What is a mate preference? Probing the computational format of mate preferences using couple simulation

Abstract

What is the computational format of mate preferences? Different researchers hold a range of assumptions: weights, thresholds, ranges, ideal templates, or combinations thereof. These varying assumptions have important implications for theory and methods in studying human mating; however, this inconsistency has scarcely been acknowledged or empirically addressed. Here, we use two samples of U.S. romantic dyads ( n s = 1052, 590), a newly developed mate preference questionnaire, and a new computational modeling technique, “couple simulation,” to empirically compare alternative models of the format of ideal romantic partner preferences. We find evidence that preferences are best understood as representing ideal trait values integrated into mate value evaluations using distance metrics.