SEX SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN SHORT-TERM MATES

Given that reproduction is at the heart of natural selection, mating deci-sions are of central adaptive significance. Human mating requires suc-cessful navigation of various adaptive issues (e.g., Buss & Schmitt, 1993), and, thus, selection likely has given rise to components of human intelli-gence that solve issues directly related to mating. There are many such issues, some of which are addressed in various sections of this book. In this chapter, I examine the problem of selecting partners for both long- and short-term relationships. Men Care About Looks and Women Care About Status in Long-Term Mates Studies conducted over several decades have consistently found that when considering long-term romantic (e.g., marriage) partners, men place higher importance on physical attractiveness than women do, and women value social status more than men do (e.g., Buss, 1989; Buss & Barnes, 1986