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Abstract: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that an individual's mate preferences are in accordance with his/her position on the characteristic especially relevant to the opposite sex (physical attractiveness in females and income in males), own mate value, and age. The questionnaire, requesting various biographical data and ratings of characteristics of a potential mate regarding their importance or desirability, was posted on the internet and completed by 2648 participants. Women with higher levels of self-perceived physical attractiveness gave higher ratings of importance of a potential partner's characteristics, while men with higher income rated potential mate's qualities as more important than men with lower income. Participants from high mate value group proved to be choosier, rating majority of characteristics as more important than low mate value group did. Adults of both sexes aged 25-39 rated several characteristics as more important compared to younger and older participants, suggesting that people raise their expectations from a potential mate while in their reproductive period.
Key words: mate preferences, mate value, sex differences, selectiveness, age
INTRODUCTION
Mate preferences are considered to be adaptations which enable humans to make wise decisions when it comes to choosing a mate. Many researchers within the field of evolutionary psychology have focused on sex as the main factor explaining interindividual differences in mate preferences (Buss, 1989; Feingold, 1992; Kenrick, Groth, Trost, Sadalla, 1993; Wiederman, Allgeier, 1992; Waynforth, Dunbar, 1995) but only a few have considered other features of individuals choosing a mate, such as their own perception of themselves as partners (e.g., Buston, Emlen, 2003; Kurzban, Weeden, 2005). Furthermore, the vast majority of this research has been conducted on men and women in their reproductive period. A question could be raised whether the same principles would hold in a wider agespan, e.g. for women in the postreproductive age.
As men and women invest different resources, they are expected to value different characteristics of a potential mate. There is a great amount of data showing that physical attractiveness is a very important feature for men, while women value more the social and financial status (for review see Buss, 2003). It seems logical to assume that one's own high position on a characteristic considered important by the opposite sex might influence...