] , Steven Shin [sup.3] , Janet L. Rovenpor [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000000107427937, grid.252858.0, Paul H. Chook Department of Information [...]

Research suggests that women make judgments about a man's value as a potential romantic partner based on cues associated with facial masculinity. Such studies have often relied on electronically-manipulated facial [...]

This article examines the prevalence, predictors and outcomes of unmarried mothers' repartnering patterns following a nonmarital birth. Results indicate that, within five years after a birth, approximately two-thirds of unmarried mothers end their relationship with the focal child's biological father, and more than half of these mothers enter new partnerships. Among those who repartnered, 60 percent of mothers formed unions with men who had higher economic capabilities than their former partners, 20 percent formed unions with men of similar capabilities, and 20 percent formed unions with men who had lower capabilities. This pattern holds for both nonresidential and coresidential unions. Our findings are consistent with marriage market, learning and evolutionary biology theories about union formation, and they provide support for qualitative evidence that unmarried mothers have high standards for new partners. While many mothers find new partners who seem to offer a higher level of economic security, many other mothers remain unpartnered, likely due (at least in part) to the limited pool of potential partners with relatively high levels of economic promise., Introduction The dramatic increase in nonmarital childbearing over the past four decades represents an important change in family demography. Rather than signaling a decline in the importance of marriage, however, [...]

Using data from 6070 U.S. heterosexual internet dating profiles, this study examines how racial and gender exclusions are revealed in the preferences of black, Latino, Asian and white online daters. Consistent with social exchange and group positions theories, the study finds that whites are least open to out-dating and that, unlike blacks, Asians and Latinos have patterns of racial exclusion similar to those of whites. Like blacks, higher earning groups including Asian Indians, Middle Easterners and Asian men are highly excluded, suggesting that economic incorporation may not mirror acceptance in intimate settings. Finally, racial exclusion in dating is gendered; Asian males and black females are more highly excluded than their opposite-sex counterparts, suggesting that existing theories of race relations need to be expanded to account for gendered racial acceptance., Scholars argue that recent U.S. demographic changes are replacing our historically binary race relations system with a more complicated system of racial stratification, in which Latinos, Asian Americans, Middle Easterners [...]

Two studies (Ns = 80 and 108) tested hypotheses derived from Kirkpatrick and Ellis's (2001) extension and application of sociometer theory to mating aspirations. Experiences of social rejection-acceptance by attractive opposite-sex confederates were experimentally manipulated, and the impact of these manipulations on self-esteem, mating aspirations, and friendship aspirations was assessed. Results indicated that social rejection-acceptance by members of the opposite sex altered mating aspirations; that the causal link between social rejection--acceptance and mating aspirations was mediated by changes in state self-esteem; and that the impact of social rejection--acceptance by members of opposite sex was specific to mating aspirations and did not generalize to levels of aspiration in approaching potential same--sex friendships. This research supports a conceptualization of a domain-specific mating sociometer, which functions to calibrate mating aspirations in response to experiences of romantic rejection and acceptance. Keywords: sociometer theory, evolutionary psychology, self-esteem, social rejection, mate choice Supplemental materials: http://dx.doi.org/l0.1037/a0018188.supp DOI: 10.1037/a0018188

Educational assortative mating and economic inequality are likely to be endogenously determined, but very little research exists on their empirical association. Using census data and log-linear and log-multiplicative methods, I compare the patterns of educational assortative mating in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, and explore the association between marital sorting and earnings inequality across countries. The analysis finds substantial variation in the strength of specific barriers to educational intermarriage between countries, and a close association between these barriers and the earnings gaps across educational categories within countries. This finding suggests an isomorphism between assortative mating and economic inequality. Furthermore, educational marital sorting is remarkably symmetric across gender in spite of the different resources that men and women bring to the union. This study highlights the limitations of using single aggregate measures of spousal educational resemblance (such as the correlation coefficient between spouses' schooling) to capture variation in assortative mating and its relationship with socioeconomic inequality.

One hundred men, living in three villages in a remote region of the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea were asked to judge the attractiveness of photographs of women who had undergone micrograft surgery to reduce their waist-to-hip ratios (WHRs). Micrograft surgery involves harvesting adipose tissue from the waist and reshaping the buttocks to produce a low WHR and an 'hourglass' female figure. Men consistently chose postoperative photographs as being more attractive than preop erative photographs of the same women. Some women gained, and some lost weight, postoperatively, with resultant changes in body mass index (BMI). However, changes in BMI were not related to men's judgments of attractiveness. These results show that the hourglass female figure is rated as attractive by men living in a remote, indigenous community, and that when controlling for BMI, WHR plays a crucial role in their attractiveness judgments. Am J Phys Anthropol 141:620-625, 2010. [c] 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. KEY WORDS female attractiveness; human evolution; sexual selection DOI 10.1002/ajpa.21181

Life history theory predicts that the optimal reproductive strategy for individuals in risky and uncertain environments (subjectively experienced as early psychosocial stress) is to maximize current reproduction to minimize the chances of lineage extinction. Having many short-term relationships and many lifetime sex partners are ways to maximize current reproduction, but they come at a cost (e. g., decreased resources for future reproduction, decreased desirability as a future mate, etc.). This study, therefore, examined whether sexually active individuals with high levels of early psychosocial stress report more terminated short-term relationships, a shorter relationship length with their current partner, and more lifetime sex partners than those with less early psychosocial stress. Early psychosocial stress in men was associated with more terminated short-term relationships and a greater number of lifetime sex partners, but not with current relationship length; in women, high early psychosocial stress was associated with shorter current relationship length but not with the number of terminated short-term relationships or number of lifetime sex partners. Results are discussed from the perspective of life history theory and gender differences in preferences for short- and long-term relationships., Short-term mating refers to a sexual relationship that takes place on a single occasion (e.g., a 1-night stand); over several days; or, at most, over a few weeks (Wiederman & [...]

Are people who are funny more attractive? Or does being attractive lead people to be seen as funnier? The answer may depend on the underlying evolutionary function of humor. While humor has been proposed to signal 'good genes,' the authors propose that humor also functions to indicate interest in social relationships--in initiating new relationships and in monitoring existing ones. Consistent with this interest indicator model, across three studies both sexes were more likely to initiate humor and to respond more positively and consider the other person to be funny when initially attracted to that person. The findings support that humor dynamics--and not just humor displays--influence romantic chemistry for both men and women, suggesting that humor can ultimately function as a strategy to initiate and monitor social relationships. Keywords: humor; evolution; evolutionary psychology; sexual selection; relationships; speed dating

In this article the authors illustrate how revealed preferences (i.e., preferences inferred through an individual's differential attraction to multiple targets) can be used to investigate the nature of mate preferences. The authors describe how revealed preferences can be estimated and how the reliability of these estimates can be established. Revealed preference estimates were used to explore the level of consensus in judgments of who is and is not attractive and whether revealed preferences are systematically related to self-reported mate preferences and personality traits. Revealed preference estimates were created for over 4,000 participants by examining their attraction to 98 photographs. Participants of both genders showed substantial consensus in judgments of whom they found attractive and unattractive, although men showed higher consensus than women. Revealed preference estimates also showed relationships with corresponding self-rated preferences and with other dispositional characteristics such as personality traits and age. Although the findings demonstrate the existence of meaningful individual differences in preferences, they also indicate an important role for consensual preferences in mate selection processes. Keywords: attraction, revealed preferences, mate preferences, mate selection, assortative mating

Given the high costs of aggression, why have people evolved to act aggressively'? Comparative biologists have frequently observed links between aggression, status, and mating in nonhuman animals. In this series of experiments, the authors examined the effects of status, competition, and mating motives on men's and women's aggression. For men, status motives increased direct aggression (face-to-face confrontation). Men's aggression was also boosted by mating motives, but only when observers were other men. For women, both status and mating motives increased indirect aggression (e.g.. socially excluding the perpetrator). Although neither status nor mating motives increased women's direct aggression, women did become more directly aggressive when motivated to compete for scarce resources. These context- and sex-specific effects on human aggression contribute to a broader understanding of the functional nature of aggressive behavior. Keywords: sexual selection, aggression, status competition, sex differences, mating strategies

Choosing a spouse has always been an event subjected to strong social control. Consideration of socioprofessional elements is therefore necessary for an in-depth understanding of the microevolutionary consequences of marriage. Thus in this paper I explore the extent and causes of reproduction isolation between different socioprofessional groups of a 19th-century Italian community, Casalguidi. Various features of mate choice pattern were investigated by means of individual-level data. The results show that Casalguidi was a community with strong socioeconomic internal boundaries, in which social belonging mattered much more than geographic provenience. The bourgeoisie showed such a high degree of social homogamy that it was almost reproductively isolated. Much more openness and less isolation was found between the two categories of farm laborers and sharecroppers, and day laborers. KEY WORDS: MATE CHOICE, ASSORTATIVE MATING, SOCIAL HOMOGAMY, SPATIAL ENDOGAMY, MARITAL DISTANCE, REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION, ITALY., Internal subdivision of populations has been often studied according to geographic or cultural factors, such as language and religion (Barbujani et al. 1992; Zei et al. 1993), but less attention [...]

Importance of different criteria and age preference in spouse selection for single and married young Iranian adults was examined. The sample included 104 married (49 male, 55 female) and 112 single (51 male, 61 female) students. A 26-item scale developed for this study included 4 items related to demographic factors, 3 items on preferences for the ideal age of marriage, and 19 Likert-type items asking about criteria important for spouse selection. Analysis indicated that, in Iran, commitment, chastity, refinement, and health are four important criteria for spouse selection among male and female and single and married persons. Also, experience of marriage for married males may increase maturity, social prestige, family background, having a job, and age as criteria for choosing a spouse. On the other hand, marriage experience for females may decrease the importance of social skills, housekeeping, and autonomy for selecting a spouse.

Researchers have little explored individuals' perceptions of same-sex attractiveness in terms of the influence of relationship status. By using intrasexual competition as a conceptual framework, the authors predicted that romantically involved individuals would protect their relationship by derogating competitors. Although previous researchers have strongly predicted this result, in the present study the relationship status had a negligible impact on competition, for which relationship commitment, sociosexual orientation, and self-monitoring did not account. Also, among uninvolved individuals, the authors expected those individuals seeking mates would use competitor derogation more than would those individuals not seeking mates, but there was no significant difference. Finally, because the vehicle for this investigation was attractiveness, an area in which women compete, the authors proposed that women would derogate more fiercely than would men. However, the results did not support this hypothesis either. The authors discuss future directions for research. Keywords: competitor derogation, intrasexual competition, mate selection, physical attractiveness, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS for individuals' formation of romantic relationships has been well investigated (e.g., Feingold, 1990; Fletcher, Simpson, Thomas, & Giles, 1999; Urbaniak & Kilmann, 2003). In terms [...]

The effects of increasing option set-size on anticipated and experienced choice perceptions in the modern context of online mate choice are examined. Findings reveal that greater enjoyment, increased satisfaction and less regret was expected by participants while choosing from larger sets of prospective partners.

This study explores the impact of photographs and selfdescriptions on success in attracting dates in single and divorced heterosexual clients (n = 589) of a large commercial dating service (Great Expectations Inc.) in Los Angeles. Predictions and a rationale for the outcome are based on Parental Investment Theory (Trivers, 1972). Findings indicate that attractiveness ratings of photographs of clients consistently explain variance in success in attracting dates, with the most attractive women and men being selected most often. There is one exception to this: among men who want children the most attractive ones are not selected most frequently. Aspects of self-descriptions (financial and non-financial resources, altruism, physical health, hedonistic tendencies, and social desirable qualities) extracted from the clients' profiles do not predict significant variance in dating success. Overall the results do not provide support for the role of Parental Investment Theory (Trivers, 1972) in dating mediated by the agency in our study. Discussion focuses on alternative paradigms, methodological issues, and implications for the further development of a theory of mediated dating, doi:10.1300/J002v42n03-02 KEYWORDS. Attractiveness, dating, gender differences, mate-choice, Parental Investment Theory

Environmental contamination by endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) can have epigenetic effects (by DNA methylation) on the germ line and promote disease across subsequent generations. In natural populations, both sexes may encounter affected as well as unaffected individuals during the breeding season, and any diminution in attractiveness could compromise reproductive success. Here we examine mate preference in male and female rats whose progenitors had been treated with the antiandrogenic fungicide vinclozolin. This effect is sex-specific, and we demonstrate that females three generations removed from the exposure discriminate and prefer males who do not have a history of exposure, whereas similarly epigenetically imprinted males do not exhibit such a preference. The observations suggest that the consequences of EDCs are not just transgenerational but can be 'transpopulational', because in many mammalian species, males are the dispersing sex. This result indicates that epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of EDC action represents an unappreciated force in sexual selection. Our observations provide direct experimental evidence for a role of epigenetics as a determinant factor in evolution. endocrine disruption | vinclozolin | sexual selection | odor salience

Abstract: Chemical signaling between animals of the same species is common among vertebrates. We have reported this phenomenon in the gray short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica (Wagner, 1842). We now find [...]

The aim was to study important criteria for spouse selection by a sample of Iranian youth, 110 Iranian university students (60 women and 50 men; M age = 21.7 yr., SD) = 1.5). Participants were single. Face-to-face interviews indicated that the order of the first 10 important criteria for the women were chastity, virtuous, religion, education, family characteristics, financial resources, job, commitment, social skills, and social prestige; for the men these were physical appearance, chastity, education, family characteristics, virtuous, religion, personality traits, social skills, house-keeping, and commitment and financial resources.

Abstract: In many mating systems, females may benefit by selecting a male with high genetic quality in the form of good genes or compatible genes. In bushy-tailed woodrats (Neotoma cinerea [...]

Many field observations have confirmed the old matching hypothesis (Walster et al., 1966) among dating and married couples; however, experimental studies have shown people's preference toward highly attractive partners. This empirical controversy over the matching phenomenon must also be treated as a theoretical issue addressing both the preference for the most attractive mate and homophylic tendency under the same abstract principle. Given this, this author proposes a new theory of mate selection firmly grounded in the principles of operant learning and social exchange--the probability matching theory. The new theory is a mathematical model designed to explain the process of physical attraction and to predict both of these tendencies along with distinct patterns of mate choice behavior in terms of the probabilities that such patterns will occur. Possible expansion of the new theory to incorporate other desirability dimensions is also discussed. KEYWORDS. Courtship, mate choice, mate selection, matching, physical attractiveness

A series of population genetic models were created to study the evolutionary equilibria and dynamics resulting from male mate choice during polygyny, alone and in the context of mutual mate choice by both sexes. Results reveal that if male and female preferences and traits are all controlled by different loci then the male and female mate choice systems are decoupled.

The female mammals may exert choice for mates directly by mating selectively in longtailed macaques, Macaca fascicularis, and alternatively the females can mate promiscuously allowing sperm competition or cryptic female choice to operate on them. Thus, the female preferences were not based on male dominance rank and the nature of mating preferences and the adaptive significance of promiscuity in female primates were also, examined.

Bateman's principle predicts the intensity of sexual selection depends on rates of increase of fecundity with mating success for each sex (Bateman slopes). The sex with the steeper increase (usually males) is under more intense sexual selection and is expected to compete for access to the sex under less intense sexual selection (usually females). Under Bateman and modern refinements of his ideas, differences in parental investment are key to defining Bateman slopes and thus sex roles. Other theories predict sex differences in mating investment, or any expenditures that reduce male potential reproductive rate, can also control sex roles. We focus on sexual behaviour in systems where males have low paternal investment but frequently mate only once in their lifetimes, after which they are often killed by the female. Mating effort (=terminal investment) is high for these males, and many forms of investment theory might predict sex role reversal. We find no qualitative evidence for sex role reversal in a sample of spiders that show this extreme male investment pattern. We also present new data for terminally-investing redback spiders (Latrodectus hasselti). Bateman slopes are relatively steep for male redbacks, and, as predicted by Bateman, there is little evidence for role reversal. Instead, males are competitive and show limited choosiness despite wide variation in female reproductive value. This study supports the proposal that high male mating investment coupled with low parental investment may predispose males to choosiness but will not lead to role reversal. We support the utility of using Bateman slopes to predict sex roles, even in systems with extreme male mating investment.

A study on the effects of infection by tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta on mate choice in a wild strain of grain beetle, Tenebrio molitor was conducted. The study reveals that female beetles mate multiply so both precopulatory and postcopulatory behaviours are important to sexual selection in species and when the virgin females were allowed to choose between tetrahedral males, one infected and noninfected they spent more time near and copulated more with noninfected males than infected males.

Advertisements from 'Lonely Hearts' columns in the major daily Portuguese newspaper (Jornal de Noticias) were used to test hypotheses about the mate preferences of men and women. A total of 484 advertisements were coded for demographic descriptors and offers of and appeals for attractiveness, financial security, sincerity, expressiveness, and instrumentality, e.g., intelligence and ambition. Some results supported social exchange and evolutionary predictions: men sought younger women and offered security; women sought older men with status and resources. However, other results challenged such predictions: attractiveness and expressiveness did not differ by sex.

For 19 mating-relevant traits, single males (N = 53) and single females (N = 86) rated (a) themselves relative to their same-sex peers, (b) their perceptions of the qualities desired by members of the opposite sex in an ideal partner, and (c) the qualities desired in their own ideal romantic partner. Several themes emerged from the data. First, males' and females' judgments of what members of the opposite-sex seek were generally accurate. Second, males and females both feel that they fall short of perceived opposite-sex expectations in a few areas. Third, both males and females desire an ideal partner better than themselves, but this is especially true for females. These findings are discussed in terms of evolutionary social psychological principles.

The intraspecific (within species) variation in the mate recognition systems and their mating behavior was studied. It was seen that the courtships of the 'mute' males proceeded in the same way as those of normal males and the male's wing vibration was still an important part of the courtship.

The mate choice and the donating and receiving patterns were studied in the hermaphroditic land snail 'Succinea purtis'. The weak positive relation between the numbers of sperm donated by the two partners put the scientists in an unclear situation to say whether the exchange of sperms in S.putris is conditional or not.

The distribution of age at first marriage shows well-known strong regularities across many countries and recent historical periods. We accounted for these patterns by developing agent-based models that simulate the aggregate behavior of individuals who are searching for marriage partners. Past models assumed fully rational agents with complete knowledge of the marriage market; our simulated agents used psychologically plausible simple heuristic mate search rules that adjust aspiration levels on the basis of a sequence of encounters with potential partners. Substantial individual variation must be included in the models to account for the demographically observed age-at-marriage patterns.

The plasticity in female mate choice that occurs over a range of timescales is examined over a course of a single breeding cycle using phonotaxis tests that assay acoustic-based mating preferences of female tungara frogs, Physalaemus pustulosus. Results suggests that the increase in permissive mate choice is due to a decrease in female choosiness, that is, a lowering of her threshold for accepting unattractive calls, as her receptivity increases.

Data from 33 lesbian and 54 gay male cohabiting couples were used to examine the relation between parental identification and mate selection. Theories of mate selection and parental identification are reviewed. Effects of gender and sexual orientation as they relate to parental identification and mate selection in gay male and lesbian couples also are reviewed. The results demonstrate significant associations between the similarity of perceived parental personality and relationship styling traits with those of the partner. Socio-economic status, age, and culture also were significantly associated between parents and partners. Taken together, the results demonstrate little support for any specific theory and allude to the need for further research in this area. Limitations and implications are discussed. KEYWORDS. Gay men and lesbians, personal relationships, mate selection, parental identification, theory, personality, cohabiting

This study compared the ranking of 18 personal characteristics or qualities which college students might use in selecting a future mate and builds on six other assessment periods from 1939-1996 which dealt with this issue. Among the most consistent findings for all seven assessment periods is the high value both sexes place on dependable character, emotional stability/maturity, pleasing disposition, and mutual attraction/love. Men across all assessment periods placed a higher value than women on good health, good cook/housekeeper, and good looks, while women placed a higher value on ambitious/industrious, similar educational background, and good financial prospect. These trends could go along with ethological theory. For both sexes chastity and similar religious background gained value; however, this may be an artifact of the current sample of 100 students.

Highly polymorphic microsatellite loci are used to examine breeding biology of a large coastal shark, the lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris, at a tropical lagoon nursery. Over six years, 910 lemon sharks were sampled and genotyped. A relationship between relatedness of mates and the number of offspring produced was not found, which indicated that inbreeding avoidance was probably not driving pre- or postcopulatory mate choice.

A comment on two studies that have used correlational tests to consider receiver bias and mate preferences is presented by evaluating the between-population correlation between responsiveness to orange discs and the female preference for orange males in guppies. A positive correlation between these measurements led to the conclusion that the female preference for orange males originated as a receiver bias and not under selection related to mate choice benefits.

The authors conducted four studies (total N = 292) about character and mate desirability. In Study 1, undergraduates judged stimuli for attractiveness--physically and as a casual or long-term date. The target was described as faithful, having cheated but stayed with mates, or having cheated and left. Contrary to the hypothesis, men and women were equally affected by both kinds of cheaters. Study 2 replicated Study 1 with nonstudent adults. In Study 3, undergraduates rated a stimulus on the same attractiveness variables. This target had $14 million from winning a lottery or selling a dot-com company. Women, but not men, found the dot-com creator to be more physically attractive than the lottery winner. In Study 4, undergraduates rated someone who sold a cookie-making company or profited from a lucky real estate transaction. Both men and women preferred the cookie-company seller on all three measures of attractiveness. Keywords: mate selection; character; evolution; gender differences

Prior research and theory, suggest that people use three main sets of criteria in mate selection: warmth/trustworthiness, attractiveness/ vitality, and status/resources. In two studies, men and women made mating choices between pairs of hypothetical potential partners and were forced to make trade-offs among these three criteria (e.g., warm and homely vs. cold and attractive). As predicted, women (relative to men) placed greater importance on warmth/trustworthiness and status/resources in a potential mate but less importance on attractiveness/vitality. In addition, as expected (a) ratings of ideal standards partly mediated the link between sex and mate choices, (b) ideal standards declined in importance from long-term to short-term relationships, with the exception of attractiveness/vitality, and unexpectedly, (c) sex differences were higher for long-term (compared to short-term) mate choice. Explanations and implications are discussed. Keywords: sex; mate selection; trade-offs; traits

Students at a southwestern university were surveyed to test the interrelations of three constructs: sexual-moral attitudes, love styles, and attraction criteria. Following the procedures of the National Health and Social Life Survey, from which the sexual-moral attitude items were obtained, we conducted a cluster analysis to create attitudinal groupings. We obtained four clusters representing various nuances of liberalism and conservatism. When compared on love styles, the clusters differed primarily on ludus and pragma. Not only did some of the liberal clusters differ from some of the conservative ones on love styles, but there were also some differences within liberalism and within conservatism. Cluster differences also emerged on the attraction criteria., The National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS; Laumann, Gagnon, Michael, & Michaels, 1994; Michael, Gagnon, Laumann, & Kolata, 1994) was a landmark research study, known both for its pioneering [...]

As part of the International Sexuality Description Project, 16,954 participants from 53 nations were administered an anonymous survey about experiences with romantic attraction. Mate poaching--romantically attracting someone who is already in a relationship--was most common in Southern Europe, South America, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe and was relatively infrequent in Africa, South/Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Evolutionary and social-role hypotheses received empirical support. Men were more likely than women to report having made and succumbed to short-term poaching across all regions, but differences between men and women were often smaller in more gender-egalitarian regions. People who try to steal another's mate possess similar personality traits across all regions, as do those who frequently receive and succumb to the poaching attempts by others. The authors conclude that human mate-poaching experiences are universally linked to sex, culture, and the robust influence of personal dispositions.