Mate Preferences and Mate Value

Mate choice requires comparing a constellation of preferences to an array of imperfect potential mates. How does a mate who is unintelligent compare to one who is unhealthy? Is it better to have a mate who is beautiful or kind? Our research explores how individuals integrate multiple preferences to evaluate potential mates and make decisions in the mating domain.

Mating Market Dynamics

The design of mate choice psychology can be obscured by the complex dynamics inherent to human mate choice. We use simulations of human mating markets to account for and manipulate these dynamics in order to clarify the psychology of mate choice and its consequences in realistic, complex mating markets.

Relationship Regulation

Successfully navigating mating relationships requires solving a number of problems beyond initial mate choice: encouraging good behavior from your partner and discouraging bad behavior, switching to better relationships when they become available but discouraging your partner from doing the same, maintaining good relationships but dissolving bad relationships. We are interested in mapping the information processing design of the psychological systems that help us manage the many problems encountered in human mating relationships.

Mating Psychology Across Populations

Historically, research on human mating psychology has focused on a narrow subset of human populations: cisgender, heterosexual, monogamous people in the U.S. and other WEIRD countries. We study human mating psychology across a more diverse array of samples and populations, including large-scale cross-cultural samples; small-scale, traditional societies; and LGBTQ+ and non-monogamous participants.