BIOLOGY 1M03 Chapter Notes - Chapter 17: Human Mating Strategies, Bride Price, Mate Choice
17 Sep 2013
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Recall that women consume more than they produce: men choose women who are young and healthy. Reproductive success depends on fertility of partner. Visual cues that predict youth and health smooth skin, good muscle tone, symmetrical features, shiny hair: both value traits that help sustain relationship; compatibility, agreeableness, reliability, tolerance. If evolution has shaped the psychology of human mating strategies, then we would expect to find common patterns across societies. People generally care most about the personal qualities of their mates. Men and women show the differences in mate preferences predicted by parental investment theory. Men and women differ about the preferred ages of their partners: men seek younger women; more fertile, women seek older men; able to provide more resources. Men and women vary about the preferred number of partners: women desire less sexual partners than men. Women have to invest time and energy into having a child.
