Conditional mate preferences: Factors influencing preferences for height

Physical stature plays an important role in human mate choice because it may signal dominance, high status, access to resources, and underlying heritable qualities. Although past research has examined overall preferences for height, we propose these preferences are modified by evolved mechanisms tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Personality and individual differences 2008, Vol.44 (1), p.203-215
Main Authors: Salska, Irmina, Frederick, David A., Pawlowski, Boguslaw, Reilly, Andrew H., Laird, Kelsey T., Rudd, Nancy A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Body image
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gender roles
Height
Mate preferences
Men
Personality. Affectivity
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Sexual dimorphism
Sexuality. Sexual behavior
Social interactions. Communication. Group processes
Social psychology
Women
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Summary:Physical stature plays an important role in human mate choice because it may signal dominance, high status, access to resources, and underlying heritable qualities. Although past research has examined overall preferences for height, we propose these preferences are modified by evolved mechanisms that consider one’s own height and prevailing social norms. We examined this proposal using samples of 2000 personal ads and 382 undergraduates. Both sexes preferred relationships where the woman was shorter when specifying the shortest acceptable, tallest acceptable, and ideal dating partner. In the personal ads sample, this norm was more strongly enforced by women than by men: 23% of men compared to only 4% of women would accept a dating relationship where the woman was taller. Preferences for the male-taller norm were less pronounced in short men and tall women, who shifted towards preferring someone closer to their own height. This limited their potential dating pool but ensured they would select a mate within the typical range of variation for height. Surprisingly, endorsement of traditional gender role norms was only weakly related to height preferences, particularly for women. These findings highlight the utility of examining how evolutionary factors, including endorsement of social norms, may influence mate preferences.
ISSN:0191-8869
1873-3549
DOI:10.1016/j.paid.2007.08.008