Buss et al (1989)

Question 1

Where can this study be used? (2)

Answer 1

Evolutionary arguments of behavior
Biological arguments for human attraction

Question 2

Aim

Answer 2

To see if there are certain universal traits which influenced mate selection worldwide

Question 3

Tested assumptions about mate selection

Answer 3

• Men prioritize youth and physical attractiveness in women due to reproductive value
• Women prioritize financial resources in men for offspring investment
• Men highly value chastity to ensure paternity

Question 4

Participants

Answer 4

10,047 participants from 33 countries, aged ~23

Question 5

Method

Answer 5

Two surveys: one on biographical data and mate preferences, another ranking 13 mate characteristics
* surveys translated and back-translated for accuracy

Question 6

Results

Answer 6

Respondents in nearly all cultures rated “mutual attraction and love” as the most important in a relationship
* shows that the desire for mutual love in a relationship is not merely a Western phenomenon
* “chastity” showed largest effect for culture (37% of variance) - valued in China, Taiwan, Palestinian Israel, Iran
* respondents in Ntherlands and Scandinavian countries did not care about chastity
* “good financial prospects”, “good earning capacity”, ambition and social status are consistently valued more in a partner by women than men cross-culturally
* “youth” is valued more by men than women - men prefer wives that are younger but how much younger depends on the culture
* in cultures that allow many wives, there may be large age differences
* “Physical attractiveness” in a partner is valued more by men than women
* cross-cultural norms of physical attractiveness are, for example, clear and supple skin, regular features, full lips
* **only 23/37 samples valued chastity suggesting it may be cultural rather than evolutionary **

Question 7

Limitations

Answer 7

• study suffered from problems of translation-back-translation
• relies on self-reported data - it cannot be completely reliable.
• samples for each country were not totally representative of the country as a whole - still impossible to generalize the findings to all cultures and countries
• results do not tell us why these preferences exist - not known whether the preferences are a result of genetic differences or socialization

Question 8

Strengths

Answer 8

• large sample size: should make the findings more reliable and generalisable
• sample was highly diverse with regard to geography, culture, and religion - wide variety of sampling techniques used increases the generalizability as the findings were consistent between groups, regardless of the sampling technique employed
• researchers carried out the survey in the language of the participants - used back-translation methods to control that the meanings of the questions were the same in all languages