Essentials: How Humans Select & Keep Romantic Partners in the Short & Long Term | Dr. David Buss

What It Covers

Evolutionary psychologist Dr. David Buss explains Darwin's sexual selection theory and reveals how men and women use different criteria to select short-term versus long-term romantic partners based on evolutionary biology.

Key Questions Answered

• •Universal mate preferences: Both sexes prioritize intelligence, kindness, mutual attraction, good health, dependability, and emotional stability in long-term partners across all 37 cultures studied, though women value emotional stability slightly more than men do.
• •Sex-differentiated priorities: Women prioritize earning capacity, ambition, social status, and resource trajectory in men. Women also use mate choice copying—rating the same man as more attractive when photographed with attractive women versus alone, leveraging social proof.
• •Physical attractiveness cues: Men prioritize clear skin, symmetrical features, low waist-to-hip ratio, full lips, and lustrous hair—all indicators of youth and fertility. Context matters little for men, while women's attraction depends heavily on status, attention from others, and social circumstances.
• •Dark triad dangers: Men scoring high on narcissism, machiavellianism, and psychopathy combined with short-term mating strategies commit the vast majority of sexual harassment and coercion. This subset of men are skilled seducers who abandon partners and become serial offenders.