How Men and Women Select Partners and Look Beyond Beauty

Key points

Some partner qualities matter more in the absence of physical attraction.

Men were open to a long-term relationship with a physically unattractive partner with positive qualities.

Women lacked interest in physically unattractive people regardless of mating context.

We have all heard that beauty is only skin deep, yet visual appeal continues to be a big part of physical attraction , at least initially. Other qualities are very important when sparking romance beyond superficial appeal, such as kindness, honesty, compassion, compatibility, and of course the way a prospective partner makes us feel about ourselves. Many daters are faced with a mix of positive traits to analyze, both physical and emotional. But research has gone further, investigating what qualities matter to pr