Synonyms
Definition
Mate value is the construct that broadly describes one’s value as a mate to a potential or actual partner.
Introduction
Mate value is a construct that is thought to holistically measure the value of an individual as a mate (Edlund and Sagarin 2014). Although many measures of mate value use similar methods of assessing men’s and women’s mate value, research has demonstrated that there are differences in the qualities men and women seek in a mate (although it is worth noting that many similarities exist as well). For instance, research has shown that men seek youth, physical attractiveness, facial attractiveness, and feminine features in their partners (Buss 1989). These preferences have been demonstrated worldwide (Schmitt 2005), and this independently suggests that these traits directly contribute to a woman’s mate value.
Reproductive Value
Another reason to think that youth, facial attractiveness, and feminine features relate to...
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References
Barton, N. H., & Etheridge, A. M. (2011). The relation between reproductive value and genetic contribution. Genetics, 188(4), 953–973. doi:10.1534/genetics.111.127555.
Buss, D. M. (1989). Sex differences in human mate preferences: Evolutionary hypotheses tested in 37 cultures. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 12, 1–49.
Dillon, H. M., Adair, L. E., Wang, Z., & Johnson, Z. (2013). Slow and steady wins the race: Life history, mate value, and mate settling. Personality and Individual Differences, 55, 612–618. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2013.05.015.
Edlund, J. E., & Sagarin, B. J. (2010). Mate value and mate preferences: An investigation into decisions made with and without constraints. Personality and Individual Differences, 49, 835–839. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.07.004.
Edlund, J. E., & Sagarin, B. J. (2014). The mate value scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 64, 72–77. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.02.005.
Fernandez, A. M., Muñoz-Reyes, J. A., & Dufey, M.(2014). BMI, age, mate value, and intrasexual competition in Chilean women. Current Psychology, 33, 435–450. doi:10.1007/s12144-014-9221-x.
Grammer, K., & Thornhill, R. (1994). Human (homo sapiens) facial attractiveness and sexual selection: The role of symmetry and averages. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 108(3), 233–242.
Schmitt, D. P. (2005). Sociosexuality from Argentina to Zimbabwe: A 48-nation study of sex, culture, and strategies of human mating. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28, 247–311.
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Beck, C., Edlund, J. (2016). Women’s Mate Value. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_21-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_21-1
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