Cross-Cultural Variation in Relationship Initiation

Abstract

Abstract Biological and cultural evolutionary perspectives complement each other to explain many processes in relationship initiation. The chapter shows how biological and social evolution interact to account for cultural variation in mate preferences and romantic relationship initiation. The influence of biological, ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural factors varies between and within types of societies. In isolated tribal, subsistence-based societies, biological and ecological factors play major roles. In traditional societies, besides these factors, socioeconomic and cultural factors play important roles. In modern societies, socioeconomic and cultural factors become dominant, with decreasing influences for biological and ecological factors. Ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural parameters, which affect practices of relationship initiation in subsistence-based, traditional, and modern societies, are propinquity, homogamy, social and relationship mobility, modernization of society, cultural values, cultural conception of individuality in interdependent versus independent societies, power distance and social equality, gender roles, and gender equality. The chapter addresses culturally evolved practices of relationship initiation, such as tribal gatherings, traditional courtship, dating, partnership, and social media and web-based communication and reviews the societal and cultural factors that affect these practices. The chapter concludes with a brief review of implications for future research on cultural variation in relationship initiation in terms of theoretical and empirical methodology.