Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies
Published on: November 8, 2018
Emergent patterns of mate choice in human populations
1CENTRIA - Computer Science Department, FCT - New University of Lisbon, 2825-114 Monte da Caparica, Portugal. jsimao@di.fct.unl.pt
Abstract:
We present a model of human mate choice that shows how realistic population-level patterns of assortative mating can self-organize and emerge from the behavior of individuals using simple mate search rules. In particular, we model plausible psychological mechanisms for mate search and choice in a realistic social ecology. Through individual interactions, patterns emerge that match those observed in typical human societies, particularly with regard to correlated quality levels within couples, distributions of the ages at which couples mate, and effects of skewed sex ratios on these mating age distributions.
Related Concept Videos
Mate Choice
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...
Close Relationships and Culture
Evolutionary Psychology
Desirable Characteristics in Others
Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...

