ارزش همسر و ترجیحات همسر: رسیدگی به تصمیمات اتخاذ شده با و بدون محدودیت

Studies have long investigated similarities and differences in men’s and women’s mate preferences. This study sought to expand on previous research by investigating whether mate value moderated participants’ design of mates. Using both a budgeted and a non-budgeted mate design task, we investigated the effect of mate value on the design of a mate. We found that mate value consistently predicted the design of a mate in an unbudgeted task, whereas we found more mixed results in the budgeted task. Ultimately, it appears that participants with a higher level of mate value are more demanding in their design of a mate.

Investigations into what individuals want in a mate have a long history in both social and evolutionary psychology. Some researchers have highlighted differences between men’s and women’s preferences (e.g. Buss, 1989 and Sprecher et al., 1994). For instance, Buss (1989) found that men worldwide tend to desire a younger mate whereas women tend to prefer an older mate; importantly, these preferences were found to reflect actual behaviors as assessed by the age of partners at the time of marriage. Other researchers (e.g. Klohnen and Mendelsohn, 1998 and Lippa, 2007) have focused more on the similarities between men and women in partner choice. For instance, Lippa (2007) found that an intelligent partner was the most important trait for both men and women. One innovative approach adopted by some researchers is to ask participants to design a desired mate. However, the approaches to mate design have varied across researchers. For instance, Kenrick, Sadall, Groth, and Trost (1990) used an unbudgeted mate design task where participants were presented with 22 traits that might be desirable in a mate. Participants were then allowed to assign as much or as little of each trait to specify their minimally acceptable and ideal traits in a potential mate. Ultimately, Kenrick et al. (1990) found five mate preference factors. These factors (status, physical attractiveness, friendliness, health, and family orientation) replicated across men and women, although there were differences between men and women in the minimum level acceptable (men would accept a lower quality mate than women would, although this difference was attenuated in marriage partners).