Previously, we examined the frequency with which words appear in Harlequin romance novel titles to explore women’s evolved mating interests. To complement that study, we now perform an exploratory study in which we compare hero and heroine development, with the goal of understanding what women seek in potential mates, and how they ideally conceptualize men. Heroes are always described in considerable detail (e.g., appearance, resources, and career status), while heroines are rarely described in these terms, or in this depth. These descriptions of men are congruent with the evolutionary psychology literature on women’s mate preferences. We found that heroes undergo noteworthy changes within the books, such that they often start as ‘cads’ who are often rude, independent, and aggressive, but by the end of the book they are loyal, devoted men who are in love with the heroine. In contrast, the heroine undergoes only minimal transformation. This desire for a mate who encompasses both a ‘cad’ and a ‘dad’ mating strategy is beneficial to women, evolutionarily speaking, because cads may have high gene quality and dads may provide high paternal investment.
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