Mate guarding and parental influence on mate choice

Abstract

The hypothesis that the degree to which parents control the mate choice of their children may explain differences inmate guarding across and within cultures was tested. Study 1, in a sample of 80 students from 30 different countriesstudying in The Netherlands, showed that the perceived level of parental influence on mate choice in a culture wasassociated with more mate guarding reported by individuals from that culture. Study 2, in a sample of 242Argentinean individuals, showed that individuals who were more in favor of parental influence on mate choice didreport more mate guarding. The effects remained intact when controlling for potentially confounding variables.