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Published on: September 14, 2016
A Research Note on the Influence of Relationship Length and Sex on Preferences for Altruistic and Cooperative Mates
Manpal Singh Bhogal1, Niall Galbraith2, Ken Manktelow2
1Department of Psychology, Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research, School of Life Sciences and Education, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK; Psychology Department, Institute of Sport and Human Sciences, Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK.
Abstract:
Previous literature suggests that altruism may have evolved as a sexually selectable trait. Recent research suggests that women seek altruistic traits for long-term, not short-term relationships, as altruism can serve as an honest signal of one's character. We tested this hypothesis by asking 102 participants to complete a modified version of Buss's Mate Preferences Questionnaire. We found that women placed higher importance on altruism in a mate compared to men, and this preference was greater when seeking a long-term mate, compared to a short-term mate. We also found that although women placed greater importance on cooperativeness in a mate compared to men, this preference was not influenced by whether they were seeking a short-term or a long-term mate. We successfully replicate previous literature exploring the role of altruism in mate choice.
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