People are more likely to be asked out on a second date if they are genetically predisposed to have traits consistent with prevailing gender norms like social dominance in men and submissiveness in wo
People are more likely to be asked out on a second date if they are genetically predisposed to have traits consistent with prevailing gender norms like social dominance in men and submissiveness in women, scientists have found.
Researchers at University of California, Irvine, wanted to find if mate selection could be influenced by people’s ability to quickly detect socially designated “good genes.”
They turned to speed-dating to test their predictions in a real-life scenario. In such meet-ups, participants only had a few minutes to assess the short-and-long-term potential of their speed-dating partners, and to decide whether or not to offer their partners a second date.
262 single Asian-Americans were recruited to have three-minute dates with members of the opposite sex. After each speed date, participants were asked whether or not they wanted to offer their partner a second date, and how desirable they found the person as a romantic partner.
Researchers found that participants who were more likely to be asked on a second date had genotypes consistent with personal traits like — social dominance/leadership in men, social sensitivity/ submissiveness in women.
When examining the DNA samples, the researchers focused on two polymorphisms (genetic variation) that were previously linked to social dynamics.
