Personality of ideal and actual romantic partners among heterosexual and non-heterosexual men and women: A cross-cultural study

Abstract

Personality is important for social and romantic life, but little is known about personality preferences in non-heterosexual individuals. Here we investigated individual differences in personality (Five Factor Model) of an ideal and actual partner, and in self-reported personality among heterosexual and non-heterosexual men and women in two populations (Brazil, the Czech Republic). In an online survey participated 701 men (316 non-heterosexuals) and 1118 women (240 non-heterosexuals), who reported five personality dimensions of their own, their ideal and, if coupled, actual partner. Results showed that participants, on average, desired high scores on all socially desirable personality traits in their ideal partners. As predicted from parental investment theory, heterosexual women showed highest demands, followed by non-heterosexual women and non-heterosexual men, who had higher demands than heterosexual men. However, actual partners did not reach the ideal standards in any of the groups. Further, preferences and choices were partly influenced by familiarity, or the distribution of the given characteristic in the given population. Thus, mating psychology can be influenced by many factors, such as sex, sexual orientation, and population. Combining cross-cultural research with focus on different sexual orientations can reveal inter-individual differences in mate preferences and choices.