Changing her ways: The number of options and mate-standard strength impact mate choice strategy and satisfaction

Alison P. Lenton and Amanda Stewart

Judgment and Decision Making, 2008, vol. 3, issue 7, pages 501-511

Abstract: Researchers know very little about \textit{how} people choose mates. To remedy this, the present study examined the influence of number of potential mates and mate-standard strength on single women's choice satisfaction and strategy use. Single women chose one potential partner from a set of 4, 24, or 64 options presented on a real dating website. Participants adjusted to an increasing number of options by changing their decision-making strategies, such that they relied on noncompensatory, attribute-based strategies as the number of options increased. Across conditions they reported similar levels of satisfaction with the choice process and the person selected. Mate-standard strength qualified some of the results, however, as women with higher mate standards preferred extensive choice, and they tended to prefer compensatory choice strategies and were more satisfied with the option selected when he was selected from among many.

Keywords: mate choice; choice strategies; heuristics; choice satisfaction; standards. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008

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