A new study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science found that men seeking long-term partners displayed children, dogs, or other pets (known as “dependents”) in their online dating profiles more so than men seeking short-term mates. There were no differences in frequency of displayed dependents between men and women seeking long-term partners.
Evolutionary theories on mating behavior suggest that the different challenges faced by each sex in relation to obligatory parental investment give rise to sex-specific mate preferences, interests, and strategies. Women invest more so biologically, including metabolically expensive egg production, a relatively small number of viable ova, as well as gestation and lactation. This results in more limited reproductive potential compared to men, who are not obligated to invest as much physiologically. Male investment often involves emotional and physical care of offspring, as well as resource attainment to sustain the family.
Sexual strategies theory posits that parental investment influences long- and short- term mating strategies used by both sexes. While long-term mating strategies involve commitment and biparental investment, short-term mating strategies are characterized by brief affairs with multiple mates and minimal investment in partners and offspring (for males). Men gravitate toward short-term mating while women prefer long-term partners.
Women adopting a short-term mating strategy seek direct benefits from mates, including immediate financial gains and social status. However, women using a long-term mating strategy have a preference for qualities that make a good companion, and possibly a good parent, such as love, kindness, agreeableness and parenting skills. For example, when faced with multiple potential long-term partners, women will opt for an altruistic man.
Dependents, as in “alive beings who depend on someone for care”, could serve as a signal of one’s ability and desire to provide resources and care. Cues of investment capacity are particularly prominent for men, given men with children and pets are seen as more attractive mates than those without. This phenomenon may reflect the fact that kids and dogs signal financial and social status, as well as one’s caring abilities. Other types of pets, such as cats, require less care and social interaction, and thus, may not be a particularly strong signal of male investment. In this work, Mackenzie J. Zinck and colleagues examined how dependents are advertised to signal mate quality in the context of online dating.
The researchers created a male and female account on a popular online dating platform in Canada. This platform encourages users to discuss numerous facets in relation to family, occupational and personal lives. These accounts were used to access profiles of the opposite sex. Daters were categorized based on the type of connection they were seeking (i.e., long-term relationship vs. casual encounter without commitment), which were used as proxies of mating strategies (long- and short-term respectively). All daters were situated in Nova Scotia, Canada. Every second profile was selected to increase coverage of daters, in case the platform sorted profiles by similarity to the profile simulated by the researchers.
Information from selected profiles was recorded as long as it included photographs of the individual. Profiles with generic photos (e.g., stock photos, nature scenes), spam accounts, and profiles with unclear indication of what type of connection daters were seeking, were ignored. Displays of dependents were quantified using photographs or written statements indicating the type of dependent (i.e., children, dogs and/or pets). Age, education level, as well as desire to have children were also documented.
The total sample included 225 men and 225 women seeking a relationship, and 225 men who were not seeking a relationship. Women who were not seeking a relationship were also sampled for data completeness; however, only 46 such women residing in Nova Scotia had profiles on this dating platform. This is consistent with prior work demonstrating women are less interested in short-term mating.
Zinck and colleagues found that men who were seeking long-term mates displayed dependents on their dating profiles to a greater extent than men seeking short-term partners. Men and women seeking long-term mates displayed dependents similarly, as in, there were no sex-differences in this regard. Men and women seeking long-term mates most frequently displayed children in their profiles. Among men seeking long-term partners, dogs (alongside kids) were the most frequently displayed dependent, more so than men and women seeking short-term partners, and women seeking long-term partners. Other pets (mostly cats) were displayed infrequently. This may reflect Western perceptions of feline-ownership being more feminine. As well, given non-canine pets are weaker signals of investment capacity, it would not be of particular value for either sex to display them as a means to attract mates.
The authors note two limitations. Dating strategy was assumed based on what daters indicated in their online dating profiles. Though it was assumed daters were honest when creating their profiles, it could be the case that men (as has been reported in a prior study) misconstrued mating intentions to coerce sexual encounters. As well, the age of daters was not restricted. Age influences both mating behavior and is correlated with fertility (more strongly for women). As such, motivations for mating vary with age. The ways in which these motives influence middle- and later-aged adults presenting their mate value ought to be further explored.
The study, “Dependents as Signals of Mate Value: Long‑term Mating Strategy Predicts Displays on Online Dating Profiles for Men”, was authored by Mackenzie J. Zinck, Laura K. Weir, and Maryanne L. Fisher.
