Altruism as an indicator of good parenting quality in long-term relationships: further investigations using the Mate Preferences Towards Altruistic Traits Scale.
Research has shown that altruism plays a role in mate choice, and recent studies suggest it is most important for long-term relationships. This study examined whether altruism is preferred for long-term relationships for both males and females. This was achieved using two versions of the Mate Preferences Towards Altruistic Traits (MPAT) scale that assessed preferences for short-term and long-term relationships. Both males and females significantly preferred altruistic mates for long-term relationships, and the size of this preference was greater than for other traits in mate choice. This provides support for previous findings that state that altruism conveys information about an individual's partner/parenting qualities or good character.
University of Sunderland, Department of Psychology, David Goldman Informatics Centre, Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peters, Sunderland SR6 0DD, UK. daniel.farrelly@sunderland.ac.uk
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D000328:Adult; D000533:Altruism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult