Ashley Coventry

Presentation Title

Preferences and Polyamory: Investigating Ideal Mate Preferences for Concurrent Partners in Monogamous and Polyamorous Individuals

Abstract

Although a large body of research is dedicated to investigating human mating psychology, nearly all of this research focuses exclusively on monogamous relationships. While monogamy is a prevalent mating system, non-monogamous concurrent mating has also been common throughout human history and across cultures. Across three studies, we explored ideal preferences for two concurrent romantic partners in monogamous and polyamorous participants. In Studies 1 and 2, using a budget allocation paradigm, we performed a k-Means cluster analysis to explore the types of ideal concurrent partners preferred by two largely monogamous samples. In Study 3, we used these same methods with an exclusively polyamorous sample. Across all studies, we found that three "types" of desired romantic partners emerged. In particular, participants wanted partners that were "Kind and Smart", "Attractive and Good in Bed", and "Well-Rounded". Monogamous men were significantly more likely than monogamous women to want at least one "Attractive and Good in Bed" partner, in which attractiveness and being good in bed were valued above all other traits. On the other hand, polyamorous participants were significantly more likely to want partners of the same type, relative to monogamous participants, and did not exhibit the emphasized sex differentiated preferences observed with monogamous subjects. Desired investment between both partners appears to be driving these differences. This suggests that people may be flexible in the mating strategy they employ, and that this strategy may in part be driven by investment.