Evolutionary explanations for partner preferences

• Evolutionary explanations focus on the adaptive nature of behaviour and the role of natural selection.
• What is intrasexual selection?


  Individuals of one sex must outcompete other members if their sex in order to gain access to members of the other sex. Successful individuals are able to mate and so are able to pass on their genes.
• What is intersexual selection?

  Members of one sex evolve preferences for desirable qualities in potential mates. Members of the opposite sex who possess these characteristics, such as attractiveness, will then gain a mating advantage over those who do not.
• The rationale behind sexual selection is that random mating is essentially stupid mating. It pays to be choosy, as the genetic quality of a mate will determine half the genetic quality of any offspring.
• Buss (1989)'s procedure:


  Involved over 10,000 people from 37 different cultures. Participants were asked to rate each of 18 characteristics on how important they would be in choosing a mate. A four-point scale was used, ranging from '3' (indispensable) to '0' (irrelevant).
• Buss' findings:


  Women more than men desired mates who were 'good financial prospects'. Men placed more importance on physical attractiveness. Men universally wanted mates who were younger than them.
• AO3 - Cultural traditions may be just as important as evolutionary forces:


  An analysis of 37 cultures by Kasser and Sharma (1999) showed that women valued potential mates' access to resources far more in those cultures where women's status and educational opportunities were limited. This suggests we should not underestimate the role of social and economic factors in establishing mate preference patterns.
• AO3 - Female preferences for high-status men may not be universal:

  Buller (2005) argues that the majority of studies attempting to determine female mate preferences have been carried out on female undergraduate students. These women expect to achieve high educational status and so have expectations of high income levels. The preference for high-status men might be better explained in terms of a preference for men with similar interests, education and prospects to their own.
• AO3 - Mate choice in real life:

  Studies such as Buss's survey of mate choice might suffer from a serious problem of validity - they give us an indication of expressed preferences rather than being a reflection of what actually happens in real life.
• AO3 - Mate choice and the menstrual cycle:

  Research by Penton-Voak et al. suggests that, far from being constant, female mate choice varies across the menstrual cycle. They found that women chose a slightly feminised version of a male face as 'most attractive' for a long-term relationship. However, for a short-term sexual relationship, during the high conception risk phase of the menstrual cycle, the preferred face shape was more masculinised.