In every culture, adolescents and young adults invest great effort in attracting potential mates and selecting an appropriate partner.
Researchers have found that three factors are especially important in predicting mate selection for both genders:
proximity, similarity, and physical attractiveness.
Proximity and attractiveness seem more important in initiating a relationship,
while similarity is more important in sustaining a partnership.
International surveys have found consistent gender differences in heterosexual mate selection.
Across cultures, men place more value on a potential mate’s physical attractiveness, youthfulness, and health.
Women place more value on attracting mature, dominant, affluent, powerful mates
who will make a long term investment in their offspring
Evolutionary psychologists believe these gender differences can be explained
by Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection and sexual selection.
Over many generations, men and women who had these preferences
were more likely to reproduce successfully and pass on their genes.
Evidence supporting the evolutionary explanation comes from a variety of sources
including research on men’s visual preferences for female body shape, gender differences in jealousy,
preferences for erotic literature, and advertisements on dating websites.
However, the evolutionary perspective has been criticized as being too dependent on “hindsight” explanations
and failing to consider the role of environment rather than genes in shaping romantic preferences and sexual behavior.
Critics also charge that genetic explanations of gender differences serve to legitimize current sex-role stereotypes
instead of promoting possibilities for change