How sex shapes the evolution of behavior: The case of preferences in human reproduction

Abstract

Sexual reproduction is one of the greatest landmarks of the evolution of life on Earth. Although it helped the generation of genetic variability, it also imposed a series of adaptive challenges in organisms, such as the search for mates and strategies to secure re-production. The theory of sexual selection offers hypotheses to explain that the search and selection of a mate are not arbitrary for complex organisms. It is proposed that there are cri-teria for selecting reproductive mates that are reflected in psychological mechanisms called preferences, which can guide the choice of partners who have adaptive traits and can benefit, either survival or future reproduction of the offspring that inherit such traits. This review addresses how the conditions imposed by sexuality shape the evolution of behavior, and how those principles apply to human mating behavior. From there, important questions arise to understand the relationship among evolution, preferences and mate selection.