What Women Want in a Man: The Role of Age, Social Class, Ethnicity, and Height

Adrian Furnham^1,2*, Alastair McClelland³

¹Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
²Norwegian Business School (BI), Olso, Norway.
³Research Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK.

DOI: 10.4236/psych.2015.63028                

Abstract

This study aimed to use a budget allocation model to examine mate preference. 303 female respondents with a mean age of 21.75 years were asked about their preferences for someone to take on a blind date. They were presented with descriptions of 16 hypothetical men which they were asked to rate for personal choice and suitability. The hypothetical men differed on age (18 - 20 years vs. 30 - 33 years), social class (I/II vs. III/IV), ethnicity (Caucasian vs. Asian) and height (short/average from 5’6” to 5’8” and tall 6’1” to 6’3”). Overall females preferred younger, taller males from their own racial group and with a higher social class. Women showed a strong preference for men their own age, ethnicity and especially height.

Keywords

Age, Ethnicity, Social Class, Mate Choice

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Birenbaum-Carmeli, D., & Carmeli, Y. (2002). Psysiognomy, Familism and Consumerism: Preferences among Jewish-Israeli Recipients of Donor Insemination. Social Science and Medicine, 54, 363-376. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(01)00035-1
[2]	Buss, D. M. (1985). Human Mate Selection. American Scientist, 73, 47-51.
[3]	Buss, D. M., & Angleitner, A. (1989). Mate Selection Preferences in Germany and the United States. Personality and Individual Differences, 10, 1269-1280. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(89)90239-0
[4]	Candolin, U. (2003). The Use of Multiple Cues in Mate Choice. Biological Reviews, 78, 575-595. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1464793103006158
[5]	Chang, L., Wang, Y., Shackelford, T., & Buss, D. (2011) Chinese Mate Preferences. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 678-683. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.12.016
[6]	Fletcher, G., Simpson, J., Thomas, G., & Giles, L. (1999). Ideals in Intimate Relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 72-89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.76.1.72
[7]	Fletcher, G., Tither, J., O’Loughin, C., Froesen, M., & Overall, N. (2004) Warm and Homely or Cold and Beautiful: Sex Differences in Trading off Traits in Mate Selection. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 659-672. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167203262847
[8]	Furnham, A. (1988). Lay Theories. Oxford: Pergamon.
[9]	Furnham, A. (2009). Sex Differences in Mate Selection Preferences. Personality and Individual Differences, 47, 622-627. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2009.03.013
[10]	Furnham, A. F., Hassomal, A., & McClelland, A. (2002). A Cross-Cultural Investigation of the Factors and Biases Involved in the Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources. Journal of Health Psychology, 7, 381-391. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1359105302007004327
[11]	Furnham, A., & Wilson, E. (2011). Gender Differences in Estimated Salaries: A UK Study. Journal of Socio-Economics, 40, 623-630. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2011.04.019
[12]	Furnham, A., Ariffin, A., & McClelland, A. (2007). Factors Affecting Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources across Life-Threatening Medical Conditions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37, 2903-2921. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2007.00287.x
[13]	Furnham, A., Thomas, C., & Petrides, K. V. (2002). Patient Characteristics and the Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources. Psychology, Health, and Medicine, 7, 99-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13548500120101595
[14]	Furnham, A., Thomson, K., & McClelland, A. (2002). The Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources across Medical Conditions. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 75, 189-203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1348/147608302169643
[15]	Greenless, I. A., & McGrew, W. C. (1994). Sex and Age Differences in Preferences and Tactics of Mate Attraction: Analysis of Published Advertisements. Ethology and Sociobiology, 15, 59-72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0162-3095(94)90017-5
[16]	Harrison, A. A., & Saeed, L. (1977). Let’s Make a Deal: An Analysis of Revelations and Stipulations in Lonely Hearts Advertisements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35, 257-264. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.35.4.257
[17]	Jones, D., & Hill, K. (1993). Criteria of Facial Attractiveness in Five Populations. Human Nature, 4, 271-296. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02692202
[18]	Kenrick, D., Groth, G., Trost, M., & Sadalla, E. (1993). Integrating Evolutionary and Social Exchange Perspectives on Relationships: Effects of Gender, Self-Appraisal, and Involvement Level on Mate Selection Criteria. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 951-969. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.64.6.951
[19]	Klohnen, E. C., & Luo, S. (2003). Interpersonal Attraction and Personality: What Is Attractive—Self Similarity, Ideal Similarity, Complementarity or Attachment Security? Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 85, 709-722. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.85.4.709
[20]	Kurzban, R., & Weeden, J. (2005). Hurrydate: Mate Preferences in Action. Evolution and Human Behavior, 26, 227-244. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2004.08.012
[21]	Li, N., & Kenrick, D. (2006). Sex Similarities and Differences in Preferences for Short-Term Mates: What, Whether, and Why. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 468-489. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.90.3.468
[22]	Li, N., Valentine, K., & Patel, L. (2011). Mate Preferences in the US and Singapore: A Cross-Cultural Test of the Mate Preference Priority Model. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 291-294. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.10.005
[23]	Mays, H., & Hill, G. (2004). Choosing Mates: Good Genes versus Genes That Are a Good Fit. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 19, 554-559. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2004.07.018
[24]	Mueller, U., & Mazur, A. (2001). Evidence of Unconstrained Directional Selection for Male Tallness. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 50, 302-311. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s002650100370
[25]	Nettle, D. (2002). Height and Reproductive Success in a Cohort of British Men. Human Nature, 13, 473-491. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12110-002-1004-7
[26]	Pawlowski, B. (2003). Variable Preferences for Sexual Dimorphism in Height as a Strategy for Increasing the Pool of Potential Partners in Humans. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 270, 709-712. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2002.2294
[27]	Pawlowski, B., Dunbar, R. I. M., & Lipowicz, A. (2000). Evolutionary Fitness: Tall Men Have More Reproductive Success. Nature, 403, 156. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/35003107
[28]	Place, S., Todd, P., Penke, L., & Asendorpf, J. (2010). Humans Show Mate Copying after Observing Real Mate Choices. Evolution and Human Behavior, 31, 320-325. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2010.02.001
[29]	Prokosch, M., Coss, R., Scheib, J., & Blozis, S. (2009). Intelligence and Mate Choice: Intelligent Men Are Always Appealing. Evolution and Human Behavior, 30, 11-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2008.07.004
[30]	Schwarz, S., & Hassebrauck, M. (2012). Sex and Age Differences in Mate-Selection Preferences. Human Nature, 23, 447-466. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12110-012-9152-x
[31]	Sear, R. (2006). Height and Reproductive Success. Human Nature, 17, 405-418. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12110-006-1003-1
[32]	Shackelford, T., Schmitt, D., & Buss, D. (2005). Universal Dimensions of Human Mate Preferences. Personality and Individual Differences, 39, 447-458. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.01.023
[33]	Stanik, C., Kurzban, R., & Ellsworth, P. (2010). Rejection Hurts. Evolutionary Psychology, 8, 682-694.
[34]	Stulp, G., Buunk, A. P., Pollet, T. V., Nettle, D., & Verhulst, S. (2013). Are Human Mating Preferences with Respect to Height Reflected in Actual Pairings? PLoS ONE, 8, e54186. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0054186
[35]	Stulp, G., Pollet, T. V., Verhulst, S., & Buunk, A. P. (2012). A Curvilinear Effect of Height on Reproductive Success in Human Males. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 66, 375-384. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00265-011-1283-2
[36]	Swami, V., & Furnham, A. (2008). The Psychology of Physical Attractiveness. Hove: Psychology Press.
[37]	Wong, B., & Candolin, U. (2005). How Is Female Mate Choice Affected by Male Competition. Biological Reviews, 80, 559-571. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1464793105006809
[38]	Wood, D., & Brumbaugh, C. (2009). Using Revealed Mate Preferences to Evaluate Market Force and Differential Preference Explanations for Mate Selection. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 1226-1244. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0015300