Whats the take-home message for people looking for love?
Finkel: Beware the shopping list. When you go into finding a romantic partner, don’t have this list of necessary characteristics that you need. Go in with an open mind. Actually meet people face to face. Because you might find yourself surprised by the person you’re attracted to. Those sex differences and mate preferences that are so reliable when people report on hypothetical ideal partners disappear when people meet living, breathing partners. So personality really matters, too? Finkel: It’s not that looks don’t matter, or earning potential doesn’t matter, or personality doesn’t matter. It’s that they matter equally strongly for men and women. Looks are most important, personality is second and earning potential is third—at least in the first month of dating. And that’s good news, right? Finkel: It’s good news with regard to earning prospects and bad news with regard to looks! So what’s the verdict on beauty vs. brains? Finkel: It might be that men and women don’t differ in how much
