Role of evolutionary, sociocultural and contextual factors in determining human mate preferences

This paper analyses the concept of ‘human mate preference’ in the particular context of the evolutionary, sociological and other contextual factors which influence the same.

Running head: HUMAN MATE PREFERENCES
Role of evolutionary, sociocultural and contextual factors in determining human mate
preferences
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Introduction
As opined by Smith (2017), the notion of ‘human mate preference’ had formed the
central lacuna of a great many psychological debates and the scholars are still trying to
determine the exact factors which influence the same. Conroy-Beam and Buss (2016) are of
the viewpoint that the concept of ‘human mate preference’ had been in existence since the
traditional times and this is perhaps one of the major reasons for the plethora of theories or
models which exists related to the concept of mate preference. More importantly, the
prominence held by the concept of ‘human mate preference’ can be explained on the basis of
the fact that the sex forms an integral part of the lives of the human beings not only as a
means of procreation but at the same time as a means of pleasure as well (Abdullah, 2018).
This is perhaps one of the major reasons why the human beings are very choosey regarding
the persons with whom they are involved in such a process and also the reason why they
devote so much time towards the selection of the right kind of mates who are not only
compatible emotionally but at the same time physically as well (Berscheid, Collins & Reis,
2017). Thus, the concept of ‘human mate preference’ tries to analyse as well as explore the
factors or the motivations which influence the process of mate selection on the part of the
human beings. Evolutional, sociological and other contextual factors have been identified as
the major factors which influence the process of ‘human mate preference’ on the part of the
human beings. This paper will analyse the concept of ‘human mate preference’ in the
particular context of the evolutionary, sociological and other contextual factors which
influence the same.
Body
Buss and Schmitt (2019) have articulated the viewpoint that among the plethora of
factors which influence the process of human mate preference the most important one is the

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evolutionary perspective. As opined by Sohn (2017), the evolutionary perspective
propounds the hypothesis that the men and women over the years have evolved complicated
sex-specific cognitive mechanisms which in turn accounts for the complicated sexual
behaviour that they display. In addition to this, this perspective also presupposes the fact that
there is a difference between the mate preference behaviour on the part of both men and
women because of the fact that over the years both of them have faced different
environmental as well as societal factors which in turn had contributed in a significant
manner towards the preference that they display (Gul & Kupfer, 2019). In this regard,
mention needs to be made of the ‘Trivers (1972) parental investment model’ which is often
considered to be one of the most important models that can be used for the analysis of the
human mate preference (Fine, Dupré & Joel, 2017). The model explicitly states that
individuals from both the sexes over the ages have “evolved mating behaviours that are
specific to the level of parental investment required to ensure the survival of that species”
(Smith & Winterhalder, 2017). This can be explained on the basis of the fact that the women
more than the men are required to invest extensively their body in the process of mating
because of the fact that it is they who are involved in the aspects of pregnancy and childbirth.
On the other hand, the men over the years had invested very few resources in such a process
beyond the actual process of contraception and their role is mainly restricted to the process of
supporting economically the rearing the children that had taken birth through the process of
contraception.
Jonason et al. (2019) have articulated the viewpoint that some of the most important
modern theories related to the evolutionary perspective on the basis of which the process of
human mate preference is being analysed are sexual selection, adaptive genetic variation,
mate choice and others. In the ancient times, the factors of security as well as physical
strength of the mates were the major factors which influenced the sexual preferences of the

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human beings. However, in the recent times with the changes in the model of society and also
with the mellowing down of the external environment in which the human beings dwell these
factors have been relegated to the background and the theories of sexual selection, signalling
theory, adaptive genetic variation, mate choice and others have replaced them (Meyers-
Levy & Loken, 2015). The major precept of these theories is the fact that the change that
taken place in the human mate preference process in the recent times can be explained on the
basis of the change that the genes of the human beings have undergone over the years
(Chappetta & Barth, 2016). More importantly, these changes are not only being fortified in
each of the generations but at the same time passed on the next generation as well. Recent
researches have clearly revealed the fact that the human beings have “paternally inherited
Y-chromosome (NRY), maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)” and others
from their ancestors (Buss & Schmitt, 2019). These in turn have given rise to the complexity
in the mate selection process that the human beings exhibit in the present times.
As per the signalling theory, the human beings have evolved complex signalling
processes to attract the mates of their choices and these signalling instincts have been
inherited by them through the genes (Smith, 2017). However, at the same time it needs to be
said that a critical analysis of these transfer of genes shows that there is a “30 - 60% of the
variance” of these genes and this in turn accounts for the high differences of personality
among the human beings (Abdullah, 2018). In this regard, the theory of sexual selection is an
important one which had been designed taking into effective consideration Darwin’s natural
selection theory (Smith, 2017). Thus, the human beings generally tend to select the kind of
mates who are superior to the others and thereby offer them the opportunity to produce a
prodigy which is of superior breed. More importantly, because of the process of evolution,
the female ovarian hormones have undergone a significant amount of change and presently
contain a high level of Estradiol (Zentner & Eagly, 2017). Furthermore, it is seen that the

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“women modulate mating effort as a function of estradiol levels” and this in turn explains
why the women look for mates during their fertile periods when the level of estradiol in their
body is very high (Lewis et al., 2017). Moreover, this had a profound impact on the
behaviour as well as the personality of the mates as well which in turn had a direct impact on
the process of their mate selection or preference. Thus, it can be said that the evolutionary
perspective sheds insightful information regarding the process of human mate preference by
giving adequate explanation for the preferences shown by them.
As opined by Conroy-Beam and Buss (2016), the sociological perspective
completely disregards the role played by evolution in the human mate preference process and
states that this is largely influenced by the differences in the position that the men and women
hold in the society. On the other hand, Yaffe et al. (2018) are of the viewpoint that the human
mate preference process is largely dictated by the attempt on the part of the mates to
maximise the resources that are available to them in the external environment which in turn is
constrained by the gendered roles existing in the same. The net result of this is “from a social
structural perspective, a society’s division of labour between the sexes is the engine of sex-
differentiated behaviour, because it summarizes the social constraints under which men and
women carry out their lives” (Conroy-Beam & Buss, 2016). More importantly, it is seen that
the women have been relegated to the background since the traditional times and thus they
generally look for the attributes which they have been deprived of in the mates that they opt
for. Furthermore, it is seen that the society and culture plays a significant role in the process
of mate selection or preference of the human beings. For example, it is seen that a woman in
a masochistic society will look for a man who holds a significant amount of power in the
concerned society and vice versa.
The sociological perspective proposes that the society and culture are the two major
factors which greatly determine the mate selection or preference process of the human beings

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(Chappetta & Barth, 2016). In this regard, it needs to be said that the societies which follows
a liberal culture and have equal gendered roles, the individuals are more likely to have greater
options because of the availability of more resources. Buss (2010) in his research work
conducted in 27 countries found that the tendency to maximise resources is higher in the
females rather than the males. This is perhaps one of the major reasons why the women in the
liberal societies or environment display a higher fluctuation in mate preference rather than in
the societies with stringent norms. However, in the recent times it is seen that the ‘human
mate preference’ process is being analysed through a lens which takes into effective
consideration both of these perspectives and this as a matter of fact have enabled the
researchers to gain a better understanding of the entire process itself (Smith, 2017).
Conway III and Schaller (2002) are of the viewpoint that the usage of a combination
of both of these perspectives enables the individuals to understand the manner in which
psychological mechanisms evolved by the human beings over the years work in a
sociological context. More importantly, this also offers relevant information regarding the
manner in which the factors of evolution, genetics, society, culture and others influence the
process of mate preference in the human beings (Sohn, 2017). Furthermore, this approach is
being used by the researcher to understand the manner in which both men and women value
as well as judge physical attractiveness among their mates (Gul & Kupfer, 2019). The net
result of this is that various experiments have been conducted in the recent times to determine
the physical attributes which influence the mate preference of the individuals and also the
manner in which these attributes have evolved over the years. In this regard, two of the most
important experiments which have contributed in a significant manner towards this debate are
the experiments conducted by Cunningham and his colleagues in 1986 and 1990 (Fine,
Dupré & Joel, 2017). The results of these experiments clearly revealed the fact that “female
features most positively correlated with attractiveness ratings were the neonate features of

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large eyes, small nose, and small chin….a large smile” (Fine, Dupré & Joel, 2017). However,
subsequent researches revealed the fact that the above mentioned features along with the
maturity features of the mates were the principal visual cues which dictated the mate
preference of the individuals (Jonason et al., 2019).
Conclusion
To conclude, the topic of mate preference had formed a topic of much critical debate
since the traditional times and the prominence held by the topic can be explained on the basis
of the fact that it is related both to the procreation and pleasure of the individuals. However, it
is seen that the human beings over the years have evolved complex mate preference
behaviours which is totally different from the ones exhibited by their ancestors. In this regard,
two of the most important perspectives which have been used for the analysis of the mate
preference of the human beings are the evolutionary perspective and the sociological
perspective. The evolutionary perspective focuses on the evolution of the character traits or
the genes of the human beings and the manner in which they have influenced the mate
preference of the individuals. On the other hand, the sociological perspective focuses on the
manner in which gendered roles, society, culture and others contribute towards the process of
mate preference of the individuals. However, because of the limitations of both of these
perspectives a new approach is being used which uses the strength points of both of these
perspectives for the analysis of the human mate preferences.

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