The effect of mate value feedback on women's mating aspirations and mate preference

The concept of a mating sociometer (e.g., Kavanagh, Robins, & Ellis, 2010) suggests that humans adaptively calibrate their mating aspirations in line with their mate value, drawing from relevant cues and experiences. Here we investigate the influence of acceptance versus rejection cues on a variety of mate preferences among women. Results suggest that a rejection cue from opposite-sex individuals decreases overall choosiness when rating the importance of several traits. Specifically, Cultivated traits were rated as less important by women who received a rejection cue compared to those who received an acceptance cue or no feedback. Also, Similar Ideals/Interests, Sociable, Intellectual, Pleasant, Physical Attractiveness, Kind and Understanding, and Wealthy traits were rated as significantly less important by rejected participants, but these fell short of significance after Bonferroni correction. There was no significant difference in preference for sexually dimorphic body types or in facial coloration between feedback conditions. However, participants that received an acceptance cue preferred more masculine-shaped male faces compared to rejected or control participants. Overall, results provide some support for a sociometer perspective on women's mating aspirations.