Reproduction Lecture

Prior to this lecture, I always wondered what made people select the partners that they do and who decided what makes a person attractive or unattractive. The Mate Value Inventory list contained many characteristics that I feel would make up the “perfect” partner, so it makes sense that this correlates with an individual’s value to a potential mate. Also, while it was interesting to see the sex differences in long-term partner preferences I felt like some of the preferences were animalistic compared to the connection I personally would be looking for in a partner. What I got from this section is that women are looking for a male to take care of them and their offspring while men want a good looking female to impregnate. I am slightly hesitant in believing that good looks are an indication of fertility, but that is something I would explore further on my own. Overall, I enjoyed this lecture as it made me look at mate selection in humans much differently.