Attraction in Different Cultures

Do men and women in every culture look for the same traits? For example, are more males than females looking for physically attractive mates in Nigeria? Is earning potential more important in males than females in China? David Buss (1989b) did an ambitious study comparing the importance of, among other things, physical attractiveness, earning po­tential, and age difference to men and women in 37 different cultures. His results confirmed what we have been claiming about the nature of mate attraction (although Buss assumed all his respon­dents were heterosexual and therefore assumed they were all talking about the other sex). He found that across all 37 cultures, men valued “good looks” in a partner more than women did, and in all 37 cultures, women valued “good financial prospect” in a partner more than men did. Also in­teresting is that in all 37 cultures, men preferred mates who were younger than they were, whereas women preferred mates who were older. Selected results of Buss’s study appear in Human Sexuality in a Diverse World, “Good Looks or Prospects? What Do You Want in a Partner?”