Examining the interaction between altruism and resource potential in heterosexual women's mate preferences

Previous research has shown that altruism is an important trait in romantic relationships, particularly in longer relationships, where it can signal the underlying characteristics (e.g., kindness) that are valued in good partners/parents. Further evidence of this has been observed when comparing the interaction between altruism and other traits (e.g., physical attractiveness) that may signal other qualities (e.g., good genes), where altruism was preferred by heterosexual women in long-term partners. To further explore the role of altruism in relationships and its interaction with other mate choice traits, the current study examined heterosexual women's preferences for altruism and a trait signaling good investment, that of resource potential. Here we found that, as predicted, women preferred altruistic male partners for long-term relationships, and that altruism was a more desired trait than resource potential in potential long-term partners. These findings support the view that altruism is a highly valued trait in relationship formation due to its signaling good partner/parent indicators, and is more important than resource potential when women choose long-term partners. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved