[3] Specifically, one could infer that one's own mate value has a direct impact upon partner choice through the biological market theory.
[8][9][10][11] Evolutionary theory has provided evidence suggesting that individuals aim for the highest mate value possible, in both others and themselves.
With the introduction of birth control and contraception, chastity has become a less favoured mate value whereas dependable character, emotion stability and maturity have stayed highly desired.
[8] In the book The Adapted Mind: Evolutionary Psychology and the Generation of Culture (1995), Ellis conveys which features women link to high mate value.
Natural selection has accentuated these preferences, leading to the evolution of mate values in relation to what females find desirable in their male counterparts.
Another study, by Buss et al. (1990),[24] looked at mate preferences in 37 different cultures and found that Indians, Chinese, Arabs and Indonesians place a huge emphasis on chastity, whereby both males and females place high importance on finding a mate who has not engaged in previous sexual experience.
Researchers have found that men place a much bigger emphasis on the reproductive capacity of a mate in order to ensure they are able to produce offspring.
[11] The same study also found that females place a greater importance on financial prospects, status and other qualities that are needed for the long-term survival of the offspring when selecting a mate.
It seems that men tend to select traits such as attractiveness, youth and body shape and size, suggesting a preference for uncontrollable qualities.
This however differs from what females focus on, which are traits that are thought to be controlled, such as status, ambition, job prospects and physical strength.
Although there are differences in mate values between males and females; Buss (1989) also found that traits such as intelligence and health are rated equally in terms of importance by both men and women.
Muehlenbein (2010)[40] states "men of high-mate value and women of low mate-value will pursue short-term mating strategies."
From an evolutionary perspective, research states that self-esteem (SE) is a tool which individuals use to calculate their own mate value for long-term relationships.
Research by Brase & Guy (2004)[48] looked specifically at factors affecting an individual's self-esteem with regards to mate value.
It was found that factors such as age, sex and marital status were closely associated with an individual's estimate of own mate value.
Zeigler-Hill et al. (2015)[46] state that both sexes experience lower self-esteem when rejected, particularly when traits deemed important by themselves and others, are devalued.
[50] However, noticeable sex differences have been highlighted by researchers, Penke & Denissen (2008)[51] indicated that self-esteem was more closely associated with self-perceived mate value in males.
[55] Men and women feel like they need to exhibit aggression in order to compete more successfully (i.e. intimidate their rivals)[56] and as a result, reducing their competitors’ mate value.
[57] In this way, aggression can help to minimize a threat and reduce another's mate value in order to improve one's own self-image and increase self-esteem.
Due to their lower mate value, these males feel a greater amount of fear about a partner being disloyal and potentially cheating, leading them to become more aggressive.