Mate preference priorities in the East and West: A cross-cultural test of the mate preference priority model
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: Mate choice involves trading-off several preferences. Research on this process tends to examine mate preference prioritization in homogenous samples using a small number of traits and thus provide little insight into whether prioritization patterns reflect a universal human nature. This study examined whether prioritization patterns, and their accompanying sex differences, are consistent across Eastern and Western cultures. METHOD: In the largest test of the mate preference priority model to date, we asked an international sample of participants (N = 2,477) to design an ideal long-term partner by allocating mate dollars to eight traits using three budgets. Unlike previous versions of the task, we included traits known to vary in importance by culture (e.g., religiosity and chastity). RESULTS: Under low budget conditions, Eastern and Western participants differed in their mate dollar allocation for almost every trait (average d = 0.42), indicating that culture influences prioritization. Despite these differences, traits fundamental for the reproductive success of each sex in the ancestral environment were prioritized by both Eastern and Western participants. CONCLUSION: The tendency to prioritize reproductively fundamental traits is present in both Eastern and Western cultures. The psychological mechanisms responsible for this process produce similar prioritization patterns despite cross-cultural variation.
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Attraction and mate choice in humans is subjective and often further influenced by socio-cultural expectations for relationships, early life experiences, and previous relationship experiences.
“Importantly, attraction and mate choice in humans is subjective and often further influenced by socio-cultural expectations for relationships, early life experiences, and previous relationship experiences [60,117,118].”
From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [118]
The Discussion (section 4; page unavailable) says mate selection is strongly influenced by sociocultural factors, and section 1.1 describes mate choice as integrating multiple preferences. Neither passage establishes that early-life or previous relationship experiences influence attraction and mate choice; searches for those experiences found no supporting passage. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredAttachment style, relationship history, and familial or cultural expectations work in tandem with neurobiological mechanisms to influence mate choice and romantic engagements.
“Attachment style, relationship history, and familial or cultural expectations work in tandem with neurobiological mechanisms to influence mate choice and romantic engagements [60,117,118,182].”
From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [118]
The Discussion says mate-choice mechanisms may incorporate cultural norms and other environmental cues, supporting the cultural-influence part of the claim. It does not address attachment style, relationship history, or familial expectations, and its discussion of evolved psychological mechanisms does not establish an interaction with neurobiological mechanisms. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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Cited by
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The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives
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- Authors
- Thomas, A. G., Jonason, P. K., Blackburn, J. D., Kennair, L. E. O., Lowe, R., Malouff, J., Stewart‐Williams, S., Sulikowski, D., & Li, N. P.
- Affiliations
- Swansea University (GB)
- Western Sydney University (AU)
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO)
- University of New England (AU)
- University of Nottingham (GB)
- Charles Sturt University (AU)
- Singapore Management University (SG)
- Corresponding author
- Thomas, Andrew G.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Personality
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2019-09-13
- Volume
- 88
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 606-620
- ISSN
- 0022-3506 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-6494
- OpenAlex
- W2972860034
- Cited by
- 126
- References
- 78
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 14.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Personality (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Singapore Management University Institutional Knowledge (InK) (Singapore Management University) (submittedVersion)
- Cronfa (Swansea University) (submittedVersion)
- NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- RUNE (Research UNE) (submittedVersion)
- Padua Research Archive (University of Padova) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Keywords
- cross-cultural comparison, East-West comparison, religiosity, chastity, ancestral environment, reproductive success
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Choice Behavior, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Female, Humans, Male, Personality, Sexual Partners, Young Adult
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