Who
we choose to fall in love and start a family with has gathered
considerable interest over the past few decades. The common perception
is that men and women prefer different characteristics in their
potential mates. The two principal theories contesting these different
preferences are based on perspectives drawn from the study of evolution
and social structure.
The evolutionary (Darwinistic) perspective
assumes that successful mate choice behaviors continue to influence
current mate selection because the behavior led to continued existence
and prosperity of the human species [1]. Sex differences between men and
women have evolved because they have historically faced different
environmental and social pressures [2]. The parental investment model
proposed by Trivers in 1972 further suggests that this is because men
and women differ in the level of parental investment required to ensure
the survival of the species. Thus, their mating behaviors evolved
accordingly. While women invest extensive physiological resources in
producing offspring, men invest more outside resources beyond the act of
conception [3].
In contrast, the social structure perspective
proposes that sexually differentiated mate selection results from
contrasting social positions that men and women have historically
occupied within society [2,4]. These types of societal constraints and
gender expectations still persist. In an attempt to maximize resources,
women who are delegated to roles of less power and resources seek out
these characteristics in potential mates. They can offer commodities
such as physical beauty, fertility, and sexual pleasure that are desired
by men [2,4,5].
Both hypotheses are supported by ample evidence that can be reviewed in Shoemake 2007 [6].
Here,
we used a short online poll to investigate possible sex differences and
differences associated with career stage regarding mate selection of
Berlin neuroscientists.
The survey comprised three questions: 1)
''What is your gender?'' 2) ''What is your position in neuroscience
research?'' 3) ''What are the first four qualities you look for in a
partner?” Categories were the following: age, cleanliness, ethnicity,
financial security, intelligence, kindness, nerdiness, physical
attraction, religion, sense of humor, social status, trustworthiness,
and other. The survey was prepared on surveymonkey.com and sent to the
Berlin Neuroscience community via mailing lists of Medical
Neurosciences, Mind and Brain, Bernstein Center for Computational
Neuroscience as well as the forum of the staff of the Department of
Experimental Neurology. Answers were collected between April 28 and May
2, 2014.
126 responses were collected for the poll. One response
had to be excluded since no answers were given to the questions. Out of
the 125 answers, 62 participants were male, 61 female, one preferred not
to answer and one chose “other”. Of the remaining 125 participants, 23
were students, 58 PhD students, 5 technicians, 20 postdocs, 4 group
leaders, 10 professors, and 5 other (Fig. 1).
 |
| Fig. 1. Sociodemographic distribution of the participants |
Neuroscientists Look for Intelligence, Physical Attraction Rates Only Third
Overall,
intelligence (88.6%) was the most frequently reported quality that
respondents looked for in their partners, followed by sense of humor
(74.0%), physical attraction (68.3%), trustworthiness (60.2%), and
kindness (58.5%) (Fig. 2). All other options had less than 10% votes,
except for other (11.4%): age (8.1%), social status (7.3%), cleanliness
(6.5%), nerdiness (5.7%), religion (3.3%), financial status (2.4%), and
ethnicity (1.6%).
 |
| Fig. 2. Gender differences in mate selection |
Male and Female Neuroscientists Desire Similar Qualities in their Partner
Both
male and female participants rated the same top five qualities. The
only differences across gender occurred with respect to physical
attraction and sense of humor. For men, physical attraction was the
second most frequent criterion, whereas only about half of the
participating women reported it (80.6 vs. 55.7%, χ²(1, N=123)=8.81,
p=0.003). Sense of humor was significantly more preferred by women
compared to men (82.0 vs. 66.1%, χ²(1, N=123)=4.01, p=.045).
Neuroscientists Look for the Same Qualities Independent of Career Stage
Due
to the low responses from technicians and 'other', we did not include
these groups in the analysis. The responses from group leaders and
professors were grouped for the same reason. All four groups – students,
PhD students, postdocs, group leaders/professors – rated the top five
qualities – intelligence, physical attraction, sense of humor,
trustworthiness, and kindness – almost equally frequent. The more
advanced in their career stage, the more important their partners'
intelligence was rated by neuroscientists. Interestingly, postdocs rated
physical attraction substantially lower than the other three groups,
while they rated kindness substantially higher. Postdocs also had the
highest score, even if not as pronounced, for trustworthiness and sense
of humor. Only group leaders/professors rated social status as a quality
of high importance. A Pearson's chi-squared test was performed and no
relationship was found between career stage and any of the mate
selection criteria investigated in this study.
 |
| Fig. 3. Career stage and mate selection |
Discussion
We
discovered that male and female neuroscientists have similar mate
selection criteria which differ only when it comes to physical
attraction. Intelligence was found to be the most frequently reported
criterion. A relationship between career stage and mate selection
criteria was not found.
In our study, we found intelligence,
physical attraction, sense of humor, trustworthiness, and kindness to be
the five key attributes both men and women look for in their mate. This
goes in line with the immense amount of literature on mate preference
that generally indicates a preference for intelligence, emotional
stability, honesty and trustworthiness, an exciting overall personality,
and – of course – a physically attractive appearance [7].
NEUROSCIENTISTS RATE INTELLIGENCE AS THE
MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THEIR PARTNER
Interestingly,
our study suggests that neuroscientists rate intelligence as the most
important factor in their partner – or at least, that is what we would
like to believe. According to the matching hypothesis, people are more
likely to form and succeed in a relationship with a partner who is
equally socially desirable, which often refers to physical
attractiveness [8]. On average, women tend to be attracted to men who
are taller than they are and vice versa. While men want women with full
breasts and lips, low waist-hip ratio, and a young appearance, women
prefer men with broad shoulders, narrow waist, V-shaped torso, and
masculine facial dimorphism. In addition, both seem to be attracted by a
symmetrical face [9-11]. Even when on a purely platonic level, it was
shown that people – especially men – tend to be drawn to others that
they perceive as similarly attractive [12]. And sure, you probably know
one or two successful couples where both partners are not necessarily
attractive to the same degree. In this case, the less attractive partner
possesses compensating qualities such as status and wealth [13]. Yet,
it is not entirely surprising that intelligence is highly ranked. It was
previously shown that people unconsciously attribute positive
characteristics, e.g. intelligence, to physically attractive people
[14]. This association was found to be stronger for men compared to
women [15]. Prokosch and colleagues proposed a general fitness factor
(f-factor) where intelligence and physical attractiveness are positively
correlated because both reflect the quality of the genes and
developmental stability [16].
NO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAREER STAGE AND
MATE SELECTION CRITERIA
Surprisingly, social status was
ranked very low in this study, and only group leaders and professors
seem to have a preference for it. According to the literature, women
have a substantial preference for high social status and wealth [17,18].
In a large US study, men and women were asked how willing they would be
to marry someone who possessed a variety of characteristics. While men
were significantly less willing than women to marry someone who was “not
good looking,” women were significantly less willing than men to marry a
partner who was “not likely to hold a steady job” and who “would earn
less than you.” However, they showed that both characteristics matter to
men and women – just to a different degree [19].
We did not find a
relationship between career stage and any of the mate selection
criteria investigated here. Yet, group leaders and professors tend to
pay more attention to social status. We can only speculate that being a
neuroscientist or a researcher in academia favors a certain kind of
person (which would also explain the lack of gender differences). Why
postdocs, in particular, ranked physical attraction much lower than the
other groups and tend to value sense of humor, kindness, and
trustworthiness more, we'll leave up to your imagination.
What you think your partner should be like and how your beloved turns out to be might be completely different. That’s love!
Limitations of this Study
This
study is greatly limited by the short online poll and low number of
respondents. A more detailed study on the mates and reproductive success
of Berlin neuroscientists would provide a deeper insight on the actual
selection criteria and evolutionary fitness of neuroscientists.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Anna Pajkert for helping with the statistical analysis of the data.
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by Marietta Zille
this article originally appeared 2014 in CNS Volume 7, Issue 2, Neuroscience of Love
