Editing Human sexual activity (section)

==Mating strategies==
{{main|Human mating strategies}}
{{see also|Animal sexual behaviour}}
In [[evolutionary psychology]] and [[behavioral ecology]], human mating strategies are a set of behaviors used by individuals to attract, select, and retain [[Mating|mates]]. Mating strategies overlap with [[Human reproduction|reproductive]] strategies, which encompass a broader set of behaviors involving the timing of reproduction and the trade-off between quantity and quality of offspring (see [[life history theory]]).

Relative to other animals, human mating strategies are unique in their relationship with cultural variables such as the institution of [[marriage]].<ref>Low, B. S. (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=8K7Hc09xcQAC&q=%22Ecological+and+socio-cultural+impacts+on+mating+and+marriage%22&pg=PA449 Ecological and socio-cultural impacts on mating and marriage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231113043/https://books.google.com/books?id=8K7Hc09xcQAC&pg=PA449#v=onepage&q=%22Ecological%20and%20socio-cultural%20impacts%20on%20mating%20and%20marriage%22 |date=31 December 2022 }}. Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology, 449.</ref> Humans may seek out individuals with the intention of forming a long-term [[intimate relationship]], marriage, [[casual relationship]], or [[friendship]]. The human desire for [[companionship]] is one of the strongest human drives. It is an innate feature of human nature, and may be related to the [[sex drive]]. The human mating process encompasses the social and cultural processes whereby one person may meet another to assess suitability, the [[courtship]] process and the process of forming an [[interpersonal relationship]]. Commonalities, however, can be found between humans and nonhuman animals in mating behavior.