More not Always Merrier when Selecting MatesScientists have discovered that the context in which humans meet potential mates has a hidden influence on who they decide to pursue.

Some dating arrangements, such as speed dating, aggregate singles to allow a wide exposure to prospective partners.

In this environment, researchers found that people respond by paying attention to different types of characteristics – discarding attributes such as education, smoking status, and occupation in favor of physical characteristics such as height and weight.

A number of studies in recent years have looked at what happens to humans when faced with extensive choice – too many kinds of chocolate, or too many detergents to choose from at the grocery store.

Under such circumstances, consumer psychologists believe that the brain may become “overwhelmed,” potentially leading to poorer quality choice or choice deferral.


“Is having too many mate options really like having too many jams?” they ask.


To find out how people respond to relatively limited versus extensive mate choice, Lenton and Francesconi analyzed data from 84 speed dating events, which is where people meet with a series of potential dates for three minutes each.

Afterward, the men and women report their choices (a “yes” or “no” for each person).


Women also preferred partners who weren’t too skinny, and men preferred women who weren’t overweight.


At bigger speed dating events, with 24 or more dates, both male and female choosers were more likely to decide based on attributes that could be judged quickly, such as their dates’ height, and whether they were underweight, normal weight, or overweight.

At smaller events, choosers were more likely to make decisions based on attributes that take longer to identify and evaluate, such as their dates’ level of education, their type of job, and whether or not the person smokes.

“Obviously, I think we look for different attributes in partners than what we look for in a chocolate, a jam or a 401(k) plan,” says Lenton.

“But one of the points we’re trying to make in this article is it’s the same brain we’re carrying around. There are constraints on what our brains can do – they’re quite powerful, but they can’t pay attention to everything at once.”


As a result, this previously invisible aspect of the choice environment has the potential to determine one’s romantic fate.

Source: Association for Psychological Science