Final answer:
According to evolutionary theory, men look for young and physically attractive mates while women prefer resourceful mates with high social status. Attraction is influenced by both physical attributes and social traits, and is explained by intersexual selection and the good genes hypothesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the evolutionary theory of attraction, men tend to seek mates who are young and physically attractive, while women tend to seek mates who are resourceful and have high social status. This pattern emerges from evolutionary pressures that shaped the mate preferences of each sex. In terms of physical attributes, universally attractive features in women include large eyes, high cheekbones, a narrow jawline, a slender build, and a lower waist-to-hip ratio. For men, attractive traits include being tall, having broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. Social traits that are found attractive in potential female mates include warmth, affection, and social skills, while in males, traits like achievement, leadership qualities, and job skills are desirable.
The good genes hypothesis suggests that males develop impressive ornaments or traits to show off their fitness, such as an efficient metabolism or the ability to fight disease, which females may select as indicators of genetic superiority. This selection process is guided by the desire to pass on advantageous genes to offspring, considering that healthier offspring have a greater chance of survival.
The concept of intersexual selection explains that individuals of one sex choose mates of the other sex based on a variety of traits, which could be visual, aural, tactile, or chemical signals. These preferences are aligned with the matching hypothesis, asserting that people tend to choose partners whom they perceive to be of similar levels of physical attractiveness and social desirability.