ABSTRACT
F rom an evolutionary perspective, animal mate choice and relationship initiation depend in large part on the natural mating system of a species. Mating systems can vary widely both within and across species, and differences in mating systems fundamentally influence the degree of sexual differentiation and population variability in mate choice and courtship-related behavior (Shuster & Wade, 2003). In humans, there are several indications that we have a monogamous mating system. For example, humans are highly altricial-we have prolonged childhoods and rely heavily on extended families throughout our life spans (Alexander & Noonan, 1979). We also appear designed to form romantic pairbonds, having a dedicated neurochemistry of attachment associated with monogamy across mammalian species (Fisher, 1998; Young, 2003). This evidence would suggest humans are designed to choose romantic partners who possess qualities advantageous to a monogamous mating system (e.g., fidelity), and according to sexual selection theory (Darwin, 1871), men and women who displayed cues to qualities such as fidelity would be especially effective at initiating and maintaining romantic relationships.
