Mate preference priorities in the East and West: A cross-cultural test of the mate preference priority model.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Level 4 by design analogy (cross-sectional comparative survey)
PubMed 31494937 · doi:10.1111/jopy.12514
What was done
An international sample of 2,477 participants from Eastern and Western cultures completed a mate preference priority task. Participants designed an ideal long-term partner by allocating a hypothetical currency (mate dollars) across eight traits—including culturally variable traits like religiosity and chastity—under three different budget constraints.
What was found
Under low budget constraints, Eastern and Western participants differed in their mate dollar allocations across almost every trait (average d = 0.42). Despite these differences, traits fundamental for reproductive success in the ancestral environment were prioritized by both Eastern and Western participants.
Why it matters
This study provides large-scale cross-cultural evidence supporting the mate preference priority model, demonstrating that universal evolutionary trade-offs operate alongside meaningful cultural variations in partner selection.
Limits
The study relies on self-reported, hypothetical budget allocation tasks rather than actual mating behavior. The abstract does not report specific country breakdowns, sex distribution, or exact trait-level numerical values beyond the average effect size.
Cited by
- context In mate allocation research where individuals design their own profiles using a budget, men allocate more budget toward increasing their wealth and status relative to women, whereas women allocate more toward increasing their physical attractiveness relative to men.