Where do positive feelings about a romantic or sexual partner come from? This article offers an overview of—and imposes some structure on—the enormous literature on mate evaluation, from initial attraction to long-term relationship settings. First, we differentiate between research that identifies the factors that predict positive evaluation on average (i.e., normative desirability) and research that attempts to document for whom certain factors are more versus less positive (i.e., heterogeneity in desirability). Second, we review the positive biases that tend to dominate the evaluative process, as well as the promising (and sorely needed) new methods in this research space. Third, we cover contemporary perspectives on the mechanisms that explain how evaluations shift and change over the entire relationship arc. Fourth and finally, we discuss how diversifying the samples and perspectives in mate evaluation research will address novel and generative questions about culture, stigma, and socioeconomic status.

中文翻译：

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人们对伴侣有什么感觉？


对浪漫或性伴侣的积极情绪从何而来？本文概述了关于配偶评估的大量文献，从最初的吸引力到长期的关系设置，并对其施加了一些结构。首先，我们区分了确定平均预测积极评价的因素的研究（即规范可取性）和试图记录哪些因素更积极与谁不太积极（即期望性的异质性）的研究。其次，我们回顾了往往主导评估过程的积极偏见，以及该研究领域中有前途（且急需）的新方法。第三，我们涵盖了解释评估如何在整个关系弧中转移和变化的机制的当代观点。第四也是最后，我们讨论了配偶评估研究中的样本和观点多样化将如何解决有关文化、耻辱和社会经济地位的新奇和生成性问题。