Synonyms
Definition
Mate preferences are the outputs of psychological mechanisms designed to motivate people to pursue potential mates who possess particular qualities. Preferred features range widely. They include morphological (e.g., face or body shape), behavioral (e.g., kindness or dominance), or social (e.g., status or connections) attributes. Mate preferences can be species typical, sex differentiated, individually variable within sex, culturally variable, and predictably context dependent.
Introduction
Human mate choice is not random. Given the choice between a kind healthy partner and a disease-afflicted cruel partner, most people would prefer the first over the second. These preferences determine who we are attracted to, who we pine for during absences, and who we write books, plays, songs, poems, and films about. They affect who we select as mates; who we live with, support, and receive support from; and, for some, with whom we...
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Conroy-Beam, D., Buss, D.M. (2016). Mate Preferences. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1-1
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