Let us learn from learned studies
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, March 10, 2010
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/
Effects of stress on human mating preferences: Stressed individuals prefer dissimilar mates
Humans usually prefer similar mates. However, mating preferences are also context-dependent. One context factor that has been shown to influence mating preferences in animals is stress. In our study we tested whether stress also influences human preferences for similar mates. Participants viewed pictures of erotic female nudes that were similar and dissimilar from themselves. Participants that were stressed before the presentation of the erotic female nudes preferred dissimilar erotic nudes, while non-stressed participants showed a preference for similar ones. Our findings indicate that stress may reverse human mating preferences: making dissimilar mates more attractive than the usually preferred similar mates. Contact: Miss Johanna Lass-Hennemann, University of Trier, lass1302@uni-trier.de, 00496512013661