Attraction and Partner Selection

Running head: ATTRACTION AND PARTNER SELECTION 1
Attraction and Partner Selection
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ATTRACTION AND PARTNER SELECTION 2
Attraction and Partner Selection
Introduction
For a long time now, science has been trying to figure out the strategy which human
beings apply when selecting their partners. As a result, scientific thinking has brought about two
theories. The first one is evolutionary theory. In the evolutionary theory, it is claimed that,
physical characteristics, the behavioral tendencies as well as the personality features which tend
to promote the survival and reproductive chances, come along with a virtue that happens to be
desirable to the humanity. Also, the difference in the organism as outlined in biology and
anatomy usually dictates a different optimal solution to the issue in hand. For instance, when
two animals, one with strong wings and the other with nimble feet and the two animals
encounter a starving predator, most probably, the first animal will fly off while the second will
run.
Similarly, the evolutionary theory indicates that the differences encountered in both
anatomy and biological in men and women, normally result in the differences when it comes to
preferences of the partner selection (Buss, 2015). Secondly, social role theory urges that other
processes apart from biological, tend to dictate the social choices we make. It explains that the
rules placed during the selection of mates are highly dictated by the roles played by the male as
well as the female in the society. For example, women are involved with men who have got
power as well as money since society limits the ability of women to gain power and money.
This paper is going to focus mainly on the evolutionary theory whereby-in regards to attraction
and partner selection. It tries to compare and contrast gender differences in human attraction and
partner selection based on evolutionary theory as well as discussing how the differential

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strategies for short and long terms that men and women utilize to promote their respective
reproductive interests using principles of evolutionary theory.
Comparison and Contrast of Gender Differences in Human Attraction and Partner
Selection
When it comes to human attraction and partner selection, different gender tends to go for
different qualities. Females have high preferences for economic resources. According to the
evolutionary theory, women are known to highly avoid the men with no resources co-signing
such as luxury apartments, cars, and businesses. Therefore, while selecting partners, women go
for the men who can show good financial prospects, men with honourable social status and
those who show trustworthiness and resilience in their daily activities. Furthermore, women
look at the physical abilities of the opposite gender before making their selection. Particularly,
most females focus on athletic ability, strength as well as the size (Buss, 2015).
Also, while selecting a partner, the women go for partners who are capable and also
willing to invest their time in them and offer a stable love as well as commitments. These
virtues are particularly important to ladies since they believe that it tends to set up an excellent
example to the children and to protect them as well. Contrary , men, are expected to find shelter,
provide food, protect the children and also defend the territory. These reimbursements are
improbable to be provided by a female in a relationship. Based on social constructs and
mentality that culture has instilled in humans, a man is supposed to be the primary provider of
essential needs and protection to those he loves. As a result, women would always consider the
capabilities of a man before making a decision to either accept the partner or sought for a better
person. Such cues could be indirect, such as the features of personality that cue a man’s rising

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mobility. They could be physical, just like the athletic ability of the man or the man ’s health.
They also tend to include character, such as esteem, whereby, a man is held back by his peers
especially during decision making.
On the other hand, men are more concerned with beauty, age and emotional intelligence
in women. Primarily men are attracted to women who are approximately one and a half to five
years younger than them (Buss, 2015). Although there is a growing tendency of men being
attracted to older women, the attraction is most likely to be initiated by the women. As a result,
the man will find comfort in the arrangement and decide to select the partner despite the age
difference. Ideally, men’s preference in selection is usually unstable and unpredictable based on
their personality and experiences in relationships. Furthermore, most men are attracted to
women because of beauty and physical appearance alone. However, the selection of a suitable
partner is majorly based on the emotional intelligence of the woman (Buss, 2015).
Women seem to have resolved the adaptive issue of obtaining resources partially by
going for men who are slight of high status. Certainly, in case the women are forced to trade off
amongst different mate features, women line up social status, inspecting it as the most
significant “requirement” rather than a luxury. Ideally, women appraise men who own high-
status resources such as extravagance luxury apartments and high-prestige cars as, especially
striking potential mates. Similarly, men reach out more to women with the same social status
and base their selection majorly on age. Despite women considering the socioeconomic position
of men, the trend is the same is some perspectives. Men will at the time also prefer women with
potential economic excellence especially those with business-oriented mindsets.