Transcript Buss (1989)

Buss (1989)
‘Sex differences in human mate
preferences’
THIS IS BUSS…
How can I find
out about male
and female
mate
preferences
…HE’S
I know, I’ll do a
questionnaire
INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT WHAT MEN
AND WOMEN GO FOR IN A MATE
Fill in your
age, gender
and marital
status
17,
Female,
single
32,
Female,
Married
25, Male,
single
41, Male,
single
Buss also asked participants to
say…
• At what age they wanted
to marry
• How big they like the age
gap to be between
themselves and their
partner
• How many children they
want
• How important 18
characteristics were to
them, including…
–
–
–
–
Good job
Good looks
Chastity
Ambition
• Which characteristics
were most desirable
including…
– Good earning capacity
– Physical attractiveness
Let’s go and see if we
get different results in
other cultures
Let’s go to
Europe, America,
Africa, Iran, New
Zealand, and
many more…
Pack your
bags and
hold tight…
MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE WERE USED…
…AND THEY WERE GAINED USING DIFFERENT
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
Buss used 37 samples from 33
countries
In all 37 samples
men rated good
looks in their mate
more than women
In all 37 samples
males and
females preferred
the male to be
older
In 36/37 samples
women rated
good financial
prospects higher
than men did
Good financial
prospects was
rated low in the
Netherlands and
Great Britain
This was high in
Indonesia and
Nigeria
In 34 samples we
rated ambition as
more important
than men did
Good looks
were particularly
important for
men in Bulgaria
and Nigeria
In Scandinavian
countries chastity
was seen as
irrelevant
But China, India
and Indonesia
see this as
important
Wow, that
was a big
study! Time
for a cup of
tea!