Contrasting Computational Models of Mate Preference Integration Across 45 Countries

Summary

This large cross-cultural project asked how people combine their many separate mate preferences into a single overall evaluation of a potential partner. Drawing on survey data from 14,487 participants across 45 countries, the authors used agent-based simulations to pit several competing computational models of preference integration against one another. Each model specified a different rule for aggregating trait preferences, and the simulations tested which rule best reproduced real patterns of attraction and pairing. Across cultures, individuals with higher mate value set higher ideal standards, matched their stated preferences more closely in their actual partners, and paired with higher-value partners. The results favour Euclidean-style integration models and show that mate value confers greater effective choice on the mating market.