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Sex Differences in Mate Retention and Mate Quality Enhancement: The Effect of Facial Sexual Dimorphism Cues on Willingness to Introduce a New Friend to One’s Partner

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Abstract

Building on previous studies, we investigated the influence of sexual dimorphism cues on mate retention and mate quality enhancement behaviors. A total of 233 participants were presented with facial photographs with varying sexual dimorphism cues that were generated using computer graphic techniques and were asked to rate their behavior tendencies associated with mate retention and quality enhancement. The results showed that (1) female participants utilized mate retention tactics as a function of the sexual dimorphism cues of targets, whereas male participants showed an overall stronger and indiscriminate tendency for mate retention; (2) female participants rated masculine men as more competent and more generally attractive and tended to introduce them to their own partner, a pattern that was consistent with mate quality enhancement strategies, whereas male participants did not exhibit comparable behaviors. Taken together, these results suggest that masculine and feminine facial cues are important, albeit subtle, to one’s reproductive value and are closely associated with mate retention and quality enhancement strategies. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our colleagues at CSSP of CCNU and Dr. Yang Wu now at the Academy of Marxism of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, for their kind support. Funding support came from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31571147, 31400903) and Self-determined Research Funds of CCNU from the Colleges’ Basic Research and Operation of MOE Grants (CCNU18ZDPY12, CCNU15Z02001, CCNU14Z02015).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Social Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China

    Bin Zuo, Fangfang Wen & Yang Wu

  2. Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430079, People’s Republic of China

    Bin Zuo & Fangfang Wen

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  1. Bin Zuo
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Correspondence to Fangfang Wen.

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Zuo, B., Wen, F. & Wu, Y. Sex Differences in Mate Retention and Mate Quality Enhancement: The Effect of Facial Sexual Dimorphism Cues on Willingness to Introduce a New Friend to One’s Partner. Arch Sex Behav 48, 1785–1794 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-018-1295-3

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