The biological approach

One area that has been extensively researched within the biological/evolutionary approach is that of human mating or sexual preferences. Buss (1994) studied attitudes and behaviours of men and women across 37 different cultures towards sexual behaviour. Buss found, for example, that compared to women, men are more interested in casual sex, prefer a younger partner and get more jealous over sexual infidelity on the part of the woman. By contrast, women prefer older partners, are less upset by sexual infidelity but more upset by a man becoming emotionally involved with another woman. Buss attributes these differences to mating preferences that have evolved in response to the reproductive demands placed on men and women. Generally, women are more involved in nurturing offspring and men in providing for the family, although this traditional pattern has changed dramatically in westernised societies. Evolutionary theory explains the male concern with sexual infidelity by the female partner as being related to concern over the paternity of offspring.