Synonyms
Definition
Assortative mating is the non-random coupling of individuals based on the resemblance of one or more characteristics (Buss, 1984a).
Human Assortative Mating
Assortative mating refers to the mating pattern in which there is a regularity in mate choice, i.e., the mating is non-random. This pattern can have two forms, namely, positive assortative mating when partners are more similar than expected if the mating was random, and negative assortative mating, when partners are more different than expected if the mating was random (Burley, 1983; Thiessen & Gregg, 1980). The first study of this phenomenon was conducted by Pearson (1903), who reported that married couples are similar in longevity. Since then, the results of numerous studies overwhelmingly have supported the positive assortative mating pattern. That is, for most measured characteristics, partners are similar (Kardum et al., 2019; Luo, 2017). The most notable...
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Mehić, N. (2023). Human Assortative Mating. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_462-1
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