Cooperation as a Sexual Selection Trait: Insights from Gender-Specific Mate Preferences

Cooperation is considered an essential component of natural selection due to its critical role in ensuring the survival of individuals and communities. However, whether cooperation is also a trait favored in the context of sexual selection remains an ongoing debate in evolutionary psychology. This study examined whether cooperative behavior increases individual attractiveness during the mate selection process. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling via Google Forms. In the first study, 199 participants were randomly assigned to one of three levels of cooperation. The results revealed that female participants preferred men who displayed cooperative behavior. In the second study, the effect of cooperation was evaluated together with the gender of the individuals involved. A total of 230 participants watched videos depicting different cooperation scenarios and evaluated the target person as a potential partner. The findings indicated that women found men who cooperated with both men and women more attractive, whereas men showed a preference only for women who cooperated with other women. In conclusion, cooperation is perceived differently by men and women within the framework of sexual selection, and particularly women regard cooperative behavior as a strong indicator of attractiveness.