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15 June 2010
Dating: I'll have what she's having 
We like to think we have discriminating tastes when it comes to dating, but women are greatly influenced not only by what their friends think of their partner, but also by the opinions of complete strangers. That's according to Skyler Place, a researcher in Indiana University's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, who points out that humans don't exist in a vacuum. "From an evolutionary standpoint, it makes sense that we have evolved mechanisms that let us take advantage of the additional social information in our environment," explained Place. "We might think that searching for mates is a process best done individually, that we can best gather the appropriate information by ourselves, but humans, like many other animals, also pay attention to the preferences of others. Who others like might also be a good choice for ourselves." The concept of "mate choice copying", where an individual copies the mate selections of others, has been widely documented in other species, particularly birds and fish, and has recently been looked for in humans as well. Place's study, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, is unique in that it exposed study participants to real mate choice scenarios via video of speed-dating couplings. Speed dating involves sessions in which men and women have numerous mini-dates, each date lasting about three minutes. After every date, the men and women checked a box on a card noting whether they would like to see the other person again. Place and co-researcher Peter Todd describe such speed-dating events as a realistic microcosm of mate choice behavior. For the study, 40 men and 40 women each watched video of eight speed-dating interactions. The subjects were then asked to predict whether they thought the dates were successful. The researchers then looked at how the participants own desires to become romantically involved with the individuals going speed-dating changed based on what the participants thought happened on the speed-dates.
The men's interest in the women generally increased after watching the videos but it increased significantly more if their male peer in the video appeared to be interested in the women and if the men were considered as attractive or more so than the study participant. With the female study participants, their interest in the men in the video increased if their peers in the video appeared interested; but unlike their male counterparts, their interest in the men decreased if the women in the video appeared uninterested. Place said interest shown by the men and women was no different when they were asked whether they were interested in a short affair or long-term relationship. An intriguing finding involved the sway men had on each other. Place found that the interest of his male study participants in the women in the videos increased in relation to the good looks of the men in the video. "For men, relative attractiveness of the people they're watching matters - not just anyone can influence their behavior, just other men they think are at least as attractive as they are," Place said. "Of course people care about what friends and family think of their potential romantic partners. Surprisingly, we showed that complete strangers also matter." Related:
Facial attractiveness a complex business
Boffins probe truthiness levels in online dating
Women attracted to men that are "just not that into them"
Taking Men At Face Value
Source: Indiana University
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