Male Perception of Physical Attractiveness and Tendency for Mate Guarding

Individuals seek out a mate who they perceive to be physically attractive, though illusory biases can affect perception. Physical attractiveness is evolutionarily based on overall health and body size. Social cognition and emotion also affect how individuals perceive their partners appearance, and how they behave around their partner. Strong negative emotions, such as jealousy, result in mate guarding behaviors. Research indicates that when women perceive themselves as more attractive than their partner, they are more likely to resist mate guarding. To determine if men were more likely to engage in mate guarding behaviors when they perceived their partner as more attractive, an online survey will be conducted.