1996). In other words, the boys were more attracted to the females most
likely to reproduce regardless of their age.
Nonetheless, there is one important limitation in the studies reviewed so
far. That is, they tell us a lot about the preferences of American men and
women, but little about romantic choices in other cultures. To make a strong
case for the evolutionary personality position, we need to demonstrate that
this effect is not limited to certain social or cultural groups. If men were
found to rely on physical attractiveness only in Western cultures, a strong ar-gument could be made that this behavior reflects social learning patterns
rather than an inherited human characteristic.
To solve this problem, one team of researchers conducted an elaborate
cross-cultural investigation (Buss, 1989). The researchers looked at genderdifferences in partner preferences in 37 cultural groups. These groups were
located in 33 different countries, on six continents and five islands, and in-cluded people from cultural backgrounds very different from Americans,
such as South African Zulus, Gujarati Indians, and Santa Catarina Brazilians.
Participants in each of these samples were asked what they considered the idealage for themselves and their partner when marrying. Participants were also
asked how important each of 18 personality traits were for choosing a poten-
tial mate (for example, intelligence, good financial prospect , and good looks ).
The findings provide strong support for evolutionary personality theory.
As shown in Table 10.5, in each of the 37 samples men preferred partnerswho were younger than they were. Additional evidence was found when re-
searchers looked at the actual age at which people first married. This infor-
mation was available in 27 of the countries studied. Men in each of these
cultures not only said they preferred younger partners but also tended to
marry women younger than themselves. Although the investigators made no
predictions about the women ’s preferences, the women in all 37 cultures said
they preferred an older partner.
More evidence for the evolutionary personality position was found when
the researchers looked at the importance men and women placed on physical
attractiveness when selecting a mate. In each of the cultures, men were morelikely than women to say that good looks are important. This difference was
statistically significant in all but three of the samples. Thus the tendency for
men to prefer youthful and physically attractive women appears to be fairlyuniversal despite differences in cultures and social norms. Evolutionary per-
sonality psychologists interpret these findings as evidence for universal char-
acteristics handed down from our ancestors.
What Women Look for in Men
According to evolutionary personality theory, men prefer a female partner
who provides maximal opportunity for successful reproduction. But women
have a different role to play in reproduction and child rearing. According to
the parental investment analysis, women prefer to mate with men who can
provide for their offspring. In nonhuman species this may simply mean a
mate who can provide food and protection. In humans this means providing
the financial resources required to raise the children. Some men are betterable to do this than others. Men also differ in their ability to take care ofEvolutionary Personality Theory and Mate Selection 267