@article{ref1,
title="Human mate choice and the wedding ring effect",
journal="Human nature",
year="2003",
author="Uller, Tobias and Johansson, L. Christoffer",
volume="14",
number="3",
pages="267-276",
abstract="Individuals are often restricted to indirect cues when assessing the mate value of a potential partner. Females of some species have been shown to copy each other's choice; in other words, the probability of a female choosing a particular male increases if he has already been chosen by other females. Recently it has been suggested that mate-choice copying could be an important aspect of human mate choice as well. We tested one of the hypotheses, the so-called wedding ring effect--that women would prefer men who are already engaged or married--in a series of live interactions between men and women. The results show that women do not find men signaling engagement, or being perceived as having a partner, more attractive or higher in socioeconomic status. Furthermore, signs of engagement did not influence the women's reported willingness to engage in short-term or long-term relationships with the men. Thus, this study casts doubt on some simplified theories of human mate-choice copying, and alternative, more complex scenarios are outlined and discussed.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1045-6767",
doi="10.1007/s12110-003-1006-0",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12110-003-1006-0"
}