Partner Preferences: What characteristics do men and women desire in their partners?
Studies using subthreshold methods have also shown how important physical attractiveness is in choosing men. A study by Maner, Gailliot and DeWall (2007) using a dot probe procedure showed that men were stuck to striking female photographs, and therefore their response time on the task was prolonged. However, the same effect has been observed in women with increased motivation to seek spouses when exposed to attractive male photographs.
In parallel with all these findings, women also emphasize their physical attractiveness in their spouse-finding strategies. Women who introduce themselves on some websites that provide a platform for finding a partner for their participants emphasize their physical attraction more than men (Badahdah and Tieman, 2005).
Many studies on waist-to-hip ratio, which has an important place among the determinants of physical attractiveness, have shown that having a low waist-to-hip ratio increases the attractiveness of women. Estrogen and testosterone hormones affect the body's fat collection and distribution of fat in the body, depending on the waist-hip ratio changes. The accumulation of fat in the hip region rather than the waist region makes the woman desirable in terms of health and fertility; because the low waist-hip ratio is a reliable clue to overall body health. In a study, 0.7 waist-hip ratio was evaluated as the most attractive and healthy ratio (Singh, 1995; Akt., Hughes and Gallup, 2003). A recent study showed that visually impaired men perceived low waist-hip ratio more appealing in touch assessments (Karremans, Frankenhuis, and Arons, 2010).
Although the characteristics that men seek in short-term spouses are often the same as those in long-term spouses, physical attractiveness gains greater importance in the context of short-term relationships (Currie and Little, 2009). However, men tend to lower their standards more than women to increase the chances of matching in short-term relationships. The studies of Kenrick, Sadalla, Groth and Trost (1990) clearly proved this tendency of men. For example, while a male desires the tenderness characteristic of a potential spouse 63% in long-term relationships, this rate decreases up to 45% in short-term relationships (Akt., Schmitt, Shackelfort, and Buss, 2001). Closing time phenomenon is a concept that explains men's tendency to lower standards. In a study that showed this tendency, it was observed that men in a bar, usually going to find a mate, were able to evaluate the attractiveness of women in the space and that the attraction points of men increased as the bar closes. Men perceive women in the bar more attractive towards midnight in order to evaluate the possibility of sexual intercourse (Gladue and Delaney, 1990; Act., Buss, 1999).
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