When searching for a romantic partner, most people have an idea of what their ideal partner should be like. Common preferences might include traits such as intelligence, a good sense of humor, or physical attractiveness. But how much do these ideal partner preferences really influence who we find attractive or end up dating? A large-scale international study, conducted in collaboration with the Psychological Science Accelerator, sought to answer this question by testing whether the traits people say they want in a partner actually predict how they feel about their romantic interests in real li…