Consider the simplest case—a difference between the male and female perspectives on the optimum amount of time after an initial meeting before initiating sex. Women often require more time than men to accurately assess the other’s mate value. Qualities that enter into the calculus of a man’s mate value—his attentiveness, status trajectory, dependability, health, sense of humor, existing commitments, family ties, and genetic quality—require more than a glance to accurately evaluate. Physical attractiveness, an important component of mate value for both sexes, can be appraised in
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