Individuals are often restricted to indirect cues when assessing the mate value of a potential partner. Females of some species have been shown to copy each other's choice; in other words, the probability of a female choosing a particular male increases if he has already been chosen by other females. Recently it has been suggested that mate-choice copying could be an important aspect of human mate choice as well. We tested one of the hypotheses, the so-called wedding ring effect - that women would prefer men who are already engaged or married - in a series of live interactions between men and women. The results show that women do not find men signaling engagement, or being perceived as having a partner, more attractive or higher in socioeconomic status. Furthermore, signs of engagement did not influence the women's reported willingness to engage in short-term or long-term relationships with the men. Thus, this study casts doubt on some simplified theories of human mate-choice copying, and alternative, more complex scenarios are outlined and discussed.
CITATION STYLE
Uller, T., & Christoffer Johansson, L. (2003). Human Mate Choice and the Wedding Ring Effect: Are Married Men more Attractive? Human Nature, 14(3), 267–276. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-003-1006-0
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