Human Mating Research Articles

A worldwide test of the predictive validity of ideal partner preference matching.

Ideal partner preferences (i.e., ratings of the desirability of attributes like attractiveness or intelligence) are the source of numerous foundational findings in the interdisciplinary literature on human mating. Recently, research on the predictive validity of ideal partner preference matching (i.e., Do people positively evaluate partners who match vs. mismatch their ideals?) has become mired in several problems. First, articles exhibit discrepant analytic and reporting practices. Second, different findings emerge across laboratories worldwide, perhaps because they sample different relationship contexts and/or populations. This registered report-partnered with the Psychological Science Accelerator-uses a highly powered design (N = 10,358) across 43 countries and 22 languages to estimate preference-matching effect sizes. The most rigorous tests revealed significant preference-matching effects in the whole sample and for partnered and single participants separately. The "corrected pattern metric" that collapses across 35 traits revealed a zero-order effect of β = .19 and an effect of β = .11 when included alongside a normative preference-matching metric. Specific traits in the "level metric" (interaction) tests revealed very small (average β = .04) effects. Effect sizes were similar for partnered participants who reported ideals before entering a relationship, and there was no consistent evidence that individual differences moderated any effects. Comparisons between stated and revealed preferences shed light on gender differences and similarities: For attractiveness, men's and (especially) women's stated preferences underestimated revealed preferences (i.e., they thought attractiveness was less important than it actually was). For earning potential, men's stated preferences underestimated-and women's stated preferences overestimated-revealed preferences. Implications for the literature on human mating are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Generalization Increases the Adaptive Value of Mate Choice Copying When Immediate Copying Is Costly

When assessing potential mates is costly, there will be selection for copying others. Mate choice copying, which is the increased chance of mating with another individual after observing them mating with someone else (i.e., individual-based copying), has been documented in several species, including humans. It is touted as an example of the influence of culture on animal and human mating, but alone it is unlikely to lead the cultural evolution of mating. Rather, it requires mate choice copying with generalization (i.e., trait-based copying), which is the effect of immediate observations on future mating. This sort of mate choice copying has been documented in six species, including humans. Here, I extend an existing game theory model of mate choice copying to include generalization (Extension 1), a cost to immediate copying (Extension 2), and both previous extensions (Extension 3). The results show that Extensions 1 and 2 decrease the adaptive value of mate choice copying when compared to the original model. Extension 3 suggests that adding generalization to mate choice copying with a cost to immediate copying is a more likely evolutionary trajectory than adding it to mate choice copying without this cost. These results have implications for illuminating the emergence of the cultural evolution of mating preferences.

Displaying Altruism as a Sexual Signal in Human Mate Choice is an Adaptation – An Interdisciplinary Overview of the Evidence

AbstractNumerous studies in humans have shown that altruism may influence mate choice decisions, highlighting its potential role as a sexual signal. Whether using altruism as a signal is an adaptation, however, remains largely unresolved. In this review, we aim to investigate the adaptive nature of altruism as a sexual signal by constructing a comprehensive nomological network of evidence. Drawing upon interdisciplinary scientific modes of evidence (psychology, medicine, physiology, genetics, phylogenetics, hunter-gatherer studies, cross-cultural studies, and theoretical studies), our analysis reveals an extensive breadth of evidence across the various disciplines supporting the hypothesis that altruism is an adaptive sexual signal. However, only the psychological evidence demonstrates substantial depth. Other fields exhibit a lack of variation in research methods or a minimal amount of studies, limiting the strength of their respective contributions. Despite these limitations, there is still sufficient support for the nomological network. Based on the evidence of the various disciplines, we conclude that there is sufficient support that altruism as a sexual signal is an adaptation. We provide considerations for future research that would expand the scope of the evidentiary depth across the various disciplines, which would strengthen our understanding of the role of sexual selection in human altruism.

Further Support for the Impact of Altruistic Costs in Human Mate Choice

Further Support for the Impact of Altruistic Costs in Human Mate Choice

Mating with Multi-Armed Bandits: Reinforcement Learning Models of Human Mate Search.

Mate choice requires navigating an exploration-exploitation trade-off. Successful mate choice requires choosing partners who have preferred qualities; but time spent determining one partner's qualities could have been spent exploring for potentially superior alternatives. Here I argue that this dilemma can be modeled in a reinforcement learning framework as a multi-armed bandit problem. Moreover, using agent-based models and a sample of k = 522 real-world romantic dyads, I show that a reciprocity-weighted Thompson sampling algorithm performs well both in guiding mate search in noisy search environments and in reproducing the mate choices of real-world participants. These results provide a formal model of the understudied psychology of human mate search. They additionally offer implications for our understanding of person perception and mate choice.

An MS-TCN based spatiotemporal model with three-axis tactile for enhancing flexible printed circuit assembly

PurposeCurrent flexible printed circuit (FPC) assembly relies heavily on manual labor, limiting capacity and increasing costs. Small FPC size makes automation challenging as terminals can be visually occluded. The purpose of this study is to use 3D tactile sensing to mimic human manual mating skills for enabling sensing offset between FPC terminals (FPC-t) and FPC mating slots (FPC-s) under visual occlusion.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed model has three stages: spatial encoding, offset estimation and action strategy. The spatial encoder maps sparse 3D tactile data into a compact 1D feature capturing valid spatial assembly information to enable temporal processing. To compensate for low sensor resolution, consecutive spatial features are input to a multistage temporal convolutional network which estimates alignment offsets. The robot then performs alignment or mating actions based on the estimated offsets.FindingsExperiments are conducted on a Redmi Note 4 smartphone assembly platform. Compared to other models, the proposed approach achieves superior offset estimation. Within limited trials, it successfully assembles FPCs under visual occlusion using three-axis tactile sensing.Originality/valueA spatial encoder is designed to encode three-axis tactile data into feature maps, overcoming multistage temporal convolution network’s (MS-TCN) inability to directly process such input. Modifying the output to estimate assembly offsets with related motion semantics overcame MS-TCN’s segmentation points output, unable to meet assembly monitoring needs. Training and testing the improved MS-TCN on an FPC data set demonstrated accurate monitoring of the full process. An assembly platform verified performance on automated FPC assembly.

Differentiating mechanism from outcome for ancestry-assortative mating in admixed human populations.

Population genetic theory, and the empirical methods built upon it, often assume that individuals pair randomly for reproduction. However, natural populations frequently violate this assumption, which may potentially confound genome-wide association studies, selection scans, and demographic inference. Within several recently admixed human populations, empirical genetic studies have reported a correlation in global ancestry proportion between spouses, referred to as ancestry-assortative mating. Here, we use forward genomic simulations to link correlations in ancestry between mates to the underlying mechanistic mate-choice process. We consider the impacts of two types of mate-choice model, using either ancestry-based preferences or social groups as the basis for mate pairing. We find that multiple mate-choice models can produce the same correlations in ancestry proportion between spouses; however, we also highlight alternative analytic approaches and circumstances in which these models may be distinguished. With this work, we seek to highlight potential pitfalls when interpreting correlations in empirical data as evidence for a particular model of human mating practices, as well as to offer suggestions toward development of new best practices for analysis of human ancestry-assortative mating.

Arranged and non-arranged marriages have similar reproductive outcomes in Nepal

Much of the evolutionary literature on mate choice presumes that individual mate preferences function to increase individual fitness, and this assumption has been confirmed in several experimental studies with animals. However, human mate choice, in many cultures, is heavily controlled by parents via arranged marriages, rather than the selection of the marrying individuals. Several studies have demonstrated that parents and offspring do not exhibit identical preferences for an in-law or spouse, respectively. If parental choice thwarts offspring’s evolved mate preferences from being expressed, then arranged marriages should reduce fitness. Using data from the Chitwan Valley Family Study, I examined whether having an arranged marriage, as compared to a non-arranged marriage, is associated with differences in total births, offspring survival to age 15, or interbirth intervals in Nepal, a culture with a rich history of arranged marriage. I find that there are no differences in any reproductive outcomes between arranged, co-selected, and self-selected marriages. These results indicate that individuals in arranged and non-arranged marriages may achieve similar fitness outcomes via different pathways, which may be unique to human mating systems.

Love me, because I rely on you: Dependency-oriented help-seeking as a strategy for human mating.

Existing research has suggested a predominantly negative view of dependency-oriented help. In contrast, the current research aims to test the positive function of dependency-oriented help in intimate relationships where interpersonal dependency is valued. We hypothesized that dependency-oriented help-seeking could function in communicating liking and romantic interests and, therefore, can be instrumental in attracting mates. Our hypothesis was confirmed across nine studies (N = 2,535). For help-seekers, a mate-seeking motivation could positively predict (Study 1) and lead to (Studies 2A-4) dependency-oriented help-seeking behavior tendencies (Studies 1-2B) and actual behavior (Studies 3 and 4). For help-providers, after activating a mating goal, imagining (Studies 5A and 5B) and actually receiving (Study 6) dependency-oriented (vs. autonomy-oriented) help-seeking requests from a potential mate increased help-providers' romantic interests in that mate. Study 7 further showed the function of dependency-oriented help from the perspective of romantic competitors. As such, people in romantic relationships were more likely to see a potential competitor as a mate poacher when this person asked for dependency-oriented help from their partner. Theoretical and practical implications have been discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Improvement of nonsurgical artificial insemination with cryopreserved spermatozoa in Alexandromys montebelli, Japanese grass vole.

Microtus genus is the herbivorous animal with multiple stomachs, and some of them possess a mating system similar to human and thereby has been expected as a model animal for the large herbivory and human mating system model, respectively. Thus, it is significant to maintain Microtus as an animal genetic resource. We have studied the establishment of assisted reproductive technologies in Alexandromys. montebelli (formerly as Microtus motebelli: A. motebelli), and here, we investigated the effects of hypotaurine treatment to frozen-thawed (FT) spermatozoa and modified timing of nonsurgical artificial insemination (AI) on the number of offspring. As the results, regardless of without or with hypotaurine treatment, when the timing of nonsurgical AI was made closer to the estimated ovulation time (at 7-9 h post coitus), the total number of offspring derived from FT spermatozoa (27 and 28 pups, respectively) increased compared with AI at 4-6 h (five and six pups, respectively) and was equivalent to those of fresh spermatozoa (43 pups) or natural mating (33 pups). These results will lead to further dissemination of nonsurgical AI and could support the "3R principle," which is the standard philosophy of animal experiment because the procedure declines the stress and the recipient can be used repeatedly.

Exploring Attitudes Toward “Sugar Relationships” Across 87 Countries: A Global Perspective on Exchanges of Resources for Sex and Companionship

The current study investigates attitudes toward one form of sex for resources: the so-called sugar relationships, which often involve exchanges of resources for sex and/or companionship. The present study examined associations among attitudes toward sugar relationships and relevant variables (e.g., sex, sociosexuality, gender inequality, parasitic exposure) in 69,924 participants across 87 countries. Two self-report measures of Acceptance of Sugar Relationships (ASR) developed for younger companion providers (ASR-YWMS) and older resource providers (ASR-OMWS) were translated into 37 languages. We tested cross-sex and cross-linguistic construct equivalence, cross-cultural invariance in sex differences, and the importance of the hypothetical predictors of ASR. Both measures showed adequate psychometric properties in all languages (except the Persian version of ASR-YWMS). Results partially supported our hypotheses and were consistent with previous theoretical considerations and empirical evidence on human mating. For example, at the individual level, sociosexual orientation, traditional gender roles, and pathogen prevalence were significant predictors of both ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS. At the country level, gender inequality and parasite stress positively predicted the ASR-YWMS. However, being a woman negatively predicted the ASR-OMWS, but positively predicted the ASR-YWMS. At country-level, ingroup favoritism and parasite stress positively predicted the ASR-OMWS. Furthermore, significant cross-subregional differences were found in the openness to sugar relationships (both ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS scores) across subregions. Finally, significant differences were found between ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS when compared in each subregion. The ASR-YWMS was significantly higher than the ASR-OMWS in all subregions, except for Northern Africa and Western Asia.

The role of parent-offspring conflict in Shuar partner choice and marital practices

Previous research argues that female choice may not be as powerful an influence on the evolution of human mating preferences as once expected given the importance of parental choice in marital practices across cultures. Furthermore, much of the literature supporting this argument assumes that endorsed cultural norms reported in the ethnographic record accurately represent individuals' behaviors. Here, we argue that the roles of parent-offspring conflict and parental choice are more nuanced. We test predictions from parent-offspring conflict theory and illuminate three loci of conflict between parents and daughters over partner choice. Using data from over 10 years of fieldwork in Shuar communities, we demonstrate that endorsed norms do not reflect complete behavioral repertoires at the individual level. We conclude that analyzing individual behavior provides insight into (1) areas of parental-offspring conflict and (2) complementary aspects of female choice and parental choice.

Modeling mate choice in a small-scale community: Applying couple simulation in the U.S. and Conambo, Ecuador

The near totality of human mate choice research occurs in large-scale, urban, industrial populations. It is unclear to what extent lessons learned from such populations reflect generalizable features of human mating psychology as opposed to localized responses to the demands of these historically unusual environments. Here, we use couple simulation, an agent-based modeling technique, to compare models of mate choice across both a U.S. sample (n = 1678) and a sample of k = 15 couples from Conambo, Ecuador—a relatively remote community of horticultural-foragers in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The Conambo sample provides a unique opportunity to evaluate models of mate choice in that (1) this sample represents approximately 50% of the households within this community and (2) all of the participants in this sample are acquainted with one another. Participants in Conambo completed a ranking task in which each participant ranked each opposite-sex adult in the community in terms of their quality as a spouse. We used these rankings to simulate the mating market in Conambo under alternative models of mate choice. We find that these models are able to reproduce Conambo marriages at a high degree of accuracy and perform comparably across both the Conambo sample and U.S. samples. Specifically, the resource allocation model performs best in reproducing mate choices in both the U.S. and Conambo samples. These results suggest that at least some aspects of human mating psychology generalize across both large-scale industrialized and small-scale populations.

Altruism does predict human mating success, albeit the effect sizes are relatively small.

Altruism does predict human mating success, albeit the effect sizes are relatively small.

Communication analysis of human mating behavior based on evolution

As the basis of social development, information communication plays an important role in mate selection. In the process of reproduction, the most critical is the problem of mate selection in evolution, how to find the right spouse and maximize their own interests, is the main issue discussed in the academic circle. After understanding the basic concept of evolution, this paper probes into the importance of human mate choice behavior and clarifies the communication strategy in human mate choice behavior, so as to have a deeper understanding of communication theory and human behavior.

Evidence of correlations between human partners based on systematic reviews and meta-analyses of 22 traits and UK Biobank analysis of 133 traits.

Positive correlations between mates can increase trait variation and prevalence, as well as bias estimates from genetically informed study designs. While past studies of similarity between human mating partners have largely found evidence of positive correlations, to our knowledge, no formal meta-analysis has examined human partner correlations across multiple categories of traits. Thus, we conducted systematic reviews and random-effects meta-analyses of human male-female partner correlations across 22 traits commonly studied by psychologists, economists, sociologists, anthropologists, epidemiologists and geneticists. Using ScienceDirect, PubMed and Google Scholar, we incorporated 480 partner correlations from 199 peer-reviewed studies of co-parents, engaged pairs, married pairs and/or cohabitating pairs that were published on or before 16 August 2022. We also calculated 133 trait correlations using up to 79,074 male-female couples in the UK Biobank (UKB). Estimates of the 22 mean meta-analysed correlations ranged from rmeta = 0.08 (adjusted 95% CI = 0.03, 0.13) for extraversion to rmeta = 0.58 (adjusted 95% CI = 0.50, 0.64) for political values, with funnel plots showing little evidence of publication bias across traits. The 133 UKB correlations ranged from rUKB = -0.18 (adjusted 95% CI = -0.20, -0.16) for chronotype (being a 'morning' or 'evening' person) to rUKB = 0.87 (adjusted 95% CI = 0.86, 0.87) for birth year. Across analyses, political and religious attitudes, educational attainment and some substance use traits showed the highest correlations, while psychological (that is, psychiatric/personality) and anthropometric traits generally yielded lower but positive correlations. We observed high levels of between-sample heterogeneity for most meta-analysed traits, probably because of both systematic differences between samples and true differences in partner correlations across populations.

Evolution of parental roles in phase portraits of bimatrix asymmetric games

In this paper, we address the evolutionary dynamic of parental roles using game theory. The main purpose of the article was to expand a classical list of evolutionary dynamic parental conflicts by adding some important cases which hitherto have not been intensively studied. Our models are apt to deliver some novel insights into the evolution of parental care. We also introduced several hypothetical events that served as illustrations of an arising alteration in cost-benefits for both parents and simulated a subsequent evolutionary endpoint. Our models revealed that evolutionary outcomes for reproductive decisions of both parents could be completely predicted by certain payoff matrices, which serve as proxies for a Darwinian fitness gain. In this sense, the result of a frequency-dependent selection on reproductive traits would inevitably depend on fitness costs and benefits arising for both parents in various circumstances. We demonstrated that population division could be a plausible evolutionary consequence for any human mating game where ‘reproductive defection’ represents the best response to any action by the reproductive opponent. We conclude that future evolutionary studies of human reproductive behavior should be more oriented on estimating a sex-biased asymmetry in potential fitness gains obtained by cooperative and deceptive parents in diverse environments and cultures.

An Agent-Based Model of Sex and Sexual Orientation Differences in Short-Term Mating Behaviors as a Result of Mating Preferences

ABSTRACT Sex differences in short-term mating behaviors are well-documented in human sexuality research. Existing studies usually explain sex differences in sexual behaviors through differences in mating preferences, which is theoretically problematic. Using an agent-based model, we investigated the circumstances under which males’ and females’ differential preferences for short-term mating would result in sex differences in short-term mating behaviors. The model showed that when all individuals in a closed heterosexual population were considered, males and females had the same average number of short-term mating experiences and short-term mates even when males had stronger preferences for short-term mating. Males (vs. females) had a higher average number of both experiences and mates when analyses were limited to only heterosexual males and females who successfully participated in the mating pool (i.e., those with a non-zero number of short-term mating experiences). Moreover, when males (vs. females) had stronger preferences for short-term mating, gay males had a higher average number of experiences and mates compared to both lesbian females and heterosexual males. These results suggest that even when sex differences in mating preferences exist, the sex differences in short-term mating behaviors only occur among particular populations, or when males’ preferences for short-term mating are not constrained by those of females. Suggestions for future research in human mating psychology and behaviors were provided.

The coefficients of inbreeding revealed by ROH study among inbred individuals belonging to each type of the first cousin marriage: A preliminary report from North India.

Genome-wide runs of homozygosity (ROH) are appropriate to estimate genomic inbreeding, determine population history, unravel the genetic architecture of complex traits and disorders. The study sought to investigate and compare the actual proportion of homozygosity or autozygosity in the genomes of progeny of four subtypes of first cousin mating in humans, using both pedigree and genomic measures for autosomes and sex chromosomes. For this purpose, Illumina Global Screening Array-24 v1.0 BeadChip followed by cyto-ROH analysis through Illumina Genome Studio was used to characterise the homozygosity in five participants from North Indian state (Uttar Pradesh). PLINK v.1.9 software was used to estimate the genomic inbreeding coefficients viz. ROH-based inbreeding estimate (FROH) and homozygous loci-based inbreeding estimate (FHOM). A total of 133 ROH segments were detected with maximum number and genomic coverage in Matrilateral Parallel (MP) type and minimum in outbred individual. ROH pattern revealed that MP type has a higher degree of homozygosity than other subtypes. The comparison of FROH, FHOM, and pedigree-based inbreeding estimate (FPED) showed some difference in theoretical and realised proportion of homozygosity for sex-chromosomal loci but not for autosome for each type of consanguinity. This is the very first study to compare and estimate the pattern of homozygosity among the kindreds of first cousin unions. However, a greater number of individuals from each type of marriage is required for statistical inference of no difference between theoretical and realized homozygosity among different degrees of inbreeding prevalent in humans worldwide.

The Role of Sexual and Romantic Attraction in Human Mate Preferences

ABSTRACT Sex differences in mate preferences are ubiquitous, having been evidenced across generations and cultures. Their prevalence and persistence have compellingly placed them in the evolutionarily adaptive context of sexual selection. However, the psycho-biological mechanisms contributing to their generation and maintenance remain poorly understood. As such a mechanism, sexual attraction is assumed to guide interest, desire, and the affinity toward specific partner features. However, whether sexual attraction can indeed explain sex differences in partner preferences has not been explicitly tested. To better understand how sex and sexual attraction shape mate preferences in humans we assessed how partner preferences differed across the spectrum of sexual attraction in a sample of 479 individuals that identified as asexual, gray-sexual, demisexual or allosexual. We further tested whether romantic attraction predicted preference profiles better than sexual attraction. Our results show that sexual attraction accounts for highly replicable sex differences in mate preferences for high social status and financial prospects, conscientiousness, and intelligence; however, it does not account for the enhanced preference for physical attractiveness expressed by men, which persists even in individuals with low sexual attraction. Instead, sex differences in physical attractiveness preference are better explained by the degree of romantic attraction. Furthermore, effects of sexual attraction on sex differences in partner preferences were grounded in current rather than previous experiences of sexual attraction. Taken together, the results support the idea that contemporary sex differences in partner preferences are maintained by several psycho-biological mechanisms that evolved in conjunction, including not only sexual but also romantic attraction.