Criteria for long-term romantic partners differ from those for a first date or a short-term sexual encounter. In long-term relationships, both men and women place a high value on qualities such as...

Criteria for long-term romantic partners differ from those for a first date or a short-term sexual encounter. In long-term relationships, both men and women place a high value on qualities such as interpersonal skill, emotional stability, responsiveness, affection, and family orientation, and less value on physical attraction (Buunk et al., 2002). Women throughout the world prefer long-term partners higher in social and economic status than themselves (Buunk et al., 2002; Fales et al., 2016).