David Buss has done extensive studies on the use and effectiveness of specific mate attraction tactics used by men and women. Below are two list of acts (behaviours) used to attract the opposite sex. The first list gives examples of acts that were rated as being used more by men than by women.

Acts used more by men than by women:
lift weights
buy woman dinner at a nice restaurant
drive an expensive car
pretend he is easy - teased her
looking at women repeatedly
talking about how good he is in sports
flexing his muscles
mentioning that he had a lot of status and prestige among his work colleagues
bragging about his accomplishments
showing off his driving skills
strutting in front of the group
sleeping around with a lot of girls
mentioning that he expected to earn a lot of money

The second list gives examples of acts that were rated as being used more by women than by men (these lists are taken from Buss, 1988).

Acts used more by women than by men:
wearing facial makeup
being sympathetic to his troubles
going on a diet to improve her figure
wearing stylish, fashionable clothes
she learned how to apply cosmetics
kept herself well-groomed
wearing a necklace and earrings
used makeup that accented her looks
shaving her legs
spending more than one hour making her appearance pleasant
getting a tan
wearing perfume or cologne
giggling when men were around
getting hair styled and blow dried

10 most effective male acts (as judged by women)
1) displays a good sense of humour
2) sympathetic to women's troubles
3) showed good manners
4) keep well groomed
5) made an effort to spend a lot of time with a particular woman,
6) offered to help her
7) showered daily
8) kept physically fit to create a healthy appearance
9) exercised
10) wore attractive outfits

10 most effective female acts, as judged by men
1) she displayed a good sense of humor
2) she kept herself well-groomed
3) she was sympathetic to his troubles
4) she showed good manners
5) she showered daily
6) she kept physically fit to maintain a healthy appearance
7) she made up jokes to make men laugh
8) she made an effort to spend a lot of time with a particular man
9) she wore stylish, fashionable clothes
10) she offered to help him

The sex differences in the first two lists are compatible with evolutionary predictions. Women put more emphasis on modifying appearance, men put more emphasis on displaying status, strength and resources. However, these significant differences do not mean men and women have completely different mate finding/ mate attracting tactics. They merely describe the differing patterns where differences occur. A great deal of overlap in mate criteria is expected as well, as most people prefer thoughtful, caring and loving mates. This overlap is illustrated in the second set of lists as displaying humour, good manners, sympathy, and good grooming were considered highly effective for both men and women.



M. Janicki March 22/96