The Odd Couple?

I often hear men call certain women “gold diggers”. It’s no lie that there are women out there seeking a man who will provide her with financial stability. However, if you ask a woman if she’d prefer love or money in a relationship, almost all will say love. Although most women are not solely seeking money when they chose a man, they are seeking men with qualities such as a sense of responsibility, organization, and stability. Why? Because these men are more likely to help a woman take care of a child.

According to evolutionary psychology, mammalian women have a better chance of reproducing and successfully passing on their genes if they select a male mate who proves himself to be fit. Proving strength and power shows the female that his genes are strong, and additionally shows her that he will be more equipped to help her rear her children.

Mating in most species is promiscuous, in which members of both sexes copulate with multiple partners throughout each mating period. However, for mammals promiscuity doesn’t ensure reproductive success as well as forming mating bonds. According to theorist Trivers, forming a mating bond evolved in mammals because mammalian females give birth to only a few number of young, who are slow to develop and cannot fend for themselves without the help of an older caretaker. Because of this, men are more inclined to stay with the female they copulated with in order to ensure that their offspring will survive.

When a human female becomes pregnant for nine months, there is no benefit (reproductively speaking) for her to mate with any other males besides the one she became pregnant from. You cannot pass on any genes and produce any more offspring when you already have a child growing inside you. Because of this, it’s understandable that women are attracted to men who have qualities and resources that will help her to successfully raise a child. When it comes to evolution, the whole point of our existence is to survive and reproduce.

But women aren’t the only ones who seek qualities to ensure reproductive success. Men are just as guilty as being attracted to and seeking specific qualities as well. It’s not a shocker that men love beautiful women. For men, youth and beauty are indicators of fertility, and therefore women with those qualities are more likely to pass on the men’s genes and be successful in producing a healthy child.

As humans, we are not so different from all other species in the sense that much of our life, in one way or another, is fueled by the desire to survive and successfully reproduce healthy offspring. Not all women live their lives seeking out a rich man, and not all men spend their lives trying to pass along their genes with a beautiful young woman. However, evolution has without a doubt shaped us to desire certain qualities in the opposite sex, qualities that better our chances of spreading our genes successfully.

Pinel, J.P.J. (2011). Biopsychology (8th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.