Sexual Chemistry: What Men and Women Prefer When Searching for a Partner

It's a dance as old as human race. At cocktail lounges and church socials, during office coffee breaks and dinner parties - and most blatantly, perhaps, in the personal ads - men and women perform an elaborate ritual of advertisement and assessment that precedes an essential part of nearly every life: mating.

It all may seem very modern, but a new group of researchers argues that love is part of a universal human behavior with roots stretching back to dawn of humankind. These scientists, who call themselves evolutionary psychologist, contend that, in stark contrast to the image of brute cavemen dragging their mates by hair, our ancestors engaged in a sophisticated mating dance of sexual intrigue, shrewd strategizing and savvy negotiating that has left its stamp on human psychology. Indeed, this ancient legacy influences everything from sexual attraction to infidelity and jealousy.

Scientists have long known that people typically choose mates who closely resemble themselves in build and intelligence, But a survey of more than 10,000 people in 37 cultures on six continents, conducted by psychologist David Buss, reveals that men value physical attractiveness and youth in a mate more that women do; women are more concerned with a prospective mate's ambition, status and wealth.

These mating preferences evolved in response to the biological challenges faced by men and women in producing children - the definition of success in evolutionary terms. American evolutionary biologist Robert Trives points out that females invest far more time and energy in reproduction and child rearing than do males. Human infants require more nurturing than any animal on earth. Because of that' women have evolved a psychology that is concerned with a father's to help out with this enormous - with his clout, protection and resources.

"Women size up a man's finances even when they may not have to"