Strategies for becoming a more desirable mate: Evidence from 14 countries

Abstract

The current research aimed to study the strategies that people employ in order to become more desirable as mates in different cultural settings. More specifically, using a closed-ended questionnaire on a sample of 7181 participants from 14 different countries, we identified 10 different strategies that people employ to become more appealing as mates. Participants indicated that they had more frequently used the “Enhance looks,” followed by the “Show off abilities and talents,” and the “Demonstrate similarity” strategies. On the other hand, they had less frequently used the “Keep undesirable things hidden,” the “Show off and exaggerate wealth and abilities,” and the “Drastic appearance changes” strategies. Female participants indicated that they had more extensive used the “Enhance looks” strategy than male participants, while male participants indicated that they had more extensive used the “Increase income and social status” and the “Show off and exaggerate wealth and abilities” strategies than female participants. The sex effects, as well as the extent of use, were generally consistent across the different cultures. The identified strategies were classified further into two main strategies, namely the “Develop and demonstrate desirable traits” and the “Deceive about undesirable traits,” which was generally consistent across the different countries.