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Surveys For men, the intelligence of a woman is increasingly more important than the look
In many surveys of the past, many men said that good looks and a great figure are especially important to women. Wisdom often played only a side role. But apparently the preferences are changing. According to a new study, men are increasingly turning to beauty in women today.
Various factors influence the mate choice
While human beauty is in the subjective eye of the beholder, it does not prevent many people - especially men - from talking about how important their good looks are to them. It is known from science that many factors influence mate choice. Hormones play a role here, but also the smell of the opposite or subconscious behavior. Nevertheless, some men are still sure what to look like their dream woman and serve long-existing stereotypes: A pretty face, long blond hair and a great figure with big breasts. But apparently something is happening in the men's world: As reported by the news agency APA, a new study shows that men are nowadays in women actually make intelligence increasingly beautiful.
The criteria for choosing a partner have clearly shifted in recent years. (Image: Jeanette Dietl / fotolia.com) Equality between men and women
According to a press release from the University of Innsbruck, this result touches on the foundations of a widespread theory that our partner preferences are laid down in evolutionary biology. With the increasing equality of men and women, the laws of mate choice would also change. Marcel Zentner, a professor at the Institute of Psychology at the University of Innsbruck, and his colleague Alice Eagly from Northwestern University (USA) came to this conclusion after having evaluated numerous studies. "We looked and analyzed hundreds of studies from different disciplines. They show that women's and men's partner preferences are responding with unexpected speed to progress in equality, "said Marcel.
Gender-specific preference patterns change
First, they examined cross-cultural studies. "These show that the gender-biased patterns of preference, such as women being attracted to influence and wealth, and men of youth and beauty, are melting away with increasing gender equality among countries," the scientist explained. Accordingly, women's preference for solvent men in countries with relatively low gender equality, such as Korea or Turkey, is twice as high as in countries with relatively high gender equality, such as Finland or the United States. When they looked at studies on gender role models of individuals, it became apparent that the traditional sex-typical partner preferences are found mainly in groups of people who have a conventional gender role model. The more progressive this picture is, the smaller the gender difference in the partner preferences of the examined groups of people. The researchers also published their findings in the journal "European Review of Social Psychology".
Education of the woman hardly played a role in the past
Finally, in analyzing historical trends, the researchers showed that changes in gender role models run parallel to changes in partner preferences. In many nations, the classic division of labor, where men are gainfully employed and women do household chores, has long been outdated. Income and education of women played a minor role 75 years ago in the choice of a partner, while today more and more men assess these qualities as very significant. Due to the fact that men apparently prefer smart women in the first place and regard beautiful faces and curves as secondary, according to the news agency APA, the evolutionary biology of partner preferences shattered: women need men with resources to raise their children and men, if possible many fertile women. In this way, both can leave the largest possible number of offspring.
How does the partner fit into a particular life plan?
Today, however, some evolutionary biologists would argue differently: as our ancestors would have to face ever-changing environments with new adaptation problems, those who had the flexibility to respond to changes in the environment had the survival advantage. The result of evolutionary history is therefore man's own flexibility. "The same flexibility also allows people to adapt their partner preferences to societal changes," said Eagly. "As representatives of sociocultural approaches have long suspected, partners are chosen primarily by how much they fit into a particular life plan. And lifestyles are significantly influenced by the increasing gender equality ", says the psychologist. (Ad)