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Self-perceived mate value is an important concept for evolutionary psychology, and yet there has been little investigation into how it should be measured. Past research has relied upon simple measures, such as self-perceived physical attractiveness, or on instruments where people rate the existence of certain traits. Using a sample of 150 individuals, we show that there are at least seven distinct components of self-perceived mate value. We compare these components with self-ratings of physical attractiveness, current income, as well as one existing measure, the Mate Value Inventory (Kirsner et al., 2003). Only some of these components correlate with these variables, and to varying extents for women and men, suggesting the need for a more comprehensive and sex-specific measure of selfperceived mate value. We discuss the context-dependent nature of mate value, and point to the need for future research to provide confirmatory support for our factors. This research represents an important first step into the accurate assessment of mate value.

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Although there is much support for the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating social anxiety disorder (SAD), many patients fail to respond adequately to treatment. In the present study, self-reported judgment biases (probability and cost estimates of negative social events) and emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) were measured at pre-, mid-, and posttreatment in 25 patients with SAD who completed 12 sessions of group CBT. We compared patterns of change across time in judgment biases and use of emotion regulation strategies during therapy among patients who were ultimately classified as responders (n = 15) and nonresponders (n = 10), and analyzed the extent to which early changes during treatment across these variables accounted for overall symptom improvement in social anxiety symptoms. Results revealed that change trajectories in social probability and cost estimates and use of cognitive reappraisal strategies differed as a function of responder status as patients moved through treatment. The early acquisition of cognitive reappraisal skills was uniquely predictive of overall social anxiety symptom reduction. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.