Romantic Selectivity 1 Running Head: ROMANTIC SELECTIVITY Arbitrary Social Norms Influence Sex Differences in Romantic Selectivity

Men tend to be less selective than women when evaluating and pursuing potential romantic partners. The present experiment employed speed-dating procedures to test a novel explanation for this sex difference: The mere act of physically approaching a potential romantic partner (versus being approached), a behavior that is more characteristic of men than of women, increases one’s attraction to that partner. This hypothesis was supported in a sample of speed-daters (N=350) who attended a heterosexual event where either men (eight events) or women (seven events) rotated from one partner to the next while members of the other sex remained seated. Rotators were significantly less selective than were Sitters, which meant that the tendency for men to be less selective than women at men-rotate events disappeared at women-rotate events. These effects were mediated by increased self-confidence among Rotators relative to Sitters.