Mating Game Is Easier on Men Than on Women
The notion that men are more concerned than women about a
prospective mate's youth and physical appearance and that women are
more concerned than men about a prospective mate's social status and
earning potential is not simply conventional wisdom. It is supported in
the literature of psychology research.
Northwestern University researchers recently took the study of
evolutionarily adaptive mate selection a step farther by exploring the
emotional effects that result from these mate preferences. Their
findings -- published in the October issue of the Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology -- suggest that women are at a
distinct disadvantage in the mating game.
Northwestern University psychologists Souhir Ben Hamida, Susan Mineka
and J. Michael Bailey asked respondents in two separate studies not
only to rate the importance they attributed to various traits in
prospective mates but also to indicate the extent to which they
perceived these traits as within their control.
The results: Both men and women perceived characteristics associated
with social status as more easily controlled (through education, career
path, hard work, etc.) than those associated with physical appearance
and age (largely viewed as outside their control).
Consequently, when men attempt to increase their attractiveness to
potential mates, they are in the enviable position of focusing on
traits that are not only within their control but that tend to increase
with age. Women, on the other hand, may find themselves up against the
inevitable aging process and trying to improve those traits that men
and women perceive as least under their control.
"If women experience more feelings of lack of control or failure when
trying to increase their mate value than do men, then they also are
likely to experience greater frustration, more depression, lower
self-esteem and greater body dissatisfaction," says Souhir Ben Hamida,
co-author with Northwestern psychology professors Mineka and Bailey.
The authors suggest that mate preferences also may drive the greater
body dissatisfaction and higher prevalence of eating disorders among
gay men compared with heterosexual men. Studies have shown that, except
for the sex of their partner, gay men (like their heterosexual
counterparts) place great value on youth and physical attributes when
choosing mates.
Conversely, lesbians have mate preferences similar to those of
heterosexual women, placing less value on physical appearance. This,
the authors suggest, might relate to the higher self-acceptance and
body satisfaction and lower rates of dieting and eating disorders that
have been found in lesbians compared with heterosexual women.
While the authors suggest that sexual selection more negatively affects
women, they also observe pressures on men. Men more than women have
been shown to be at greater risk for depression and suicide when their
personal earning potential is low.
The authors' conclusions are based on the participation of 150 college
undergraduates (74 men and 76 women) and of 301 (147 men and 154
women) travelers from 17 to 80 years old chosen at random at the
downtown Chicago Amtrak station.
-end-
Wendy Leopold
Office of University Relations
Northwestern University
555 Clark Street
Evanston, IL 60208
[email protected]
847-491-4890
fax: 847-491-2376
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