Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
1-2011
Abstract
Sex differences have been found in mate preferences across several decades. Especially for long-term partners, men tend to value physical attractiveness and women tend to value social status. However, the sexes both value various other traits even more highly. Such findings thus diminish the importance of the sex differences and challenge the theoretical importance that evolutionary psychologists place on physical attractiveness and social status. Using a budget allocation methodology to examine mate preferences in both the US and Singapore, we found not only the usual sex differences, but also evidence that men prioritize physical attractiveness and women prioritize social status as necessities in their long-term mates. We also found that both sexes tend to value physical attractiveness as a necessity in short-term mates. Results replicate previous budget allocation findings and provide cross-cultural validation for a mate preference priorities model.
Keywords
Mate preferences, Economics, Sex differences, Crosscultural
Discipline
Asian Studies | Gender and Sexuality | Personality and Social Contexts | Social Psychology
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Personality and Individual Differences
Volume
50
Issue
2
First Page
291
Last Page
294
ISSN
0191-8869
Identifier
10.1016/j.paid.2010.10.005
Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
LI, Norman P., Valentine, Katherine A., & PATEL, Lily.(2011). Mate Preferences in the US and Singapore: A Cross-cultural Test of the Mate Preference Priority Model. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(2), 291-294.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1129
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.10.005
Included in
Asian Studies Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Social Psychology Commons